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"We,  the  People  of  the  United  States,  in  order  to  form  a  more  'perfect 
Lliiov,  establish  justice,  insure  domestic  tranquillity,  provide  for  the  common 
defense,  promote  the  general  welfare,  and  secure  the  blessings  of  liberty  to 
our  selves  and  our  posterity,  do  ordain  and  establish  this  Constitution  FOR 
THE  United  States  of  America." — United  States  ConstUntion. 


CHICAGO: 


PAST,  PRESENT,  FUTURE. 


"  These  united  Colonies  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and  inde- 
pendent States;  .  .  .  and  that  as  free  and  independent  States, 
they  have  full  power  to  levy  war,  conclude  peace,  contract  alliances,  estab- 
lish commerce,  and  to  do  all  other  acts  and  things  which  independent 
States  may  of  right  do." — Declaration  of  Independence. 


QUERY. 


If  our  National  Wheel  of  Commerce  have  its  Hub  immovably 
pivoted  by  iN'ature  and  by  Art,  should  not  every  Business  Man 
know  it  ? 


CAUSES-RESULTS. 


Nature  laid  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  into  the  heart  of  the 
Continent,  this  chain  of  rivers  and  lakes,  over  a  thousand  miles 
of  the  grandest  inland  navigation  on  the  globe;  and  from  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  opened  up  a  river  navigation  of  thousands  of 
miles,  commingling  here  the  sources  of  rivers  and  of  lakes. 

Art  perfected  this  union  by  canal,  which  now  bears  to  the 
lakes  more  river-valley  produce  than  all  the  rivers  bear  to  St. 
Louis.  Art,  too,  made  this  union-point  the  chief  railway  centre 
of  the  world.  By  fifteen  trunk  lines,  each  242  to  over  1,000 
miles  long,  with  many  branches,  over  7,500  of  the  11,000  miles 
of  western  railway,  rapidly  expanding;  the  Old  ISTorthwest, 
600,000  square  miles  of  the  richest  arable  land,  in  the  heart 
of  the  temperate  zone,  is  already  bound  indissolubly  to  this 
unequal  ed  converging  point  of  water  and  railway  lines.  Seven 
of  these  railroads  are  across  the  Mississippi,  each  having,  or  to 
have,  its  bridge.  Continuing  west  in  nearly  parallel  lines,  most 
or  all  will  soon  reach  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  beyond;  and 
with  branches  concentrate  at  Chicago  the  trade  of  over  900,000 
square  miles  of  the  richest  mining  region  of  the  world.  And 
the  convergence  here  of  three  railways,  which  will  soon  reach 
the  Pacific,  render  this  the  distributing  point  for  the  trade  of  the 
former  Orient,  but  our  Occident,  at  least  for  the  Lake  and  River 
Yallies.  If  of  the  Old  Northwest  emporium,  she  must  bo  of  thcf 
present  West,  more  correctly  and  definitely  styled,  the  Greal: 
Interior;  if  of  the  Great  Interior,  she  must  be  of  the  Continent. 


CHICAGO: 


PAST,  PRESENT,  FUTURE. 


BY  JOHI^  S.  WRIGHT. 


I 


CHICAGO: 

SOLD  BY  THE  WESTERN  NEWS  CO.,  AND  ALL  CHICAGO  BOOKSELLERS. 

1868. 


3 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  tlie  year  1S68,  by 
JOHN   S.  WRIGHT, 

In  tlie  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  tlie  United  States  for  tlie 
Nortliern  District  of  Illinois, 


IIORTON  &  Leokaed,  Scofield,  Mardbr  &  Co., 

Printers,  Stereotypers, 

Chicago,  Illinois.  Chicago  Type  Foundry. 


I* 


^ 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Study  the  Past,  to  apprehend  the  Future,  and  improve  the  Present 1 

Former  Opinions  and  Predictions  were  based  upon  a  reasonable  Hypothesis..  2 

Real  Estate,  especially  in  a  growing  City,  ig  the  best  Investment 1-1 

General  Pecuniary  Fievulsions  may  intervene,  but  can  not  change  the  Result  15 

Public  Improvements  anticipated  20  and  10  years  ago,  as  a  Basis 22 

The  Basis  of  our  Prosperity  is  no  longer  hypothetical 25 

Art  following  Nature's  Lead,  Chicago  has  no  Taxes  for  Railways,  though  she 
has  several  times  more  than  any  Rival,  and  nearly  Two-Thirds  of  all  West 

of  the  Toledo  and  Cincinnati  Road,  and  North  of  the  Ohio  River 28 

The  Focal  Point  of  the  Great  West  is  fixed  immovably  by  over  7,500  of  its 

11,000  miles  of  Railway,  centering  at  Chicago 36 

The  Pacific  Railways  in  Progress — their  Effects 42 

The  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  to  the  Illinois  River.     Its  possible  continua- 
tion to  Rock  Island,  on  the  Mississippi 52 

Five  Rival  Railways  Eastward 58 

The  Lake  Route  to  the  East  and  Europe..... 58 

The  Difference  between  Chicago  and  other  Western  Centres 66 

The  Rivals  of  the  West-— Cincinnati,  St.  Louis,  and  Chicago 73 

The  Northwest  is  the  Prize  contested  —  its  Extent  and  Resources Ill 

600,009  square  miles  of  arable  Land,  and  water  Courses,  unequaled  in  Advan- 
tages, natural  and  acquired,  rapidly  settling  with  the  best  of  Men,  must 

give  unexampled  Growth  to  their  Empoi-ium 131 

The  Commerce  of  Chicago  compared  with  St.  Louis 140 

Abundant  Manufacturing  Advantages  of  Chicago 191 

Conjunction  of  Coal,  Iron,  and  other  Minerals 222 

Local  advantages  and  City  Expansion 240 

Power  of  the  Internal  Trade  to  build  up  great  Cities 300 

Power  of  the  Railway  to  develop  and  centralize 313 

No  other  Point  of  equal  Convergence  of  Rail  and  Water  Communication  on 

the  Globe 339 

Other  cities  no  measure  for  Chicago 385 

Room  for  them  and  us 399 


OBJECTIONS-DUTIES-EFFECTS. 


OBJECTIONS. 

Not  only  the  habitual  fault-finder,  the  supercilious  detractor, 
but  also  the  candid  judge,  the  best  friend  of  work  and  author, 
might  entertain  reasonable  objections  to  such  a  book.  In  advis- 
ing with  Fellow-Citizens,  and  seeking  their  aid,  some  objections 
have  been  too  often  produced  to  doubt  that  they  are  reasonable, 
and  should  be  met  to  secure  any  considerable  distribution,  with- 
out which  the  book  had  better  never  have  been  written. 

"Too  much  Puffing  of  Chicago  already.^' — Too  true;  and  for 
that  very  reason,  were  there  none  still  more  obligatory,  should 
an  essay  such  as  this  is  designed  to  be,  be  no  longer  deferred. 
Bald  assertion,  mere  declamation,  have  from  necessity  been  too 
much  used ;  and  to  such  an  extent,  that  even  many  of  our  own 
Citizens  imagine  that  we  have  no  solid  basis  for  our  cbims  to 
greatness.  Do  not  many  conceive  it  impossible  that  Chicago 
should  be  the  largest  city  on  the  continent,  or  even  of  cities 
inland  ?  vain  arrogance  to  intimate  the  possibility  ? 

Other  cities  issue  elaborate  arguments,  magnifying  their  ad- 
vantages of  nature  and  art,  giving  reasons  for  future  growth, 
which,  being  never  questioned,  are  supposed  true.  The  annual 
reports  of  our  Board  of  Trade,  grand  as  they  would  be  could 
their  figures  be  contrasted  with  other  cities  to  realize  the  im- 
mense difference,  are  but  a  dry  mass  of  statistics,  with  ilo  pre- 
tense to  explain  the  why  and  wherefore  of  their  magnitude. 
The  nearest  approach  to  the  sort  of  paper  required,  are  the 
annual  statements  of  our  enterprising  newspapers,  and  \  their 
occasional  articles  upon  special  branches  of  business.  Although 
these  have  been  interesting  and  valuable,  they  fail,  of  course,  to 
offer  anything  like  a  philosophic  inquiry  into  the  general  causes 


VIU  OBJECTIONS  —  DUTIES  —  EFFECTS. 

of  past  progress,  and  of  tlieir  future  continuauce.  These  state- 
ments greatly  exceed  older  and  larger  cities  ;  and  as  the  easiest 
and  only  way  to  meet  them,  the  entire  western  press  for  many 
years  has  charged  us  with  "puffing"  and  "blowing."  "With 
every  city  but  one,  however,  the  controversy  has  been  with  all 
good  nature ;  but  St.  Louis,  seeing  her  laurels  one  after  another 
passing  upon  the  head  of  her  "beautiful  l^rival,"  has  put  more 
spleen  and  spite  than  fun  into  her  hits,  as  these  pages  attest. 
Our  editors,  too  confident  in  their  truth  to  treat  these  charges 
seriously — too  conscious  of  our  superiority  to  lose  temper — let 
their  colleagues  have  their  fun,  and  help  them  after  the  fashion 
of  the  Chicago  Times : — 

Chicago. — Chicago  is  the  general  headquarters  of  all  the  excellence  extant  among 
people  and  things.  No  sooner  does  an  individual  gain  a  more  than  local  notoriety 
than  he  starts  for  Chicago.  The  moment  a  singing  club  or  an  opera  troupe  achieves 
some  sort  of  a  status,  it  makes  its  way  to  Chicago.  Chicago  is  the  head-centre,  the 
Mecca,  of  all  creation. 

Strakosch  has  just  been  here.  The  Boston  Quintette  Club  did  the  unheard-of- 
thing — in  Bostonians — of  leaving  the  sound  of  the  great  Boston  organ  to  visit  the 
Garden  City.  Joseph  Jefferson  is  here.  General  Sherman  was  here  the  other  day. 
Weston  is  coming  as  fast  as  his  legs  will  bring  him.     Joe  Coburn  is  in  town.        * 

All  these  people  coming  here  do  not  tax  excessively  either  the  accomodations, 
hospitality  or  cash  of  the  Garden  City.  All  the  professionals,  from  a  prima  donna 
to  a  billiard  expert,  come  here,  get  rich,  and  go  away,  and  yet  Chicago  grows  no 
poorer.  Its  capacity  for  giving,  like  its  lake,  is  inexhaustible.  No  other  city 
could  stand  such  a  drain  on  its  resources  without  going  into  bankruptcy.  All  this 
is  evidence  that  Chicago  is  one  of  the  greatest  cities  on  the  continent. 

What  other  city  is  the  headquarters  of  the  notabilities  of  all  creation  ?  What 
other  employs  a  vast  lake  for  a  reservoir,  or  uses  water  condensed  from  steaming 
laboratories  a  thousand  miles  deep  in  the  centre  of  the  earth.  Where  is  there 
anything  like  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade,  the  Chicago  faro  banks,  or  the  confidence 
men  and  operators  of  Chicago  ? 

We  are  liable  to  be  charged  with  extravagance  when  moderate, 
to  be  considered  joking  when  in  down-right  earnest;  for  our 
growth  is  a  marvel  even  to  ourselves,  until  operating  causes  are 
examined.  For  such  examination  newspapers  are  not  adapted. 
Their  columns,  filled  with  long  disquisitions,  would  never  be 
read ;  so  that  more  than  any  other  class,  editors  want  the  phi- 
losophy of  a  subject  elsewhere  studied  out,  which  their  readers 
can  be  supposed  to  be  familiar  with,  the  truths  of  which  they 
apply  practically.  Reasonable  hypothesis,  positive  but  pros- 
pective results,  even  actual  facts,  are  doubted  or  denied,  simply 
for  want  of  information  which  every  intelligent  business  man  in 
the  country  should  have.  Is  it  to  be  styled  "pufling"  to  bring 
together  the  facts,  and  reasons  of  the  facts  ?  Is  it  not  quite  time 
that  Chicago  should  be  relieved  of  the  charge  of  vain-glorious 
boasting,  by  a  candid,  thorough  examination  of  the  causes  of 


OBJECTIONS  —  DUTIES  —  EFFECTS.  IX 

her  growth,  and  a  metliodical  arrangement  of  statistics,  not 
merely  to  exhibit  results, but  also  to  compare  tliem  with  St.  Louis? 
Surely  the  Past,  Present  and  Future  of  our  young  City,  is  a 
matter  of  transcendent  importance  ;  and  if  upon  any  one  subject 
the  public  on  all  sides  should  desire  to  have  a  proper,  thorough, 
philosophic  examination  of  causes,  it  is  in  the  title  of  this  work. 
So  for  from  claiming  to  reach  this  exalted  standard,  the  imper- 
fections of  this  endeavor  are  more  and  more  realised  as  the  great 
subject  is  more  and  more  studied.  At  the  same  time,  that  has 
been  my  aim,  and  rising  higher  and  higher ;  and  such  is  the  na- 
ture of  the  investigation,  that  only  considerable  industry  in 
collecting  materials,  and  some  practical  common  sense  in  their 
arrangement,  was  wanted  to  work  out  a  satisfoctory  result.  And 
the  chief  satisfaction  lies  in  the  belief  that  St.  Louis  herself  will 
regard  the  paper  moderate.  Upon  such  a  theme,  with  such 
materials,  the  writer  who  would  employ  exaggeration  would 
commit  that  contemptible  wrong,  a  blunder.  The  trutli  itself, 
pressing  on  all  sides  like  the  atmosphere,  is  so  full,  so  impressive, 
so  satisfactory, that  to  resort  to  "puffing"  and  "blowing,"  would 
be  to  abandon  native  air  for  exhilirating  gas. 

'"''Invidious  Comparisons  render  us  Odious." — A  fair  and  just 
examination  of  the  claims  of  Chicago  to  be  the  chief  city  of  the 
West,  is  not  invidious.  To  make  that  examination  some  com- 
parison is  indispensable;  and  should  it  be  with  second-class  cities, 
or  with  the  Queen  of  the  Rivers,  who  has  so  constantly  affirmed 
her  natural  right  to  be  the  first  city  of  the  Great  West,  that  in 
the  absence  of  any  candid  examination  of  her  pretensions,  the 
whole  public  has  come  to  admit  her  claims  ?  That  either  St. 
Louis  or  Chicago  is  to  be  the  chief  city  of  the  West,  is  now 
universally  conceded.  Is  it  of  no  importance  or  interest  to  Chi- 
cago to  exhibit  the  causes  hitherto  operating,  which,  with  light- 
ning speed,  have  sent  her  clear  past  former  rivals,  notwithstanding 
their  prestige,  their  firmly  established  business,  their  immense 
wealth  ?  Will  it  not  hasten  her  advancement  to  show  with  what 
certainty  these  influences  must  not  only  continue  to  operate  in 
her  favor,  but  with  constantly  augmenting  power,  until  the  whole 
West  shall  be  bound  to  her  with  the  same  close  bands  with  which 
she  holds  Illinois,  Iowa,  and  Wisconsin  ? 

To  establish  the  adverse  claims  of  Chicago,  disparagement  of 
Cincinnati  or  St.  Louis  is  not  required.  So  far  from  it,  that  they 
and  others  must  grow  and  rapidly  to  be  immense  cities,  is  one 


X  OBJECTIONS  —  DUTIES  —  EFFECTS. 

of  tlie  strongest  points  in  the  argument.  But  the  nonsense  that 
centrality  on  the  rivers  insures  hxrge  superiority  to  St.  Louis,  is 
a  bubble  which  has  long  wanted  pricking.  Nor  is  any  injustice 
done  in  fairly  contrasting  lake  and  river  advantages,  and  the 
past  and  future  of  railways. 

iSTo  other  city  than  St.  Louis  can  complain  of  the  manner  of 
treatment ;  nor  can  she  with  any  reason.  If  she  can  manfully 
resist  the  argument,  and  prove  errors  of  statement,  fallacies  of 
reasoning,  let  her  bestir  herself,  and  show  some  positive  strength 
on  her  side.  The  facts  and  actual  results  are  incontrovertible ; 
and  if  she  complain  of  the  ridicule  of  her  pretentious  claims  to 
natural  location,  the  only  hook  to  hang  a  complaint  upon,  she 
condemns  herself  for  the  persistence  with  which  she  adheres  to 
the  ofiensive  assumption.  Is  not  that  the  beginning,  and  the 
end,  and  the  substance — light  as  it  is — of  Professor  Waterhouse's 
paper,  herein  quoted,  and  considered  so  able  as  to  be  incorpo- 
rated in  the  Report  of  the  Merchant's  Exchange  of  St.  Louis  ? 
and  again  that  potential  argument  appears,  evidently  regarded 
perfect  and  unanswerable,  being  stereotyped  with  various  others 
by  the  same  author  in  a  pamphlet,  "  edition  20.000  copies"  on 
the  title  page,  and  doubtless  several  more  editions. 

"  Everybody  already  Knows  about  Chicago." — ^If  that  be  true, 
how  is  it  that  St.  Louis  can  and  does  maintain  its  claims  to  certain 
supremacy,  in  the  judgment  of  candid  men  throughout  the  East? 
ITor  need  we  go  from  this  city  to  find  many  such  believers. 

That  the  "West  is  abundantly  able  to  build  up  great  cities,  is 
quite  generally  acknowledged.  Still,  even  this  idea  is  by  no 
means  apprehended  as  its  importance  demands.  No  section  of 
the  Union,  not  even  New  England,  has  stronger  homogeny  than 
the  great  plain  between  the  Alleghany  and  Rocky  Mountains. 
This  being  well  understood,  together  with  the  immense  benefits 
hitherto  conferred  by  the  wide-spread  river  navigation,  making 
a  unit  of  about  a  million  square  miles,  it  has  been  naturally  and 
universally  imagined,  that  because  St.  Louis  is  mistress  of  more 
than  16,500  miles  of  river  navigation,  as  Professor  "Waterhouse 
efifectively  argues,  p.  171,  she  "is  ordained  by  the  decrees  of 
physical  nature  to  become  the  great  inland  metropolis  of  this 
continent.  It  cannot  escape  the  magnificence  of  its  destiny. 
Greatness  is  the  necessity  of  its  position."  Now,  is  it  demean- 
ing to  Chicago  to  examine  these  claims  which  are  very  generally 


OBJECTIONS  —  DUTIES  —  EFFECTS.  XI 

received  as  truth,  and  show  their  absurdity,  easily  as  it  may  be 
done,  and  really  without  detraction?  Is  it  judicious  to  trust 
alone  to  time  and  circumstances  to  correct  these  false  assump- 
tions; or  should  we  present  fairly  the  superiority  of  lake  to  river 
navigation,  and  the  certainty  that  even  the  latter  must  pour  more 
trade  into  the  lakes,  than  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico?  Then,  is  it 
no  object  to  exhibit  the  complete  revolution  eftected  by  east  and 
west  railways,  rendering  rivers  merely  their  adjuncts?  why  and 
how  it  is  that  Chicago  has  so  rapidly  become  the  greatest  railway 
centre  of  the  world? 

Most  good  friends  look  approvingly  upon  Chicago  as  a  very 
smart  city,  whose  business  men  have  wonderful  energy  to  be  able 
to  rival  the  Queen  of  the  Rivers,  notwithstanding  her  vast 
superiority  in  natural  position,  in  river  navigation,  in  established 
trade,  in  immense  wealth.  With  no  investigation  into  the  con- 
junction of  causes  operating  by  nature  and  by  art  to  produce 
these  unexampled  results,  the  reason  thereof  is  not  at  all 
apprehended  by  us,  still  less  by  non-residents,  and  none  wonder 
at  it  more  than  we  do  ourselves.  Yet  we  have  a  natural  pride 
in  it  to  which  we  give  expression ;  and  the  Chicago  Courier  well 
observes : — 

Chicago  people  may  be  excused  for  referring,  on  almost  every  occasion,  to  the 
greatness  of  our  city,  for  its  growth  has  become  a  marvel  to  all  creation.  Nothing 
proves  the  importance,  absolute  and  relative,  of  the  city  of  Chicago  more  than  does 
the  constant  reference  made  to  it  by  the  rest  of  the  world.  Not  a  magazine  paper, 
which  has  for  its  object  the  demonstration  of  enterprise,  that  does  not  point  to 
Chicago  ;  there  is  scarcely  a  modern  book,  be  it  descriptive,  historical  or  romantic, 
that  does  not  find  one  or  more  comparisons  for  Chicago ;  the  newspapers  on  both 
sides  of  the  Atlantic  have  something  to  say  in  every  issue  about  Chicago  ;  people  in 
the  East,  who  feign  ignorance  of  everything  Western,  always  admit  that  they  have 
heard  remarkable  things  about  Chicago  ;  foreigners,  who  are  in  fact  ignorant  of  the 
geography  of  the  country  and  the  customs  of  our  people,  know  something  about 
Chicago.  *  *  *  *  Our  peculiar  institutions,  our  unpar- 

alleled growth,  our  well-rewarded  energy — all  command  respect  where  they  do  not 
challenge  rivalry  and  excite  envy. 

The  Neiv  York  Tribune,  with  a  singular  candor,  that  the  journals  of  lesser  cities 
would  do  well  to  imitate,  has  recently  paid  a  just  tribute  to  the  prosperity  and 
enterprise  of  our  city.     It  says:  — 

"Chicago,  which  in  183],  contained  only  twelve  families,  has  increased  during 
the  years  1860  to  1868  from  a  population  of  109,263  to  220,000.  The  assessed 
value  of  its  real  and  personal  property  has  increased  during  the  same  period  from 
$37,053,512  to  $192,249,644,  while  the  municipal  taxation  has  risen  from  $373,315 
to  $2,489,245.  *  *  *  Yov  a  period  of  peace,  such  a  growth  would  be 
marvelous,  and,  during  an  era  of  war,  no  city  of  past  or  present  times  surpasses  it. 
The  growth  of  Brooklyn  and  of  New  York  has  been  enormous  during  the  same 
period.  Throughout  the  North,  and  especially  the  West  and  Northwest,  there  has 
been  a  steady,  sound,  and  healthy  growth,  of  which,  however,  the  growth  of  Chicago 
must  be  conceded  to  be  the  magnificent  and  truly  unprecedented  culmination." 

Now,  is  it  not  quite  time  that  Chicago  ceased  to  be  a  baby- 
wonder  of  precocity,  and  rested  upon  her  natural  endowments 


xii  OBJECTIONS  —  DUTIES — EFFECTS. 

and  lier  acquired  improvements  as  not  being  at  all  extraordinary, 
but  entirely  legitimate  ?  a  result  to  have  been  naturally  expected 
with  reasonable  forecast  ?  Until  we  are  able  to  take  and  main- 
tain that  position,  we  shall  continue  as  hitherto  to  be  looked 
upon  as  of  muslu'oom  growth,  while  St.  Louis  from  her  age  and 
strength  and  natural  progress  is  compared  to  the  solid  oak. 
Here  and  there  an  eastern  man,  as  the  Tribune  editor,  apprehends 
the  truth,  and  appreciates  the  natural  as  well  as  artificial  superi- 
ority of  Chicago.  But  almost  universally  it  is  supposed  to  be 
due  to  our  greater  energy  and  activity,  which  will  soon  give  out, 
and  then  St.  Louis'  inherent  strength,  and  immense  natural 
resources,  will  put  her  speedily  far  in  advance. 

If  even  our  Citizens  doubt  whether  Chicago  is  to  be  the  chief 
city  of  the  West,  as  many  do,  is  it  not  certain  that  the  error  must 
prevail  extensively  elsewhere  ?  Suppose  its  correction  be  not 
very  important  to  our  prosperity,  is  it  not  desirable  ? 

Then,  very  few  have  thorough  knowledge  of  Chicago,  because 
information  like  this  has  never  been  compiled,  l^ever  was  there 
a  young  city  to  which  it  would  have  been  of  equal  advantage  to 
disseminate  full  knowledge  concerning  it,  as  to  Chicago.  Has 
the  day  for  this  entirely  passed,  that  we  may  fold  our  hands,  and 
consider  growth  attained  ?  When  will  means  and  effort  be  more 
effective  than  now  ? 

"  It  tends  to  create  a  Spirit  of  Speculation^^  Is  truth  or  falsehood 
speculative  ?  Can  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  truth  do  a  man 
injury,  upon  either  important  or  unimportant  affairs?  Some 
conceited  conservatives  deem  themselves  the  only  persons  to  be 
entrusted  with  full  knowledge,  and  would  make  themselves 
custodians  of  the  world.     Said  Job  to  such — 

No  doubt  but  j'e  are  the  people, 
And  wisdom  shall  die  with  you. 

Men  of  that  stripe  have  their  use,  for  it  takes  all  sorts  to  make 
up  a  world ;  and  Chicago  is  sufficiently  cosmopolitan  to  have 
bright  specimens  af  even  such. 

Should  these  views  lead  some  of  our  business  men  to  speculate 
somewhat  upon  the  point,  whether  it  might  not  be  expedient  to 
become  proprietors  of  their  own  homes  and  business  locations, 
is  it  not  likely  to  do  more  good  to  themselves  and  families  than 
harm  ?     Will  speculation  of  that  sort  be  a  public  injury  ?     These 


OBJECTIONS  —  DUTIES  —  EFFECTS.  XIU 

landlords  may  demur  to  the  proposition,  and  object  to  their  ten- 
ants becoming  landholders ;  but  will  not  the  stability  and  solidity 
of  the  City  be  enhanced,  if  in  tlicir  legitimate  pursuits  these 
active  Citizens  become  large  owners  of  the  realty  of  Chicago  ? 
Who  should  have  their  part  of  it  if  not  these  merchants,  manu- 
facturers, mechanics  and  head-workers  who  are  'doing  most  of 
what  is  done  to  promote  public  interests  ?  With  a  few  com- 
mendable exceptions,  what  have  these  large  real-estate  owners 
done  for  the  City  —  what  are  they  now  doing — compared  with 
the  active  business  men?  Let  enough  speculative  feeling  be 
generated  to  see  the  wisdom  of  paying  more  interest-money 
and  less  rent-money,  saving  to  themselves  and  children  the 
rise  certain  otherwise  to  accrue  to  others  from  their  own  legiti- 
mate pursuits.  Moderation  is  indispensable  in  this  as  any 
other  good  thing;  but  is  such  a  spirit  of  speculation  to  be 
deprecated  ? 

"  Too  long  a  Story!"  Will  the  objector  please  run  over  the 
table  of  contents,  and  determine  what  topics  he  would  have 
excluded,  which  would  not  break  the  catenation  ?  If  the  query 
preceding  the  title  page  be  of  no  consequence  ;  if  the  statements 
below  it  be  unworthy  of  consideration,  that  is  one  thing.  But 
if  the  statements  be  worthy  of  proof,  the  query  to  be  answered 
aflirmatively,  a  good  deal  of  space  is  indispensable ;  and  with 
further  sub-division,  and  still  more  expansion,  the  argument 
would  be  more  conclusive.  Contraction  could  best  have  been 
used  in  the  extracts  from  St.  Louis  papers ;  yet  who  will  deny 
that  their  evidence  is  the  most  eifective  part  of  the  essay  ?  Ko 
reasonable  reader,  who  admits  the  propriet}^  of  the  work,  will 
complain  of  length  after  due  examination.  It  is  literally  midtum 
in  parvo  ;  for  many  able  Avriters  and  speakers  are  made  to  discuss 
every  point  with  much  wisdom,  and  superfluity  is  exscinded. 
Then  the  information  is  usable,  being  easily  found  under  its 
appropriate  head,  and  by  the  marginal  notes,  as  well  as  by  the 
index. 

These,  however,  are  only  negative  points.  Any  subject  worth 
considering  has  also  a  positive  side.     Let  us,  then,  also  look  at — 

DUTIES. 

The  Bible,  with  no  circumlocution,  recognizes  the  existence 
of  man  in  various  siati  or  conditions,  which  we  style  the  Family, 


XIV  OBJECTIONS  —  DUTIES  —  EFFECTS. 

the  Church,  the  City  or  Village,  the  State,  the  IsTation.  They 
are  not  only  indispensable  to  human  progress,  but  a  man  out  of 
them  is  like  a  fish  out  of  water.  After  instructing  us  in  our 
duties  to  our  God,  the  Bible  is  wholly  occupied  in  giving  laws 
and  counsel  relating  to  these  various  siati.  Had  we  only  wisdom 
to  obey  its  laws,  to  heed  its  perfect  counsel,  what  a  Heaven  should 
we  have  here  upon  this  earth!  "Whatever  enables  us  to  prize 
more  highly  in  any  degree  these  relations  of  life;  especially, 
whatever  stimulates  us  to  more  earnest  efforts  to  fulfil  their 
respective  duties,  or  to  obtain  more  perfect  knowledge  thereof, 
is  worthy  our  regard. 

To  one  of  these  relations  in  particular,  that  of  the  City,  your 
attention  is  herein  invited;  and  one  which  seems  to  take  close 
hold  on  every  other. 

Duty  to  Ourselves  and  Families. — An  intelligent  man  does  not 
operate  hap-hazard,  but  according  to  definite  plans.  His  success 
in  business  not  only  depends  upon  proper  method,  but  upon 
sufficient  and  accurate  knowledge  of  the  city  where  he  lives,  of 
the  country  tributary,  and  of  all  relating  circumstances.  There- 
fore, duty  to  himself  and  family  requires  every  good  husband 
and  father,  who  has  had  the  wisdom  to  choose  Chicago  for  his 
home,  to  study  thoroughly  into  its  Past,  that  he  may  correctly 
apprehend  the  Future,  and  improve  the  Present.  Especially  does 
he  need  to  investigate  all  influences  operating  upon  the  extension 
of  the  commerce  and  manufactures  of  the  City,  and  the  growth 
of  its  population. 

Without  that  knowledge,  how  can  he  plan  about  his  business? 
How  can  he  judge  whether  it  be  best  to  stay  here  as  a  tenant,  or 
become  proprietor  in  the  soil  ?  That  man  is  a  fool  who  chooses 
a  place  of  business  in  which  to  spend  years  of  energy  and  hard 
work,  the  best  years  of  his  life,  and  have  no  interest  in  the  results 
except  the  mere  profits  of  his  business.  Are  you  one  of  the 
unwise  many?  Even  in  1860  the  census  made  real-estate  of 
Cook  County  $84,665,387;  and  personal  only  $32,076,447,— less 
than  one-half!  The  value  of  the  land  has  been  made  here, 
though  we  have  not  all  the  profits  by  a  great  deal ;  but  of  per- 
sonal property,  how  much  is  foreign  capital  brought  in  ?  Some 
profits  of  trade,  too,  have  been  put  into  land ;  but  go  back  only 
fifteen  years  and  ascertain  the  amount  withdrawn  from  business, 
and  sec  what  have  been  the  relative  profits  since  on  the  real-estate. 


OBJECTIONS  —  DUTIES  —  EFFECTS.  XV 

The  man,  however,  who  regards  duty  to  liimself  and  famih', 
considers  some  other  profit  than  merely  tliat  of  dollars  and 
cents.  The  first  object  of  every  man  who  is  fortunate  enough  to 
have  a  wife,  should  be  to  have  a  home.  IIow  much  of  family 
interest,  of  home  sentiment,  can  be  cultivated  in  the  caravanserai 
of  a  boarding  house  or  hotel  ?  His  endeavor,  too,  should  be,  at 
the  earliest  day  possible  to  own  his  home.  JS'o  other  influence 
equals  this  to  elevate  character,  generate  self-respect,  give 
substance  to  society. 

The  man  with  large  capital  should  begin  in  Chicago  with 
buying  his  place  of  business  and  his  residence.  Of  course  the 
beginner  with  small  capital  must  at  first  be  a  tenant;  but  at  the 
earliest  day  practicable,  if  a  manufacturer  and  unable  to  bu}',  he 
should  rent  a  lot  with  the  privilege  of  purchase,  and  put  up  his 
own  buildings,  calculating  for  enlargement.  A  merchant  in 
three  to  five  years  can  become  sufficiently  established,  to  join 
with  others  and  buy  lots  a  little  back,  with  credit  on  part  of  the 
purchase,  which  when  paid  for  will  be  ample  security,  with  an 
assignment  of  insurance  policies,  for  a  loan  to  erect  the  store. 
A  half  dozen  enterprising  men  can  take  business  where  they 
choose.  So,  too,  with  residences.  Rents  are  enormous,  because 
so  many  refuse  to  build  for  themselves.  A  year  or  two  as  tenant 
may  be  best,  to  enable  a  man  to  judge  wisely  as  to  his  location. 
Then  he  should  buy  his  lot  according  to  his  means,  and  become 
his  own  landlord,  in  a  house  suited  to  his  circumstances.  If  a 
tenant  of  an  elegant  stone  front  thinks  his  family  might  object 
to  coming  down  a  peg,  lest  they  be  snubbed  by  some  of  the  cod- 
fish aristocracy ;  let  him  advise  with  his  wife,  and  if  she  approve 
not  the  change,  he  certainly  made  a  mis-choice  and  has  no 
better-half.  The  children,  wife  and  husband  who  will  not  have 
enough  more  satisfaction  in  living  in  a  moderate  house  of  their 
own,  to  compensate  for  what  they  may  lose  of  the  society  of 
snobs,  have  most  certainly  taken  their  proper  places  among  the 
codfish  aristocracy.  Fortunately  for  Chicago  they  very  little 
affect  society,  most  of  these  Citizens  having  independence  suffi- 
cient to  do  that  which  they  deem  right  and  best..  It  is  o\\\j 
necessary  to  invite  their  attention  to  these  considerations  of  their 
duty,  and  they  will  decide  wisely. 

Duty  to  the  Church. — Although  considering  merely  business 
affairs,  not  religious,  yet  the  Founder  of  every  rightful  human 


Xvi  OBJECTIOXS DUTIES EFFECTS. 

institution  having  made  tlie  Churcli  a  no  less  essential  status  of 
the  social  fabric  than  the  others,  we  should  make  it  one  of  our 
chief  business  concerns.  iJ^otwithstanding,  very  many  of  these 
CJtizens,  to  the  disgrace  of  civilization,  wholly  neglect  this 
important  duty.  They  give  money  for  an  edifice  and  to  support 
the  Church  organization,  perhaps  attend  public  worship  regu- 
larly, yet  persistently  decline  membership.  "Worse  even  than 
heathen,  they  refuse  public  acknowledgment  of  their  God  as 
their  Lord  and  Master. 

Even  all  Jews  are  not  Church-members,  much  less  all  nominal 
Christians.  Is  not  our  God  unreasonable  in  requiring  acknow- 
ledgment of  his  claims,  or  we  in  withholding  His  due?  Ought  it 
to  be  so  very  difficult  for  one  who  enjoys,  not  only  the  unequaled 
natural  bounties  showered  upon  us,  but  the  greater  gifts  of  civil 
and  religious  liberty,  to  acknowledge  his  obligations?  Let  us 
think  of  these  things,  Fellow-Citizens,  and  we  shall  soon  come  to 
consider  the  claims  of  our  God  for  infinitely  greater  blessings, 
and  rejoice  to  be  connected  with  some  branch  of  His  Church; 
and  which  is  of  small  importance  compared  with  the  duty  itself 
that  we  avouch  Jehovah  to  be  our  Lord. 

Duty  to  Our  Citrj. — It  is  this  aggregation  of  families,  creating 
another  body  politic,  which  we  style  City,  which  affords  these 
unexampled  opportunities  to  benefit  ourselves  and  families.  To 
the  City  of  Chicago,  then,  these  Citizens  owe  weighty  obligations. 
The  Citizens  constitute  the  City,  and  mould  its  character  and  des- 
tiny ;  and  each  of  us  owes  duty  thereto  according  to  our  natural 
and  acquired  capacities  and  means.  Our  duty,  too,  is  in  propor- 
tion to  the  magnitude  of  interests  involved,  not  merely  imme- 
diate, but  prospective ;  for  as  foundations  shall  be  laid,  sure  and 
strong,  so  rises  the  superstructure,  firm,  secure,  to  its  topmost 
stone  of  glory.  ISTor  is  the  ground-work  yet  finished,  although 
the  pile  itself  begins  to  rise  upon  foundations  well  laid  by  the 
noble  spirits  who  have  been  called  to  their  reward.  A  few  of 
us  are  yet  spared,  who  from  the  very  first  have  lent  feeble  aid  in 
the  holy  work ;  and  whatever  regrets  for  other  labors,  have  we 
any  for  time,  effort  or  money  bestowed  in  laying  deep  and  broad 
the  basis  of  our  social  fabric,  with  the  solid  stones  of  education 
and  religion,  superadding  the  various  adornments  of  civilization  ? 
The  most  faithful  most  laments  that  ten  times  more  had  not  been 
done  for  these  chief  interests,  and  thereby  much  useless,  misspent 
work  and  means  have  been  saved. 


OBJECTIONS  —  DUTIES  —  EFFECTS.  XVll 

What  inroads  death  has  made  upon  the  fraternal  circle  of  old 
settlers,  which,  until  the  hist  few  years,  seemed  to  have  almost 
a  charmed  existence  !  Realising  more  than  others,  as  we  ought 
to  do,  the  immense  future  of  Chicago,  as  "friend  after  friend 
departs,"  how  should  we  be  stimulated  to  the  discharge  of  duty  ! 
"  for  there  is  no  work,  nor  device,  nor  knowledge,  nor  wisdom, 
in  the  grave  whither  thou  goest." 

Did  these  Citizens  all  realise  their  duties  to  their  City,  would 
they  run  away,  and  stay  away,  to  avoid,  as  some  imagine,  calls 
upon  them  for  various  public  interests  ?  If  they  have  not  these 
niggardly  motives,  which  should  cause  them  to  be  shunned  when 
they  return,  they  have  a  very  simple  and  proper  means  to  correct 
prevalent  impressions,  and  insure  a  cordial  welcome.  Not  all 
absent  ones,  however,  will  be  put  in  this  category,  by  any  means. 

Are  many  of  these  large  bond-holders,  or  real  estate  owners, 
who  stay  at  home — some  of  them  are  too  miserly  to  spend  money 
in  traveling — are  they  any  better  than  their  contemptible  co7i- 
freres  abroad  ?  Were  it  not  for  the  active,  enterprising  business 
men,  who  have  very  little — too  little — of  the  real  estate,  what 
would  be  done?  Why  St.  Louis  makes  so  little  headway,  as 
their  papers  intimate  more  than  charge,  as  they  ought  to  do — 
and  would  do  if  they  had  proper  independence — is  because  of 
the  close  grasp  of  the  real  estate  owners  to  their  money.  For- 
tunately, property  here  is  more  diffused;  yet  our  large  real  estate 
holder,  who  is  not  a  down-right  curse  to  the  City,  is  an  exception 
to  the  rule.  We  can  only  pray  that  in  God's  good  time  their 
wealth  may  be  speedily  distributed  to  more  faithful  stewards. 
Still  there  are  notable  exceptions. 

To  perfjrm  our  duty  to  our  City,  we  must  know  well  what 
Chicago  is  to  be.  The  importance  of  present  efforts  accords  with 
the  ratio  of  increase.  If  there  is  to  be  little  change  in  this  gen- 
eration, we  may  leave  much  for  the  next  with  comparatively 
little  injury.  If,  however,  we  can  by  a  little  investigation  satisty 
ourselves  that  the  march  of  the  City  is  to  be  far  more  rapid  than 
was  ever  witnessed,  until  it  becomes  one  of  the  mightiest,  how 
imperative  the  duty  that  we  make  that  examination,  and  increase 
our  endeavors  acccordingly  !  Our  mistakes  will  cost  our  children 
immense  sums  to  remedy  ;  and  this  very  book  will  witness 
against  us  that  we  knew  our  duty  and  did  it  not.  This  is  no 
place  to  particularize  ;  but  we  all  know,  or  ought  to  know,  that 
although  this  young  City  has  already  risen  to  be  at  least  sixth, 
2 


Xviii  OBJECTIONS DUTIES EFFECTS. 

perhaps  fifth,  in  the  Union,  we  are  still  extending  foundations, 
while  we  rear  the  superstructure.  Broad,  and  deep,  and  strong, 
must  be  the  base  for  a  city  of  millions  here  to  live  within  a  gen- 
eration or  two.  So,  while  some  may  lament  that  they  could  not 
have  had  equal  opportunity  with  old  settlers,  and  been  more 
faithful ;  let  them  bless  God  and  take  courage  for  the  abundant 
occasions  still  remaining  to  do  their  duty  to  their  City. 

The  work  to  be  done  is  herculean,  and  we  need  all  help  pos- 
sible to  do  it.  For  religion  and  education,  in  churches,  schools, 
colleges,  universities  and  libraries;  for  benevolent  institutions  of 
all  sorts;  for  academies  of  the  natural  sciences  and  fine  arts;  for 
again  raising  the  grade,  as  it  must  be  ;  for  providing  parks,  and 
adorning  the  suburbs  as  they  should  be  in  the  Garden  City,  we 
want  all  help  that  can  be  brought  to  do  it.  What  means  more 
eifective,  than  to  acquaint  friends  and  acquaintances  abroad  with 
the  superior  advantages  of  this  City  for  every  kind  of  manufacture 
or  branch  of  commerce  ?  With  the  certain  and  large  advance 
of  the  real  estate,  ensuring  to  every  man  in  ten  to  twenty  years, 
for  merely  his  place  of  business  and  residence,  a  good  estate  for 
his  family,  besides  the  profits  of  a  well-established  business  ;  what 
other  city  could  compete  with  this  were  the  facts  only  made 
known  ? 

Nor  should  we  fail  to  make  it  understood  that  Chicago  rests 
not  upon  her  laurels,  when,  with  a  million  or  two  inhabitants, 
she  shall  be  acknowledged  Queen  of  the  Great  Interior.  This 
vast  agricultural  plain  between  the  Alleghanies  and  Rocky 
Mountains,  is  entirely  homogeneous,  and  will  be  a  unit  in  its 
interests.  The  whole  mining  region,  dependent  upon  and 
closely  connected  with  the  Old  Northwest,  will  go  with  it  in  its 
every  purpose.  As  herein  shown,  Chicago  must  be  the  centre 
of  a  miUion  and  a  half  square  miles.  Is  it  no  object  to  demonstrate 
that  such  a  region  can  and  will  make  its  centre  chief  of  all 
cities  of  America?  The  arguments  herein  advanced  were 
written  by  Mr.  Scott,  25  years  ago,  before  railways  were  intro- 
duced, and  before  the  mountain  region  was  developed,  proving 
the  superiority  of  internal  over  foreign  commerce  to  create  great 
cities.  Are  not  the  results  perfectly  confirmatory,  proving  to 
every  fair  and  candid  mind,  that  Chicago  must  be  the  chief  city 
of  the  continent? 

If  it  be  desirable  to  bring  together  this  information,  is  it  not 
un  object  to  give  it  wide  distribution  ?      Though  not  without 


OBJECTIONS DUTIES EFFECTS.  XIX 

benefit  confined  wholly  to  tliis  City,  yet  is  not  its  influence 
dependent  mainly  upon  extent  of  distribution  abroad?  In  the 
East  it  should  go  to  inform  them  of  our  superior  advantages  for 
business  of  all  kinds,  to  bring  hither  both  settlers  and  capital. 
In  the  West,  and  especially  the  South,  where  we  have  competi- 
tion, the  information  as  to  the  best  market  is  wanted. 

Didu  to  Oar  State. — The  motto  of  Illinois— State  Sovereignty, 
National  Union — the  most  admirable  epitome  of  the  immutable 
principles  upon  which  our  system  is  based,  which  can  possibly 
be  framed  in  our  noble  mother-tongue ;  would  induce  me  here 
to  exhibit  the  perfect,  absolute  subordination  of  these  Citizen& 
and  of  this  City,  to  the  sovereign,  free  and  independent  State  of 
IlHnois.  Yet,  such  is  the  prejudice  against  the  doctrine  of  State 
Eights,  because  of  its  gross  perversion  by  the  school  of  South 
Carolina,  it  would  probably  create  a  prejudice  against  the  book 
itself  to  show  in  any  manner  whatever  that  our  motto  is  sound. 
Therefore,  very  much  against  my  inclination,  biding  the  good 
time  coming,  when  this  cardinal  truth  of  our  system  will  be  as 
much  honored  as  it  is  now  abhorred,  we  must  for  the  present 
purpose  consider  our  State  responsibility  on  a  less  substantial 
basis. 

This  magnificent  State  of  Illinois,  stretching  from  almost  the 
southern  line  of  Kentucky  and  Virginia,  audi  almost  to  the 
northern  line  of  Massachusetts,  has  been  the  making  of  Chicago. 
That  excellent,  sagacious  man,  who  so  long  adorned  the  Federal 
Judiciary,  ISTathaniel  Pope,  was  fortunately  Territorial  Delegate 
in  Congress  when  initiatory  steps  were  taken  for  the  inchoate 
body  politic  to  create  itself  into  a  perfect  State,  for  the  purpose 
of  admission  into  the  Union.  At  Mr.  Pope's  instance  the 
northern  boundary  was  extended  far  enough  above  the  southern 
bend  of  Lake  Michigan,  to  render  sure  that  Fort  Dearborn,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River,  should  ,be  within  the  State  of 
Illinois.  The  plan  then  was,  in  1818,  that  era  of  good  fellow- 
ship, to  construct  a  canal  from  that  Fort  to  the  Illinois  River, 
making  this  State  a  strong  ligament  of  National  Union;  for  she 
grasped  by  the  imprescriptible  prerogatives  of  State  Sovereignty, 
the  best  navigation  of  the  Father  of  "Waters  with  her  southern 
arm,  and  that  of  this  chain  of  Great  Lakes  with  her  northern 
arm.  Even  if  the  fathers  were  fools,  and  the  sons  so  much 
better  informed  as  to  the  nature  of  our  Union,  was  it  not  very 
natural  for  them  to  adopt  our  significant  motto  ? 


XX  OBJECTIONS  —  DUTIES  —  EFFECTS. 

As  early  as  1830,  when  all  north  of  Jacksonville  was  almost 
an  entire  wilderness,  the  canal  route  was  surveyed ;  and  from 
that  day  to  this  it  has  been  the  pride  of  the  State  to  do  whatever 
could  be  done  for  the  advancement  of  Chicago,  either  by  canal 
or  railways,  acts  of  incorporation,  or  other  special  legislation 
A  large  part  of  tue  legislation  relates  to  this  City. 

Chicago,  however,  is  no  profitless  recipient  of  favors,  for  of  the 
State  income  from  taxes,  amounting  in  1865  to  $2,423,141,  Cook 
county  paid  |305,753  ;  and  of  school  tax  she  paid  $85,578,  and 
received  $50,514.  Let  us  make  the  State  feel  more  and  more 
the  benefits  of  her  chief  City.  At  this  point  of  convergence,  more 
accessible  to  every  county  than  any  other,  let  us  give  them  the 
best  library  of  the  West  or  of  the  country ;  the  best  educational 
institutions  and  cabinets  of  art  and  science  ;  and  let  us  be  equally 
liberal  in  aid  of  their  public  enterprises,  especially  in  the  con- 
struction of  their  branch  railways,  as  they  are  in  their  business 
support. 

This  State  of  ours,  possessing  unequaled  advantages  of  soil, 
climate,  minerals,  navigable  waters,  and  railway,  with  its  central 
position,  is  certainly  destined  to  be  the  Empire  State  of  the  Great 
Interior.  As  its  chief  City,  exercising  a  powerful  if  not  con- 
trolling influence,  Chicago  has  corresponding  responsibilities;  so 
that  every  previous  consideration  which  should  stimulate  to  duty 
as  the  City  is  regarded,  is  increased  in  force  by  so  much  as  our 
State  exceeds  our  City.  Nor  let  us  by  short-sighted  selfish 
endeavors,  impair  the  influence  which  with  moderation  and  dis- 
interestedness will  with  reciprocal  confidence  and  regard  be 
accorded  to  us.  Some  good  Citizens  conceive  it  of  benefit  to 
take  advantage  of  the  railway  centrality  and  the  friendly  feeling, 
and  make  Chicago  the  capital.  What  advantage  would  it  be  to 
the  emporium  of  the  West  to  be  the  capital  of  the  State  ?  The 
whole  State,  instead  of  then  being  friendly,  would  often  be 
jealous  and  antagonistic.  Would  not  credit  for  magnanimity 
in  forbearing  to  make  the  attempt,  be  better  than  the  capitol  ? 
If  this  be  our  view,  as  it  probably  is  with  a  large  majority,  we 
should  make  it  known  ;  for  we  must  desire  to  be  merely  the 
commercial  and  manufacturing  centre,  if  we  continue  to  exercise 
our  proper  influence  in  the  State  and  in  the  West. 

Duty  to  the  Great  Interior. — Of  whatever  region  Chicago  is  to 
i>e  emporium,  are  not  our  duties  and  responsibilities  coextensive 


OBJECTIONS  —  DUTIES  —  EFFECTS.  XXI 

with  our  domain  ?  The  farthest  section  has  claims  upon  us 
for  means  to  aid  in  h\3'ing  foundations,  equally  with  that  (con- 
tiguous. Nor  is  the  most  distant  Territory  or  State  much  more 
conccrued  in  that  work  than  is  Chicago.  If  we  neglect  their 
religious  and  educational  interests,  we  shall  suffer  with  them; 
and  the  little  aid  requisite  now,  will  there  be  almost  as  effective 
as  at  Chicago  thirty  to  thirty-five  years  ago ;  and  probably  with 
equal,  perhaps  greater  rapidity.  No  man  can  tell  what  raih-oads 
and  telegraphs  will  not  do  in  that  richest  mining  region  of  the 
world  ;  but  we  know  that  their  effect  must  be  unexampled. 

Is  it  not  indispensable  to  the  proper  discharge  of  our  duties 
to  this  City,  that  we  obtain  full  knowledge  of  the  region  tributary 
to  Chicago,  and  of  the  means  of  access  ?  Is  it  not  incumbent 
upon  us  to  do  all  in  our  power  to  promote  acquaintance  with  this 
immense  country,  especially  among  capitalists  who  have  built 
our  railways,  and  encourage  every  way  the  building  of  more, 
both  trunk  lines  and  branches?  What  more  effective  than  to 
show  the  importance  of  the  continuation  of  the  seven  Chicago 
lines,  already  built  beyond  the  Mississippi,  on  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains  and  yet  further?  The 600,000  square  miles  about  us, 
to  the  chief  towns  of  which  we  daily  and  oftener  send  our 
cars, — the  400,000  miles  next  west,  and  at  least  500,000  miles  yet 
further — a  million  and  a  half  square  miles — is  the  domain  of  Chi- 
cago, destined  of  nature,  and  already  assured  by  art,  as  herein 
demonstrated. 

Duty  to  our  Nation.  —  This  grandest  theme,  involving  con- 
siderations of  the  whole  subject  as  to  how  it  is  that  Chicago 
may  aspire  to  continental  commerce  and  manufacturing,  cannot 
be  at  all  discussed  for  lack  of  space.  * 

Notwithstanding  the  abundant  precautions  taken  by  Moses 
under  Divine  direction  to  preserve  State  autonomy  in  the  Tribes 
of  the  ancient  Hebrews,  especially  in  the  reversion  of  the  land 
in  the  year  of  jubilee  to  the  heirs  of  the   original  owners;  yet 


*  As  this  investigation  has  progressed,  the  power  of  the  West  in  our  National  councils,  and  of  our  cor- 
responding ri'sponsibilities,  have  been  very  impressive.  It  seemed  imperative  duty  to  consider  the 
subject,  and  thoughts  ha^e  been  prepared  for  an  Appendix,  alluded  to  in  several  places,  under  tlie  title. 
The  West  the  Pacificator.  Seeing  clearly  that  all 'our  difficulties  have  arisen  from  the  pernicious 
revolutionizing  heresies  of  the  antagonistic  schools  of  South  Carolina  and  Massachusetts,  both  extremes 
being  too  thoroughl}'  committed  to  their  dogmas  to  hope  that  the  leading  parlies  could  be  brought  to  see 
their  errors;  the  hope  of  the  country  lies  in  the  West.  But  this  book  has  already  extended  beyond 
reasonable  limits,  and  such  a  subject  cannot  be  dincussed  in  a  few  pages.  Let  these  Citizens  consider 
the  subject,  and  they  will  soon  see  what  a  grand  opportunity  is  ours.  Let  us  enter  into  the  investiga- 
tion with  our  whole  hearts,  and  to  all  our  abundant  blessings  shall  be  added  that  of  the  peace-maker. 


Xxii  OBJECTIONS DUTIES EFFECTS. 

God  always  addresses  them  as  a  Nation.  "Hear,  0  Israel;  the 
Lord  thy  God  is  one  Lord,"  So  He  addresses  us,  though  as  yet 
without  a  name  for  this  our  Nation.  Whatever  duty  we  owe  to 
our  State  as  her  faithful  liege  subjects,  we  owe  it  equally  to  the 
Nation;  for  our  State  by  solemn  compact  has  covenanted  with 
every  other  State,  that  their  common  Agency,  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment, shall  have  equal  right  upon  our  persons  and  property 
with  the  State  Agency.  What  is  our  State  without  our  Nation  ? 
And  what  a  grand  Nation  have  we;  created  not  by  the  compact 
of  erring,  dying  individuals,  but  by  the  august  compact  of  the 
honored  Old  Thirteen,  and  would  now  consist  of  thirty-seven 
sovereign  States,  but  for  violation  of  their  sacred  compact  by 
secession  and  war,  whereby  eleven  have  lost  their  sovereignty. 
Fellow-Citizens !  let  us  study  into  this  grandest  of  all  subjects 
except  religion,  and  learn  the  extent  of  our  obligations  in  this 
Nation  of  States. 

Duty  to  our  God. — We  cannot  examine  into  the  why  and 
wherefore  of  our  growth,  without  becoming  reverently  impressed 
with  the  truth  that  this  is  not  man's  work  alone.  This  wonder- 
ful conjoining  of  diverse  human  efforts,  accomplishing  these 
grandest  results  of  all  time  as  if  every  man  of  us  were  working 
for  that  very  object  instead  of  accomplishing  our  own  individual 
and  mainly  selfish  purposes,  can  be  no  accident.  As  in  every 
natural  object  which  astonishes  us  for  its  beauty,  its  ingenuity, 
its  perfect  adaptation  to  its  purpose,  it  is  more  unreasonable  to 
suppose  it  the  creation  of  accident,  than  of  an  intelligent  Creator; 
so  in  this  union  of  many  free  and  independent  wills,  effecting 
these  great  purposes  as  with  one  mind,  one  soul,  an  over-ruling 
Power  must  govern. 

This  our  race  "in  the  image  of  God  created,"  these  "sons  of 
God,"  as  repeatedly  entitled  in  the  Old  Testament;  these  "child- 
ren of  God,"  "heirs  of  God,  joint  heirs  with  Jesus  Christ,"  as 
the  Gospel  teaches,  probably  have  their  chief  superiority  in  their 
free  and  independent  will.  But  it  was  used  in  rebellion,  and 
man  became  depraved,  and  vicious.  The  great  work  of  our  God 
is  man's  restoration  to  the  pristine  perfection  and  glory  in  which 
he  came  from  the  Creator's  hand.  As  doubtless  the  most  effica- 
cious means.  He  instituted  the  several  siati  or  conditions.  Family, 
Church,  City,  State  and  Nation;  and  in  these  several  relations, 
we  are  permitted  to  be  co-laborers  with   God  to  elevate  and 


OBJECTIONS  —  DUTIES  —  EFFECTS.  XXIU 

restore  our  race.  For  this  we  are  to  work  as  though  all  depended 
upon  us,  and  trust  as  though  all  depended  upon  God,  as  Paul 
enjoins.  All  that  is  required  of  us  is  love  for  the  work,  and  a 
willingness  to  do  what  we  can  for  its  furtherance;  and  our  feeble 
endeavors  are  rendered  effective  by  Omnipotent  Power.  Do  we 
show  that  willingness  by  contributing  of  our  means  and  ettbrts 
as  opportunity  offers,  for  the  physical,  intellectual,  moral  and 
religious  culture  of  these  citizens  ?  "Were  these  duties  properly 
realized  by  this  leading  City,  to  which  the  entire  Great  West 
looks  for  an  example,  would  so  little  be  done  for  science  and  art, 
for  education  and  religion  ?  The  trouble  with  us  is,  almost  with- 
out exception,  that  we  are  too  entirely  absorbed  in  getting  means, 
to  take  time  to  consider  the  equally  important  duty  of  using 
them.  Instead  of  realizing  more  and  more  the  weight  of  respon- 
sibility; as  our  stewardship  is  increased,  desire  to  give  lessens 
anxiety  to  get  strengthens.  Instead  of  the  tenth  which  we  are 
unmistakably  instructed  should  be  appropriated  sacredly  to  these 
various  objects,  we  dole  out  the  merest  pittance;  and  when  we 
can  grasp  it  no  longer,  we  soberly,  considerately,  determinedly, 
make  our  wills  preparatory  to  our  appearance  at  the  judgment 
seat,  daring  to  withhold  God's  dues. 

Let  us  all,  Fellow-Citizens,  who  are  GoD-fearing  men,  rise  to 
the  measure  of  our  responsibility  in  this  regard.  Whether  Uni- 
tarian or  Trinitarian,  Catholic  or  Protestant,  Jew  or  Christian, — 
who  of  us  does  not  believe  that  an  earnest,  heartfelt  thank- 
offering  is  due  from  this  City  in  view  of  the  prosperity  hitherto 
bestowed  ?  How  immensely  are  our  obligations  increased  with 
all  other  cities  of  the  land,  and  above  them  according  to  our  more 
rapid  increase,  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union,  the  ark  of  our 
safety;  the  destruction  of  slavery,  the  chief  bone  of  contention; 
and  the  restoration  of  peace.  As  no  other  considerable  city  has 
had  equal  gains,  should  not  Chicago  be  first  to  lead  off  in  the 
faithful  payment  of  tythes?  Says  God,  in  the  closing  up  of  that 
Dispensation  which  Christ  "came  not  to  destroy  but  to  falfil," 
to  make  more  perfect  — 

Return  unto  me  —  and  I  will  return  unto  you, 
Saith  the  Lord  of  hosts. 

But  ye  said,  Wherein  shall  we  return. 
Will  a  man  rob  God  ?     Yet  ye  have  robbed  me. 
But  ye  say,  Wherein  have  we  robbed  thee  ? 
In  tithes  and  offerings. 
Ye  are  cursed  with  a  curse: 
For  ye  have  robbed  me,  even  this  whole  Nation 


Xxiv  ;  OBJECTIONS DUTIES  —  EFFECTS. 

Bring  ye  all  the  tithes  into  the  store-house, 
That  there  may  be  meat  in  mine  house, 
Anil  prove  me  now  herewith,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts, 
If  I  will  not  open  you  the  windows  of  heaven, 
An'l  pour  you  out  a  blessing. 

That  there  shall  not  be  room  enough  to  receive  it. 
And  I  will  rebuke  tlie  devourer  for  your  sakes. 
And  he  shall  not  destroy  tbe  fruits  of  your  ground; 
Neither  shall  your  vine  cast  her  fruit  before  the  time  in  the  field, 
Saith  the  Lord  of  hosts. 
And  all  nations  shall  call  you  blessed  : 
For  ye  shall  be  a  delightsome  land  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts. 


EFFECTS. 

Although  man's  duties  relate  very  largely  to  these  several 
siati,  they  yet  depend  entirely  upon  individual  performance.  So 
effects  are  produced  primarily  upon  the  individual,  secondarily 
upon  man  collectively. 

Upon  the  Bodies  Politic. — It  cannot  but  have  a  beneficial  influ- 
ence upon  our  own  City  and  State,  to  have  the  relations  in  which 
Chicago  stands  to  the  Great  Interior  and  to  the  Nation,  well 
apprehended.  ISTor  can  it  be  without  interest  or  benefit  to  every 
City  and  State  of  the  Union  to  have  clear  conceptions  of  the 
fact  that  there  is  a  City  indicated  by  nature,  established  by  art, 
as  the  chief  commercial  and  manufacturing  centre  of  the  Nation. 
Every  State  and  City  would  like  to  be  able  to  present  equal 
claims  to  this  distinguished  position.  But  they  cannot  all  be 
greatest;  and  if  there  be  one  possessed  of  advantages  affording 
reasonable  certainty  that  it  is  to  be  the  emporium  of  the  conti- 
nent, do  they  not  all  wish  to  know  the  reasons  and  judge  for 
themselves  of  the  probability?  It  is  hai'dly  to  be  expected  that 
this  should  be  received  as  a  demonstration,  notwithstanding  the 
writer  and  his  City  may  have  fall  faith  in  its  facts  and  conclu- 
sions. But  it  is  for  the  general  interest  that  so  important  a 
subject  should  be  investigated;  and  it  is  hoped  that  this  will  not 
prove  a  one-sided,  selfish,  boastful  presentation;  but  a  candid 
examination  into  the  Past,  a  just  presentation  of  the  Present,  a 
reasonable  expectation  of  the  Future, 

Nor  should  this  effort  be  without  benefit  to  subordinate  cor- 
porations, upon  which  the  prosperity  of  City,  State  and  Nation 
largely  depend.  Is  it  of  no  importance  that  the  symmetry  of 
plan  of  the  Chicago  system  of  railway  should  be  exhibited,  that 
those  concerned  may  see    the  wisdom   of  extending  lines   and 


OBJECTIONS DUTIES EFFECTS.  XXV 

filling  in  with  brandies,  to  perfect  a  system  which  with  no  con- 
cert, and  traversing  numerous  sovereign  States,  by  the  demands 
of  the  country,  and  from  following  the  natural  currents  of  trade 
secured  by  N'ational  Union,  has  created  in  two  decades,  and 
mostly  with  foreign  capital,  the  greatest  railway  centre  of  the 
world  ? 

Not  having  been  prepared  in  the  interest  of  railways,  but  in 
that  of  real  estate,  it  ought  to  be  of  more  service  to  those  gigantic 
corporations.  Manufactories,  too,  and  every  other  enterprise, 
are  onl}'^  considered  incidentally;  and  if  the  presentation  of  fact 
and  judgment  be  considered  just  and  moderate,  it  can  be  made 
more  influential  to  advance  any  one  interest,  than  if  directed  to 
that  specifically.  The  real-estate  is  our  solid  basis  of  prosperity; 
and  if  that  be  firm,  we  have  the  best  possible  ground-work  for 
any  enterprise. 

Upon  the  Individual  Citizen. — It  may  be  that  over  six  months' 
close  study  of  a  subject  so  consonant  with  my  tastes  and  feelings, 
preclude  sound  judgment,  and  cause  the  interest  in  and  import- 
ance of  the  investigation  to  be  over  estimated.  Due  allowance 
will  be  made  for  frailty,  and  even  considerable  conceit  in  treat- 
injr  of  the  Past,  Present  and  Future  of  a  City  in  which  I  helped 
to  raise  the  third  framed  building;  in  which  not  a  dozen  ante- 
date me  in  residence;  and  which  no  man  has  labored  harder  to 
advance,  however  imperfect  and  unimportant  my  efforts.  From 
about  one  hundred  souls  in  1832,  when  on  the  29th  October,  I 
was  brought  here  by  my  father,  a  lad  of  17,  to  have  been  a  helper 
to  rear  a  City  which  the  1st  of  April,  1868,  has  over  240,000 
inhabitants,  is  something  in  which  pride  would  be  expected.  And 
the  one  object  of  the  book  being  to  exhibit  the  superiority  of 
this  City  to  all  others  in  real-estate  investments;  and  the  titles 
of  more  City  property  having  probably  passed  through  my  name 
than  any  other,  something  of  my  own  experience  would  be 
expected;  and  of  course  care  would  be  taken  to  show  that  my 
pecuniary  reverses  were  not  attributable  to  real-estate.  Study 
of  this  subject  may  also  pervert  judgment;  but  it  would  seem, 
that  the  unequaled  opportunities  enjoyed  in  the  certain  advance- 
ment of  the  real-estate,  should  be  well  employed  to  bring  hither 
capitalists  to  engage  in  all  branches  of  business. 

This  work  was  begun  for  a  small  pamphlet  upon  the  Past, 
with  a  little  material  upon  the  Present  and  Future  to  induce 


XXvi  OBJECTIONS  —  DUTIES  —  EFFECTS. 

parties  to  join  me  in  a  real-estate  operation.  But  the  printer 
delaying  immoderatelj,  additional  material  was  incorporated, 
and  it  became  apparent  that  it  was  best  to  make  the  paper  com- 
plete, instead  of  adding  to  it  by  and  by.  The  title  was  changed 
accordingly,  but  has  been  preserved  as  the  running  title  to  keep 
the  point  before  the  reader. 

Such  as  the  essay  is,  it  is  submitted  to  the  judgment  of  my 
Fellow-Citizens.  They  will  act  upon  it  as  individuals,  and  if  of 
benefit  or  injury  they  will  be  aftected  as  individuals.  However 
received  now,  my  faith  is  strong  that  only  a  very  few  years  will 
attest  the  correctness  of  judgment,  the  moderation  of  estimate; 
and  in  view  of  doubts  of  past  prognostications  which  have  been 
more  than  realized,  may  not  Fellow-Citizens  be  asked  not  hastily 
to  condemn  although  they  may  not  be  prepared  to  adopt?  At  all 
events,  let  each  of  us  realize  that  we  are  nothing  as  individuals, 
and  labor  more  and  more  faithfully  to  improve  and  elevate  the 
Family,  the  Church,  the  City,  the  State,  the  Nation ;  and  what  a 
glorious  work  will  it  be  for  our  children  and  grandchildren  to 
write  and  to  read  of  Chicago:  Past,  Present,  Future. 


Note. — Mr.  Blanchard  having  fortunately  completed  a  Map  of  the  World,  showing 
the  routes  of  travel  across  America,  has  kindly  consented  that  it  be  used  on  the 
back  of  the  railway  map. 

The  latter  is  not  as  exact  in  representing  roads  West  of  the  Mississippi  as  would 
be  desirable.  The  New  Mexico  road  not  being  shown,  and  some  lines  marked  as 
completed  which  are  only  prospective.  Corrections  will  be  made  in  subsequent 
copies. 

Cuts  of  the  stock-yards  and  lake  tunnel,  and  several  buildings  it  has  been 
impossible  to  obtain  for  this  first  edition. 

Also,  to  have  corrected  and  enlarged  the  list  of  sales,  pp.  148  and  9  would  have 
delayed  the  publication.  It  will  be  done  carefully  for  the  next  edition,  which  will 
doubtless  have  a  wide  distribution,  a  competent  person,  in  whom  the  business  men 
will  have  confidence,  having  kindly  consented  to  give  it  his  attention. 

Very  possibly  some  errors  may  be  discovered,  notwithstanding  constant  care  to 
compare  with  original  sources  of  information.  Those  who  discover  mistakes  wil 
confer  a  favor  in  correcting  them  immediately. 


THE  PAST,  PRESENT  AND  FUTURE 


OP 


CHICAGO    INVESTMENTS, 


Study  the  Past  to  understand  the  Future  and  improve  the 

Present. 

Said  Solomon  in  that  wonderful  Book,  which  ought  to  be  made  our  Solomon's 

.  ,      .  ,,   ,  opinion. 

guide  in  all  human  concerns, — 

The  thing  that  hath  been,  it  is  that  which  shall  be  ;  and  that  which  is  done  is  :eixI.  l :  9-ll 
that  which  shall  be  done ;  and  there  is  no  new  thing  under  the  sun.  Is  there  any- 
thing whereof  it  may  be  said,  See  !  this  is  new  ?  it  hath  been  already  of  old  time, 
whicli  was  before  us.  There  is  no  remembrance  of  former  things ;  neither  shall 
there  be  any  remembrance  of  things  that  are  to  come  with  those  that  shall  come 
after. 

The  many  important  truths  of  this  pregnant  passage  are  not  here  to  2 points. 

be  considered  ;  and  even  the  most  obvious,  the  vain  conceit  that  we 

have  so  much  more  sagacity  and  invention  than  all  before  us,  mustist,  no  now 

be  passed  over.     Two  of  the  points,  however,  are  most  pertinent  toP^^'^'P'^- 

the  present  inquiry;   1st,  that  there  are  no  new  principles  for  man  t0  2d, experi- 

T  T^Ti,  T  ^  .  •  ripnce  disre 

discover  ;  and  2d,  that  man  disregards  past  exi^erience.  garded. 

Solomon  does  not  mean  that  man  makes  no  discoveries,  for  he  Leam  pnn- 
after wards  says  :  "  Lo  !  this  only  have  I  found,  that  God  hath  made  i^'^practice^ 
man  upright;  but  they  have  sought  out  many  inventions."  The 
principles,  the  elementary  truths,  are  what  remain  forever  the  same; 
and  we  improve  and  make  progress,  according  as  we  learn  better  and 
better  to  apply  those  principles  to  practice.  To  do  this  successfully, 
we  need  constantly  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  experience  of  the  past, 
that  time  and  effort  be  not  wasted  in  what  has  already  been  proved 
vain  and  fruitless.  Yet  now,  as  nearly  3,000  years  ago,  experience  is 
almost  wholly  disregarded.  This  accounts  abundantly  for  the  slow 
progress  made  by  man  in  bringing  things  of  nature  under  his  God- 
given  dominion.  Nor  are  these  practical  truths  less  aj^plicable  in— inbnsi- 
business  affairs,  than  in  those  of  the  natural  sciences.  And,  in  what 
respect,  in  preference  to  this,  is  the  past  more  worthy  of  considera- 
tion? Can  one  judge  soundly  as  to  the  future,  except  as  he  regards 
the  past? 


2  Study  Past  to  Understand  Future,  Improve  Present. 

This  paper  Tliis  Writing,  be  it  observed,  is  not  for  the  commou  herd,  who  fol- 
who'^Mgard  low  0"^  another  like  a  flock  of  sheep,  having  "no  remembrance  of 
experience,  foj-mgi.  tilings ;"  but  for  the  exceptions — any  rule  has  its  exceptions 
— who  have  wisdom  to  consider  and  be  admonished  by  the  past. 
Nor  am  I  pandering  to  the  vitiated  desires  of  those  who  would 
"make  haste  to  be  rich;"  although  larger  profits  than  Chicago  has 
afforded,  and  still  will,  can  scarcely  be  found;  and  no  doubt  those 
who  have  wisdom  to  apply  the  past  to  the  present,  will  in  the  future 
exjierience  the  truth,  that  "  there  is  nothing  new"  as  to  judicious  in- 
vestments in  Chicago.  And  being  moderate  in  my  expectations, 
doubtless  enough  sensible  capitalists  will  see  that  it  is  for  their  inter- 
est as  well  as  mine  to  adoj^t  my  plan.  It  might  be  best,  therefore, 
to  just  tell  in  short  what  it  is,  and  be  done  with  a  long  story ;  f(j^' 
Solomon  says  also,  " A  fool  uttereth  all  his  mind:  but  a  wise  man 
keepeth  it  in  till  afterwards."  You  may  think  that  all  my  mind  upon 
this  subject  must  be  here  uttered  ;  yet  it  is  not,  by  any  means.  How- 
ever, as  affording  some  evidenee  that  I  am  not  wholly  a  fool,  the 
plan  is  reserved  until  some  testimony  shall  be  presented  of  my  ac- 
quaintance with  the  subject,  and  you,  I  trust,  shall  have  been  sat- 
isfied that  at  all  events  the  project  is  worthy  of  consideration.  The 
first  natural  step  would  be  to  show  that — 

My  fokmek  Opinions  and  Pkedictions  were  based  upon  a  eea- 
soNABLE  Hypothesis. 

A  sound  hy-  A  reasonable  man  does  not  always  need  a  long  process  of  ratioci- 
Dortantl-™' nation  to  gain  his  partial  confidence  concerning  a  declaration;  but 
the  bare  hypothesis  enables  him  to  judge  whether  it  be  worth  his 
while  to  give  time  and  attention  to  the  argument  in  its  support.  A 
mere  opinion,  however,  from  most  men,  depends  upon  the  strength 
of  its  hypothesis  for  its  weight  and  influence.  In  the  exceptional 
cases,  too,  the  ojiinion  only  has  Aveight  according  to  the  confidence 
we  have  in  the  author's  ability  to  present  a  sound  hypothesis,  and 
to  sustain  it  by  true  reasoning.  No  correct  hypothesis,  unless  by 
^    ,^    ,  accident — and  w^ho  likes  to  rest  upon  accident  in  important  aftairs  ? 

— should  not  ^  _  '■ 

beacciden-  — certainly  no   aro-uments    can   be    adduced,   Avithout  more  or  less 

tal.  .       . 

knowledge  of  the  incidents  precedent;  and  correctness  will  depend 
almost  Avholly   upon  the  proficiency  of  that  knowledge,  which    if 
The  past  a    jiractical  as  well  as   theoretic,  the  more   convincing.     It   therefore 
^'^'  appears  well  to  show  that  in  previous  opinions  and  predictions,  my 

hypotheses  were  trustworthy  and  duly  sustained;  and  all  the  better 
because  that  what  are  now  my  actual  premises,  and  which  you  will 
readily  admit  are  certain  truths,  affording  a  very  satisfiictory  hypoth- 
esis for  the  present  argument,  being  without  precedent,  vrcre  in 
former  discussions  wholly  hypothetical  and  had  to  be  proved;  for 
since  the  days  of  Aristotle  it  has  been  co acodeJ,  tiiat  argumcni  is 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chu-ago  Investments.  3 

out  of  the  question  until  parties  get  back  to  principles  which  they 
receive  as  truth,  the  argument  being  merely  the  means  to  ascertain 
the  result  to  vhieh  the  truths  naturally  conduct.  In  proportion  to 
his  wisdom,  and  the  importance  of  the  interests  in  hand,  will  a  man 
use  those  means,  tracing  effects  from  their  causes;  and  learning  about 
the  future  from  the  past,  know  how  to  improve  the  present.  Whatiiow  does 
else  is  our  Bible,  the  very  Book  of  Life,  but  a  record  of  the  past,  Avithte^ch? 
the  exception  of  a  few  a  priori  declarations  of  principles,  which  the 
Author  condescends  not  to  explain?  And  even  the  principles  them- 
selves, in  the  main,  are  left  for  man  to  discover  from  prophetic  decla- 
rations which  came  to  pass,  or  the  narration  of  parables  or  historic 
truth.  Also,  the  arguments  heretofore  used  in  establishing  what  .ireoidargu- 
now  premises,  are  here  equally  available.  What,  then,  could  be^igj''  ^'^^'^ 
more  judicious  and  reasonable,  than  to  reapply  those  arguments,  and 
observe  how  they  conducted  incontrovertibly  to  their  natural  conclu- 
sions, which  experience  has  proved  to  be  facts  and  trutlis,  and  which 
we  shall  jointly  receive  as  indubitable  premises  for  this  discussion? 
Thus  agreeing  about  our  principles,  and  obtaining  clear,  well-defined 
conceptions  of  the  operating  influences,  unless  you  discover  fallacies 
and  wanderings  from  truth's  straight  path,  surely  we  shall  come  to 
one  and  the  same  conclusion. 

Besides,  as  a  discreet  man  who  duly  estimates  the  worth   of  the  Moti-.-ca  nnd 
past,  you  will  appreciate   one's  judgment  upon  an  important  subject,  fmp^.'itaut' 
according  to  the  evidence  afforded  of  his  acquaintance  with  it.     Thp  tions-"^*" 
best  criteria  of  judgment,  are  recorded  opinions  and  acts.     Many  a 
man  claims  sharp  foresight  after  events  have  transpired,  and  thinks 
he  foretold  wonderfully.     But  memory  being  often  treacherous  ujjon 
such  subjects,  even  with  honest  minds,  it  is  Vrcll  to  have  the  written 
record.     Besides,  it  is  one  thing  to  predict  or  operate  hap-hazard,  _gomemove 
and  quite  another  to  have  definite,  positive  convictions,  leading  nat-^"^''*'^^'"'^" 
urally  to  the  anticipated  result.     So  that  the  actuating  motives — the 
facts  and  views  of  things,  the  arguments  and  hypotheses — are  no  less 
important  than  the  prediction  or  the   operation.     Many  a  numskull 
becomes  fortunate  by  circumstances,  and  because  the  circumstances 
operate  directly  contrary  to  and  in  spite  of  his  judgment.     But  how- 
ever successful,  is  his  opinion  valuable  upon  that  subject  ?* 

♦Although  famous  for  the  sagacity  of  its  citizens,  Chicago  is  not  without  those  who  have  made  for-  Some  wis- 

tunes  in  spite  of  themselves ;  because  they  have  not  been  addicted  to  wasteful  benevolence,  and  have  hap-  "O""  of  Chi» 

,  .  cage  mil- 

poned  to  own  real  estate  which  has  been  closely  held  from  natural  habit,  and  not  horn  any  appreciation  iJQnaires. 

of  the  future.  One  of  these  millionaires,  when  efforts  were  making  to  start  the  Galena  Railroad, argued 
against  it,  because  railroads  would  stop  the  advent  of  the  "  prairie  schooners,"  600  to  1,500  teams  then 
daily  arriving,  and  with  their  stoppage  "grass  would  grow  in  the  streets,"  was  his  sagacious  declara- 
tion. Another  one  thought  my  distribution  of  petitions  for  the  grant  of  lands  for  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  was  impolitic.  Said  he,  "  Why,  don't  you  see,  that  the  railroad  will  enable  farmers  to  run  off 
their  produce  to  Cairo  while  the  river  and  canal  are  frozen,  which  if  kept  till  spring  would  have  to 
come  to  Chicago  ?"  I  replied,  "Don't  you  see  that  that  gives  the  farmers  of  Central  Illinois  (he  ad- 
Tantage  over  others  in  the  choice  of  markets  ?  Whatever  the  course  of  the  carrying  trade,  you  may 
risk  the  prosperity  of  Chicago  upon  the  prosperity  of  the  farmers."    This,  however,  is  the  very  place 


4  Former  Opinions  and  Predictions  a  Heasonahle  Hypothesis. 

Evidence  of      To  Avritc  about  one's  self  without  esrotisra,  requires  too  much  cir- 

my  past  .  t  i  i  i 

sound  judg-cumlucution  for  this  condeusod  paper;  so  that  those  whose  stomachs 
are  very  sensitive  can  pass  this  over.     Yet  it  certainly  is  important 
to  the  proper  estimation  of  piesent  views  of  the  future,  to  consider 
some  of  the  evidences  of  past  correctness  of  judgment,  which  former 
transactions   and   recorded    opinions    afford.     Though  only  a  small 
part  has  been  preserved,  oidy  a  little  of  that  can  be  here  offered  with 
any  hope  of  its  perusal ;  and  though  the  object  which  this  head  pre- 
sents will  constantly  be  kept  in  view,  yet  the  reader  will  notice  the  im- 
game  chance  111  Pnse  advance  upon  former  prices;  and  although  his  first  impression 
"ear/figo.     would  be  that  the  day  is  past  to  make  such  profits  on  Chicago  prop- 
erty, I  shall  hope  to  prove  to  his  satisfaction  that  it  is  now  a  better 
time  relatively  to  invest  here,  than  thirty  years  ago. 
First  pur-         All  account  of  some  of  my  transactions,  prepared  for  the  circular  of 
f.3,noo'em:h    I860,  are  quoted  p.289;  to  which  it  may  be  added  as  appropriate  to 
in  iS34.       this  caption,  that  my  first  purchases  were  two   of  $3,500   each,  in 
March,   1834,  which   I   expected   to   share  in  profits  with  my  uncle, 
Amasa  Wright,  of  Brooklyn,  who   had  written   to  me  months  before 
to  try  to  get  the  refusal  of  property  for  him  to  judge  of.     But  too 
little  property  had  been  sold  by  the   State  or  United  States,  and  it 
was  too  much  in  demand  to  get  refusals.     A  copy  of  the  letter  de- 
scribing those  purchases,  dated  March  11th,  1834,  was  obtained  at  an 
arbitration  with  my  uncle  in  1852,  from  which  this  is  extracted: — 

Letter  Mar.       Last  Wednesday  evening  I  spent  in  endeavoring  to  make  a  bargain  with  Lieut, 
iitb,  1834.    .Jamison  of  the  U.  S.  Army  for  kit  four  in  bkick  seventeen,  of  the  survey  by  Canal 
Lot  4  B  17  Commissioners,  wliich  is  (as  you  will  see  by  reference  to  your  map)  [which  I  had 
0.  T.,  bo't    '  made  and  sent  him]  a  corner  and  water  lot.     I  did  not  then  succeed,  but  last  Friday 
for  S3,.500.     I  bought  it  of  him  for  $3500,  enormous  sum,  half  of  it  to  be  paid  on  the  tirst  of 
June,  1834,  and  the  other-half  on  the  first  of  December  1834.     There  is  a  lawyer 
now  drawing  a  writing  in  reference  to  the  bargain,  in  which  he   (Mr.  Jamison) 
binds  himself  to  give  a  deed  of  the  lot  upon  the  payment  of  the  tirst  half,  (!|1750.) 
It  is  to  be  ready  to  be  signed  to-morrow.    This  may  seem  to  you  to  be  an  enor- 
mous sum  for  a  lot  (80  ft  by  150  ft)  in  Chicago,  and  I  think  father  would  not  give 
half  that  sum  for  it.    But  liis  ideas  do  not  keep  up  with  property  in  Chicago.*    I 

for  Buch  men  to  make  fortunes.  Ifttieywill  only  invest  their  money,  berate  the  tax  g.atherer,  and 
never  give  anything — vehich  la  not  dangerous — they  will  surely  become  rich  if  they  live  a  fevr  years 
however  unwise  their  purchases. 

*While  that  was  true,  it  is  but  justice   to  one  of  the  best  of  fathers  to  add,  that  far  nearer  than  most 
Father's         men  he  imticipated  the  future  of  Chicago.    With  great  natural  powers,  especially  in  sound  judgment, 
judgment  of  jjg  jjad  ample  knowledge  of  the  country  and  appreciated  the  West,  having  in  1815  and  '16  traveled  for 
°  *         his  health  on  horseback  from  Massachusetts  into  Illinois  and  down  to  New  Orleans.    But  he  was  over- 
cautions;  and  though  intending  to  buy  all  the  lots  and  land  he  could,  he  was  too  fearful   of  advancing 
prices  by  seeking  purchases.     Became  from  his  New  England  home  in  the  spring  of  1833,  intending  to 
buy  largely  at  the  sale  of  school  lots;  lut  to  his  disappointment,  and  much  more  to  mine,  he  only 
bought  about  fl.OOO  worth,  six  lots  and  two  blocks. 
Mv  minoritv     ^"^  his  absence  I  was  my  own  master,  my  minority  never  interfering  either  here  or  in  the  East;  for 
no  interfer-  such  was  the  confidence  in  that  just  man,  that  everybody  knew  that  if  by  death  he  became  my  heir, 
ence.  my  engagements  would  be  sacredly  fulfilled.     No  purchase  or  sale  was  disapproved  by  him,  except  that 

he  thought  it  unwise  in  1836  to  sell  twenty  acres,  in  section  22,  for  $50,000,  as  I  did  not  need  so  much 
money,  and  could  not  better  invest  it.  Yet,  had  not  that  sale  fallen  through  accidentally,  it  would  have 
saved  my  property,  which  was  worth  more  than  my  father's.  But  with  his  caution,  he  was  out  of  debt, 
and  I  not.  My  property  was  swept  by  the  revulsions  of  '37,  and  a  large  part  of  my  patrimony,  and  the 
estate  he  left  in  1840,  is  to-day  worth  over  three  millions. 
I  was  subject  to  him,  however,— as  what  son  would  not  be  to  such  a  father  ?— and  though  operating 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  a 

am  sure  that  lot  will  in  less  than  three  mouths  fetch  §5,000.00.    "What  makes  me  Reasons  for 
think  so  istliis:     There  are  a  j^reat  many  merchants  Cuming  into  Cliicji^^o  this  "'^ ''"'^*^''"'*'' 
summer.   There  are  but  two  or  three  water  lots  that  can  be  l)ou>(ht  at  any  i)riee.    All 
the  business  is  at  present  done  on  this  (Water)  street.     Now  merchants  coming  in 
are  not  ii;oing  on  to  the  back  streets  to  do  business,  as  long  as  they  can  get  a  build- 
ing spot  on  ^Vater  street,/(*r  twice  what  its  real  value  is.     Lots  have  not  yet  got  to 
near  their  full  value.     That  one  which  I  bought  will  within  five  years  be  worth 
three,  and  I  think  I  may  say  tive  times  what  I   paid  for  it.    Chicago  will  wilhin  CiiicaRotobe 
that  liuie  be  as  large  as  Detroit  is  now,  and  real  estate  will  be  worth  as  mucli.     A  ■''*  '"''?'*  ".^ 
small  lot  there  50x00  ft  (I  think  it  was)  was  sold  a  few^  weeks  since  ibr  §10,000.00,   fn  shears', 
and  why  should  not  business  lots  be  worth  as  mucli  here  as  there?     These  are  the 
reasons  that  made  me  purchase  that  lot,  and  that  make,'    me  think  it  was  a  good 
bargain.     I  do  not  suppose  I  could  get  what  I  paid  for  it  back  now,  but  I  can  in 
less  than  three  months. 

Wediu'xdai/,  March  12th. — Last  evening  I  made  another  bargain  for  90i^  acres  of  90}^  acres 
land,  for  which  I  am  to  pay  §:5,.jOO,  the  same  sum  that  the  town  lot  cost.    73  ivcres  ^^5^q * *^°'" 
lies  on  the  North  Branch  of  the  Chicago  River,  and  is  the  west  half  of  the  south-     ' 
west  quarter  of  section  four  in  this  township.     [A  description  of  that  tract,  and  of 
the  17}^  acres  on  the  South  Branch  was  here  given.] 

I  do  not  wish  to  have  j'ou  feel  yourself  under  any  obligations  to  take  these  lands  ^'^  option 
or  the  town  lot.     But  if  you  do  not  take  them  I  shall  be  obliged  to  rely  on  you  for  c^ag"g'^^,}i"'^' 
the  money.     The  money  for  the  OO)^  acres  is  to  be  paid  as  follows :     Draft  on  you  must  ad- 
payable  at  sight  for  $700  ;  $1,000  jwyable  the  first  of  August ;  -$1,«00  on  the  lirsl  of  vance  the 
December.     Mr.  Noble  takes  drafts  for  these  sums  when  they  become  due.     He  "'"■"-'>'• 
gives  me  a  quit  claim  and  warranty  deed,  [there  were  two  tracts,]  immediately. 
They  are  made  out  by  this  time,  and  will  be  signed  to-morrow.     I  gave  him   a 
draft  on  you  (w'hich  I  hope  you  will  accept)  at  the  same  time,  and  give  notes  in  my  My  notes  ta- 
own  name  for  the  remainder,  payable  as  aforesaid.     lie  does  not  require  any  en-  ^"^  '"  !"'}■ 
dorsers,  nor  anything  for  security  of  payment,  except  the  notes.     This  I  tliink  '"*^°*- 
pretty  lenient  in  him,  and  shows  he  has  some  confidence  in  me.     I  have  no  writings 
from  father  which  could  bind  him  (father)  to  any  bargains  I  make.     I  ought  to  Father  not 
have  had  some,  but  I  did  not  then  think  I  should  so  soon  be  purchasing  real  boaind 
estate. 

If  J'OU  do  not  take  these  purchases,  they  will  fall  upon  ?«€,  not  u\)on  father,  for  I  if  he  wants 
want  to  make  a  little  money  myself    It  will,  to  be  sure,  be  putting  some  risk  upon  security  cin 
you  in  asking  so  much  money  of  you,  minor  as  I  am.     But  if  you  do  not  feel  se-  ''*'"  "• 
cure,  I  can  give  you  endorsers,  for  a  number  of  good  substantial  men  in  tliis  place 
hav^e  oflired  of  their  own  accord  to  sign  for  me  if  I  wish  it.     So  you  see  I  am  not 
without  friends,  if  I  am  here  alone.     Now  I  do  not  wish  you  to  take  these  pur- 
chases unless  you  feel  perfectly  sure  that  you  will  make  money  by  so  doing.     For 
my  part  I  should  prefer  keeping  them  both  ff  I  could  pay  for  them  in  any  way.     I 
have  got  considerable  credit  on  them  (without  interest)  so  as  not  to  have  it  crowd 
you  in  making  payments. 

No  claim  is  laid  to  foresight  then  of  what  Chicago  is  to-day  ;  nor  Raiironiis 

.,,.,,  .  .  p  ,  ,  not  then  an- 

was  It  possible  with  the  most  penetrating  prescience,  lor  no  one  could  ticipatea. 
have  anticipated  the  power  and  mnltiplication  of  railroads.  But  the 
views  were  sound,  though  youthfully  expressed,  and  reasonably  an- 
ticipated the  future,  as  they  constantly  have,  and  as  these  will  be 
found  to  do.  The  results  are  given  p.  290.  The  lot  is  worth  to-day 
$150,000,  and  the  land  some  $500,000. 

thus  independently  for  myself,  took  chief  charge  of  his  store,  until  in  December,  1835,  he  consented  to 
sell  mo  tlie  remaining  seven  months  of  my  minority  for  |2,000.    I  had  before  bought  a  lot  of  Mr.  Dole  ^\^  '°  fath- 
for  S2,000,  which  father  desired,  and  it  was  given  up  to  him,  as  was  the  case  with  nearly  all  his  pur-  ^Viases 
chases,  except  the  school  lots,  and  a  Lake  street  lot.    So  that  in  the  division  of  father's  estate,  my  broth- 
ers and  si:iter  consented  to  let  me  have  that  lot  above  my  portion,  in  consideration  of  my  misfortunes 
and  of  my  aid  in  building  up  the  estate.     For  not  only  had  I  been  largely  instx-umental  in  purchasing, 
but  some  ten  days  after  our  arrival  in  Chicago,  and  while  father  was  taking  a  cruise  throughout  the 
country,  at  Mr.  Carpenter's  instance,  we  went  on  thv.  prairie  with  a  surveyor  and  run  out  a  quarter  sec- 
tion each,  which  resulted  in  father's  getting  pre-emption  for  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  seventy  of 
which  his  children  inlierited,  and  are  now  Wright's  Addition  and  Union  Park,  and  worth  about    Two 
mUliona  end  a  half. 


6  Former  Opinions  and  Predictions  a  Ileasonahle  Hypothesis. 

Lot  5.  B.19,      --f  j^e  uext  purchase  was  another  corner  lot,  5  in  block  19,  for  $1200, 

0.  T.,  bo't  for  ^  -» r         1         ),   1  /-\  ^'     1  • 

81,200,  and    made  Avhollv  ou  my  own  account,  JMarch  17th.     Oi  this  no  record 

sold  for  ■'  ■,  -r        •        1     1       c  /-All 

Si,900.         exists,  except  as  to  how  I  raised  the  hrst  payment  of  $300,  by  bor- 
rowing 817,  from  father's  store,  and  $283  from  C,  &  I.  Harmon,  Wra. 
McCorristen  (a  soldier)   and  Peter  Cohen.     My  recollection  is  that 
before  the  second  payment  came  due,  1st  July,  I  sold  to  Peter  Bolles 
Firstaccount  for  81900.     It  was  the  first  money  I  had  made,  and  on  the  1st  of 
books.  October,  1834, 1  opened  a  set  of  account  books,  with  an  inventory,  in 

wliich  stock  is  credited  for  $720 — cash  $560,  personal  property  $60, 
and  L.  T.  Jamison  8100.  Stock  is  debtor  for  $179.63.  This  money 
had  been  made  on  that  lot,  having  made  no  other  ojieration,  and  of 
course  receiving  no  salary. 
N.  43  acres  Qct.  lotli  I  bought  43  87-100  acrcs  of  section  22,  from  the  lake  to 
N.,  R.  i4E.,  State  street,  and  from  12th  street  south,  at  $80  per  acre.     In  July 

bo't  at  S80—  '  ^  .  *  1-1  1 

1830, 1  sold  an  undivided  20  acres  of  it  for  $50,000,  which  Avas  broken 
up  by  an  accidental  misunderstanding.  It  was  mortgaged  in  1839 
for  $9090  to  the  State  Bank,  and  Avas  bid  in  for  about  $4000,  I  think^ 
whicli  I  expected  to  redeem,  as  most  were  allowed  to  do;  but  with- 
out my  knowledge  it  was  given  to  Mr.  Ketchum  in   exchange  for  a 

-worth  51,- mill  property  in  Michigan,  which  never  yielded  much  to  the  bank. 

'"  '  '  That  land  is  well  covered  with  elegant  residences  and  without  the 
improvements  is  worth  about  $1,750,000. 

Butler,  Jan.  2d,  1835,  I  bought  for  $4000,  payable  in  4  and  6  months,  40 

Wetjitert     acrcs,  which  is  now  Butler,  Wright  &  Webster's  addition,  to  Avhora. 

^'^^-  it  was  sold  in  Xew  York  on  the  10th  of  April  following  for  $10,000. 

80  acres  J^"-  ^'''th  I  bouglit  80  acrcs,  south  half,  southeast  quarter,  section 

V{'iF'£k<i  ^^i  <^lose  to  the  lake  and  now  in  the  city,  for  $800.     This  also  went 

^■'^^■'       'to  the  State  Bank,  on  the  same  debt.     It  is  worth  $400,000. 

2  water  lots      ^^^^  ^^^^^'  ^  ^^^f^'s'^t  Water  lot  23,  in  Kinzie's  Addition,  for  $2000  ; 

iddTtk,n*^  and  the  13th,  water  lot  24  adjoining,  for  $3200.  In  December,  1837, 
when  worth  $25,000,  I  mortgaged  them  to  Charles  Butler,  Esq.,  of 
New  York  to  secure  $8,500  for  a  note  extended  for  a  year.  The 
mortgage  was  foreclosed  and  the  lots  bid  in  for  Mr.  Butler,  for  some 
$2000  to  $3000.  They  are  worth  $50,000,  and  the  balance  of  the  debt 
by  judgment  took  property  worth  over  $200,000. 

Bushneii'a        May  11th,  I  also  bou2;l»t  80  acres,  which  is  now  Bushnell's  Addi- 

addition.  .  ,.  '  -,     ,  ,  .1  .  ,,     -, 

tion,  lor  >;6,000;  and  the  13t!i,  40  acres  in  the  same  section,  nowcalled 
Crane  &  Wesson's  Park,  for  $1300.  The  former  is  worth  $1,500,000, 
tlie  latter  at  least  $200,000. 
Profits  inth  Tliese  will  suffice  to  give  an  idea  of  my  operations,  and  of  ad- 
$15,000!"''  vances  in  value.  Other  purchases  were  made  and  some  sales,  so  that 
on  balancing  my  books  on  my  birthday,  as  was  my  custom,  16th  of 
July,  1835,  reckoning  property  at  its  cost,  stock  is  credited  for 
$25,107.76,  ($1,225  cash  on  hand),  and  debited  $951 1.29  for  indebted- 
ness on  property.     The  real  estate  inventoried  at  about  $22,000,  Avas 


Past,  Present  and^Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  7 

worth  at  least  four  times  that  sura.  But  not  having  any  written  or  l^^^'ean^a^gain 
printed  statements  of  my  views,  the  remarks,  p.  290,  will  suffice.  m''i'«ni«ney 
In  1846,  having  recovered  from  the  mortification  and  disgust  of  be- 
ing permitted  to  go  to  ruin,  when  a  wealthy  uncle,  who  had  made 
largely  directly  by  and  through  me,  could  with  perfect  ease  have  saved 
my  property  without  risk,  for  he  always  affirmed  full  faith  in  Chicago, 
—  having  obtained  renewed  energies  and  stronger  confidence  in  the 
future  of  the  West,  and  of  Chicago,  by  years  of  cruising  and  de- 
lightful intercourse  among  the  noble  hearts  of  the  prairie  farmers,  I 
resolved  again  to  make  another  fortune   in   Chicago   projierty. 

Having  purchased  block  1,  in  1840,   as  remarked  on  p. 291,    for  bio. r, 
$37,500,  the  following  hand-bill  was  issued  3d  of  July,  1847  : —  $37,500. 

Safe  and  ProfitaUe  Investment. — The  undersigned  offers  for  sale  a  portion  of  Offers  to 
Block  One,  of  the  Original  Town  of  Chicago,  (one  third  or  one  quarter)  at  the  ^'^l'' l^'^''- 
rate  of  $75,000  for  the  block,  lying  on  Nortli  Water,  Dearborn,  Kinzie,  Wolcott 
and  Exchange  streets.     It  is  in  uo  spirit  of  speculation  that  the  property  is  offered, 
but  simply  for  the  purpose  of  providing  funds  to  use  in  improving  the  balance. 

It  has  been  owned  till  last  year  by  a  gentleman  at  the  East  who  would  do  notli-  profits  as- 
ing  to  improve  it,  nor  grant  a  lease  except  ti\)m  year  to  year,  so  that  this  year  it  sured. 
pays  oul}^  about  four  per  cent,  on  the  price  asked.    But  the  undersignsd  will  guar- 
anty that  next  year  it  shall  pay  5  per  cent.,  the  next  G  per  cent.,  and  that  withi  1 
five  years  it  shall  pay  6  per  cent,  on  -$100,000.     He  is  confident  the  property  will 
do  much  better  than  this  ;  but  this  much  he  is  willing  to  guaranty. 

If  it  can  be  made  to  pay  this  interest,  then  the  property  is  safe ;  but  therein 
does  not  consist  its  greatest  profit.  It  must  rapidly  appreciate  in  value.  Unless  the 
friends  of  this  young  city  greatly  miscalculate  as  to  its  destiny,  and  the  rajiidity  of 
its  increase  in  business  and  population,  property  here  must  be  greatly  enhanced, 
and  that  speedily. 

What  was  property  worth  twenty-seven  years  ago  in  Cincinnati,  with  its  10,000  Comparison 
inhabitants?  what  is  it  now  worth,  with  its  100,000?  That  which  has  taken  with  Cincin- 
twenty-seven  years  to  accomplish  in  Cincinnati,  will  be  accomplished  In  v  much^*'''- 
less  time  here.  Consider  the  immense  power  of  public  improvements,  madi-  in  a 
great  measure  since  Cincinnati  began  to  increase  so  rapidly,  to  give  impulse  to  the 
growth  of  great  commercial  cities,  and  which  even  now  are  but  begun — that  if 
the  rich  valley  of  the  Jliami  has  contributed  so  essentially  to  the  growth  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Chicago  has  an  equally  fertile  and  vastly  more  extensive  agricultural  ter- 
ritory tributary  to  it — that  Cincinnati  has  no  great  advantages  over  Chicago  for 
mechanical  and  manufacturing  industry — that  northern  Illinois  is  now  in  a  much 
more  favorable  situation  to  push  forward  its  chief  commercial  emporium,  than 
was  southwestern  Ohio  twenty-seven  years  since  ;  and  what  is  of  vastly  more  im- 
portance in  the  consideration  of  this  point,  Cincinnati  has  no  peculiar  advantage 
as  a  commercial  city,  but  Chicago  is  the  western  terminus  of  lake  navigation,  and 
this  year  will  be  connected  by  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  with  the  great 
rivers  of  the  West,  so  that  the  Mississippi  and  even  the  Missouri  River,  will  pay 
tribute  to  us.  By  this  route  goods  will  be  transported  from  New  York  to  St. 
Louis  at  from  100  to  125  cents  per  100  lbs.,  and  olten  less  than  that.  Then  IJie 
very  heavy  lumber  and  coal  trade  which  must  be  done  here  will  aid  essentially  in 
our  growth,  and  railroads  will  soon  connect  us  with  the  lead  region  and  other  in- 
terior sections. 

It  is  not  unreasonable  to  estimate  that  fifteen  years  shall  do  more  for  Chicago  15  years  for 
than  twenty-seven  have  done  for  Cincinnati.  Property,  therefore,  must  rapidly  ap-  Chicago 
preciate  in  value,  for  there  can  be  no  drawback.    No  town  can  be  named  as  a  *^"*l  *''.^" 
rival  to  us  in  the  trade  of  the  West — not  even  for  the  trade  of  the  mineral  region —  n^ti. 
nor  for  ♦.he  South  as  far  as  St.  Louis.        *        *        * 
Then  where  can  a  safer  or  more  profitable  investment  be  found  ? 

Reasonable   as  were  these  predictions,  which  were  far  more  than  N-.body  con- 
realized,  nobody  could  be  made  to  see  the  truth,  and  that  year  I  paid  ^'''°^'^' 
five  2^Gr  ce7it.  amo7ith  iov  ^Q\G\'2i\  thousand  dollars,  required  to  meet 


8  Former  02)lnions  and  Predictions  a  Reasonable  Hypothesis. 

luy  payiuents.  Hoping  to  obtain  relief  by  profits  on  other  opera- 
tions without  further  increase  of  indebtedness,  a  circular  was  dis- 
tributed in  connection  with  Judge  Thomas'  report  to  the  Harbor  and 

Circular,      River  Convention.*     Dated  4th  of  January,  1848,  it  thus  begins  : — 
184a 

Investments  in  Chicago  Property. — I  am  happy  that  a  reliable  document  has  been 
prepared  concerning  the  business  of  Chicago,  whicli  I  can  send  friends,  and  trust 
an  examination  of  it  will  lead  to  the  reflection  whether  here  is  not  a  desirable 
place  to  invest  capital. 
_       ,  ..  "  Western  speculations,"  I  know,  have,  to  a  great  extent,  lost  favor  with  capital- 

norpropo°ed  ists.    But  because  so  much  money  has  been  foolislily  lost  in  visionary  operations, 
and  so  much  more  locked  up  in  unsaleable  and  unproductive  property,  the  taxes 
and  expenses  of  which  are  fast  consuming  it,  it  does  not  follow  that  good  invest- 
ments cannot  be  made  in  the  West.    And  anything  like  "speculation," — i.  e.  a  pur- 
chase with  probabilities  of  large  profits,  and  more  or  less,  or  even  any.,  chance  of 
loss, — I  am  no  advocate  for ;  only  a  sober,  prudent  investment  of  capital,  in  prop- 
erty safe  beyond  contingency,  which  may  be  made  to  yield  a  certain  annual  in- 
come, with  large  profits  ultimately,  perhaps  soon. 
Such  investments  you  may  make  here. 
A  Bure  in-         Property  to  Give  a  Certain  Annual  Income. — There  is  no  speculative  demand  for 
come.  Chicago  property,  and  has  not  been  for  ten  years;  and  though  prices  have  been 

and  are  steadily  advancing,  it  is  a  healthy  growth.  Sales  are  continually  making, 
but  they  are  almost  wholly  for  investment.  Lots  can  be  bought  in  the  central 
business  part  of  Chicago,  yielding  a  ground  rent  of  6  to  9  per  cent.  I  know  of  a 
lot,  for  instance,  held  at  $2500,  for  which  the  owner  is  ottered  for  a  five  years' 
lease,  $200  per  annum  and  the  taxes.  The  lessee  wishes  to  erect  a  good  brick 
building,  conditioned  that  at  the  end  of  the  lease,  the  lessor  at  his  option,  shall  re- 
new the  lease  at  7  per  cent,  on  the  value  of  the  lot,  or  purchase  the  building  at  an 
appraisal,  the  value  of  both  lot  and  building  to  be  fixed  by  three  disinterested 
men.  The  building  would  cost  about  $2,000,  and  would  rent  for  $450,  perhaps 
annual  rent moie.  Three  lots  belonging  to  my  father's  estate,  20 feet  front  by  150  deep,  which 
of  lots.  are  among  the  best  in  the  city,  have  been, under  lease  for  ten  years  past  at  $250 
each,  and  the  leases  are  renewed  for  the  present  year  at  $300.  The  lots  are  worth 
$4,500  each,  and  for  a  five  years'  lease  we  could  get  $350  per  annum,  nearly  8  per 
cent.  Anotiier  lot  I  could  have  bought  a  short  time  since,  and  perhaps  can  yet, 
•  for  $3,000,  which  is  under  a  lease  for  seven  years  at  $270,  or  9  per  cent.,  with  no 
conditions  to  renew  or  buy  the  buildings.  Usually  lessees  of  ground  agree  to  pay 
all  taxes  and  assessments,  the  rent  is  paid  quarterly  and  punctually,  and  for  secur- 
ity, the  lessor  holds  the  improvements,  which  can  only  be  removed  at  the  expira- 
tion of  the  lease,  and  after  the  entire  faltillinent  of  it  on  the  part  of  the  lessee. 
The  form  of  lease  used  here  is  of  the  most  stringent  character. 

Lots  like  these  cannot  always  be  got  at  a  day's  notice,  but  a  person  having  money 
by  him  to  use  when  good  bargains  are  offered,  would  not  have  it  on  hand  a  long 
time. 
Rent  of  Good  brick  stores,  four  stories  high  and  well  finished,  costing  about  $3,000,  will 

Btores.  rent  for  $800,  to  $850,  in  the  best  locations.     When  we  have  50,000  inhabitants,  if 

rents  are  worth  as  much  here  as  in  cities  of  corresponding  size  and  business,  such 
stores  will  be  worth  at  least  $1200  per  annum  ;  and  as  $500  will  be  an  ample  allow- 
ance for  the  building  alone,  $700  will  be  left  for  the  lot,  from  which  deduct  $100 
for  taxes,  and  it  will  tlieu  pay  6  per  cent,  on  $10,000.  This  you  may  reasonably 
reckon  upon  within  ten  years. 
Suburb  lota.  .  P^'operty  uow  in  the  suburbs  can  be  bought  at  low  prices,  which  will  yield  a  less 
■  income,  but  probably  greater  profit  in  the  course  of  ten  years. 

National  *That  Convention  in  1847  was  the   first  of  the  national  gatherings,  which  since  have  been  drawn  to 

gatherings      Chicago  because  of  her  focal  railway  position.     Year  by  year  will   she  increase  in  favor  in  this  respect, 

icago.    as  the  rapid  increase  of  the  West,  and  railway  extension  make   her  still  more  central.     Recently  a  St. 

Louis  paper  predicted  the  removal  there  of  the  National  Capital.    It  will  never  be  moved,  I  trust,  from 

No  change  ot  '^"^  "^''y  consecrated  by  the  sacred  memories  and  the  name  of  the  Father  of  his  country.    Could  the 

capital.  West  agree  itself  about  the  location,  it  might  perhaps  effect  a  change.    But  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and 

oil  the  States  contiguous  to  Missouri,  would  oppose  St.  Louis,  because  they  would   not  lilse  to  give  a 

close  rival    that  advantage.     So   Missouri   and    the  otherj  would  oppose  any  city  in  Illinois,  and  this 

jealousy  will   furev<'r  prevent  the  injustice  of  taking  the  Capital  from  the  glorious  Old  Thirteen.     If 

moved  at  all,  it  would  be  to  Chicago,  for  the  same  reasons  that  the  National  Conventions  come  here  so 

much  oftener  than  to  any  other  city. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  9 

Investments  of  this  character  must  be  perfectly  safe,  at  least  those  which  arc  Money  safe, 
rented  for  a  term  of  years;  and  there  is  an  almost  equal  certainty  of  a  large  and 
rapid  increase. 

Increane  in  Value  hy  the  Oroictli  of  Chicago.— l\y  the  report,  you  will  see  the  im-  incijase  in 
ports,  exi)orts  and  business  of  Chicago  generally,  have  grown  very  rapidly,  aud  [^'i^"  '^^^- 
the  same  causes  must  not  only  continue  to  operate,  and  with  increased  power,  but 
new  channels  are  to  be  opened,  widely  extending  the  range  of  country  tributary  to 
this  market. 

Witli  no  increase  from  abroad,  business  in  all  departments  must  enlarge  and  growth  of 
extend,  and  very  rapidly  in  u  country  of  the  easy  tillage  and  great  natural  ad-  luiuoia. 
vantages  (if  this;  but  the  population  of  Illinois,  particularly  of  the  northern  por- 
tion of  the  State  which  trades  here,  never  was  increasing  so  fast  by  immigration 
as  at  ])resent,  and  the  settlers  are  of  a  most  excellent  character,  and  often  have 
much  wealth.  The  census  of  1850  will  show  a  population  of  about  1,000,000,  be- 
ing double  that  of  1840.  *  *  * 

tShoukl  these  views  lead  any  of  my  friends  to  think  of  investing  money  here,  I  Examine 
would  lirst  and  earnestly  advise  a  personal  examination.    Nothing  can  take  the  yourselves, 
place  of  this,  and  the  sooner  made  the  better,  as  property  is  continually  advancing, 
and  in  the  course  of  a  few  months  is  likely  to  be  much  higher  than  at  present. 

Any  who  would  be  glad  to  give  a  share  of  the  profits,  (or  of  the  losses,)  to  a  res-  Share  of 
ident,  by  whom  investments  would  be  made  and  the  property  managed,  I  should  I'^ofits. 
be  glad  to  hear  from;  and  I  think  a  residence  of  over  fifteen  years  in  Ciiicago, 
with  ctinsiderable  acquaintance  with  property,  ought  to  enable  me  to  render  con- 
siderable service. 

I  would  further  state,  that  my  own  means  are,  at  present,  all  invested,  and  I  have  ^^  ^^^  jq. 
resolved  absolutely  not  to  buy  any  property  on  my  own  account,  till  I  can  pay  for  crease  debt. 
it  in  cash,  which  will  not  be  for  the  present ;  so  that  those  who  choose  to  author- 
ize me  to  buy,  may  be  sure  of  my  best  efforts  to  get  for  them  good  bargains.  Titles 
would  be  taken  in  their  own  names,  or  in  the  name  of  some  responsible  person 
here  in  trust  for  them,  as  would  be  preferred. 

Any  wi'io  would  wish  further  information,  I  shall  be  happy  to  correspond  with,  and  invest  for 
will  do  all  in  ray  power  to  make  those  who  choose  to  try  an  investment  in  Chicago,  cinldren. 
so  satisfied  with  it  that  they  will  purchase  further.  It  appears  to  me  a  gentleman 
of  means  can  do  nothing  so  well  witli  a  few  thousand  dollars  as  to  buy  property 
in  this  place  where  he  would  be,  to  3  great  extent,  relieved  of  trouble  in  its  man- 
agsment,  and  which,  to  his  children  and  grand  children,  would  become  a  large  in- 
heritance. 

Please  consider  this  carefully  and  let  me  hear  from  you. 

Though    silent   about   the   contiguous   river    property,  for  fear  of  Nobody 

-.  .  .  11-  •      -\  •  •    •     would  invest 

drawing  attention  to  it,  my  sole  object  was  to  induce  parties  to  join 
in  its  purchase,  if  Mr,  Bronson  could  not  be  pursuaded  to  give  nie 
an  interest  to  take  its  management.  But  because  my  uncle  would 
do  nothing,  nobody  would  look  into  the  proposition.  During  the  ne- 
gotiation, I  made  the  estimate  of  rents  spoken  ofp-292and  although 
firmly  resolved,  that  I  would  not  incur  further  indebtedness;  yet  the 
long  credit  obtained,  and  the  advantages  of  the  agreement  in  re- 
gard to  sales,  promised  so  strongly  that  capitalists  could  soon  be 
led  to  join,  tli.-it  the  purchase  was  made.  Still,  nobody  would  see 
the  fortune  waiting  their  reception  ;  and  to  fully  present  the  subject, 
and  either  sell  or  make  a  permanent  loan,  or  else  sell  other  proper- 
ty, either  or  all  of  which  I  was  willing  to  do,  the  cu-cular  of  28th  of 
February,  1849,  was  prepared,  thus  concluding  : — 

The  preceding  estimates  [one  of  them  is  given,  page       ]  have  been  based  upon  circular 
the  supposition  that  In  three  years  $42,200  shall  be  expended  in  improvements.  1849. 
On  every  account  this  is  desirable  to  have  done 

The  three  block.o  can  unquestionably  be  made  to  pay  for  themselves,  and  much 
more,  with  one-third  ttiat  amount  invested.  But  improvements  will  yield  a  large 
interest  on  their  cost,  and  every  good  building  erected  will  enhance  the  rent  of 
contiguous  lots  several  per  cent.    And  the  effect  of  expending  a  considerable 


10  Former  02n>iions  and  Predictions  a  Reasonable  Hypothesis. 


Offer  to  sell 
cheap. 


A  loan 
sought. 


Surplus 

rents. 


ininunt,  as  fast  as  it  could  be  judiciously  done,  -would  be  veiy  great,  particularly  at 
tins  time.  It  would  give  a  strong  impetus  to  the  whole  north  side,  and  make  this 
entire  operation  easy  and  safe,  ensuring,  not  only  the  rents  as  estimated,  but  a  con- 
siderable increase  beyond. 

Property  to  be  Sold  Cheap. — Of  this  amount  I  can  raise  §25,000  out  of  other 
property  during  the  three  years ;  and  it  is  my  purpose  to  sell  all  other  real  estate, 
except  a  dwelHng-house  lot,  and  concenti'ate  both  capital  and  cllorts  on  these 
blocks.  I  shall  lose  the  future  rise  on  the  properly  sold,  which  I  know  will  be 
large,-  but  the  results  of  the  preceding  calculations  will  not  only  be  thereby  se- 
cured, but  made  easy,  which  gives  an  income  that  should  satisfy  any  reasonable 
man,  and  which  is  many  fold  greater  than  1  had  ever  expected  to  have. 

Of  the  lots  I  wish  to  sell,  some  are  now  under  rent ;  and  if  purchasers  will  lease 
for  ten  years,  I  will  agree  to  sell  at  such  a  price  as  that  they  shall  yield  seven  per 
cent,  per  annum  ground  rent,  clear  of  taxes.  It  will  be  moderate  to  suppose  the 
lots  will  double  in  value  in  ten  years,  which  would  give  seventeen  per  cent,  jier  an- 
num.   Some  of  the  lots  will  doubtless  double  in  value  in  a  less  period. 

A  Loan  of  Ten  Thousand  Dollars  Wanted. — But  to  sell  property  and  get  pay, 
'vill  require  two  or  three  years,  for  it  cannot  be  sold  to  advantage  for  cash;  though 
I  will  sell  at  low  prices  for  quick  pay.  Therefore,  as  I  wish  very  much  to  erect  a 
couple  of  warehouses  tliis  summer,  I  have  determined  to  borrow,  say  ten  thousand 
dollars,  payable,  say  half  in  live  and  half  in  six  years,  and  I  will  pay  ten  per  cent, 
interest,  semi-annually  in  New  York  city. 

The  security  shall  be  satisfactory.  I  will  give  good  personal  and  real  estate  se- 
curity, and  will  assign  to  the  lender  the  contracts  for  the  block  on  which  the  money 
is  expended,  and  will  agree  to  to  use  all  the  money  borrowed,  and  Jifty  per  cent,  in 
addition,  upon  the  property  given  in  security.  Upon  failure  to  meet  the  payments 
of  interest  as  they  become  due,  the  whole  amount  of  principal  and  interest  to  be- 
come due  and  payable  in  thirty  days,  and  authority  shall  be  given  to  sell  the  prop- 
erty or  the  contracts  at  public  auction. 

With  this  $10,000,  and  the  receipts  from  rents  and  from  my  other  property,  I 
shall  have  in  three  years  more  than  the  $42,200  for  improvements ;  and  securing 
this  ground  work  of  my  plans,  the  results  will  at  least  equal  the  calculations. 

To  show  my  perfect  ability  to  meet  both  interest  and  principal  of  a  loan,  I  -will 
put  together  the  surplus  rents  as  estimated  in  the  three  previous  tables  : 

Annual  Surplus  Rents  above  all  Payments  as  per  Foregoing  Tables. 


Block  1. 

Block  3. 

Block  5. 

Total . 

Block  1. 

Block  3. 

Block  5. 

Total. 

1849... 

$    680 

1    580 

1858... 

$12,045 

$4,478.75 

S7,171  25 

$23,69'i 

1850... 

1440 

1.440 

1859... 

13,-249 

6,148.05 

8,'241.9o 

26,639 

1851... 

3,400 

3,400 

1860... 

14,573 

5,817.35 

9,312.65 

29,703 

1852... 

560 

2,518.35 

4,036.65 

7,115 

1861... 

16,030 

5.716.65 

9,153,35 

31,900 

ir-tZ... 

1,5-28 

1,163.95 

1,866.05 

4,558 

1862... 

17,6.33 

6,432.15 

10,-297.S5 

34,363 

18.54... 

2,561 

2,687.05 

4,302.95 

9,551 

1863... 

19,396 

7,147.65 

11,442.35 

37,986 

1855... 

3,674 

3,025.15 

4,844.85 

11,544 

1864... 

21,335 

4,590.65 

7,359.35 

33,285 

1856... 
1857... 

4,867 
10,950 

3,571.35 
4,217.55 

5,718.65 
6,752.45 

14,157 
21,920 

$143,821 

S56,514.65 

S90,500..35  S290,836 

The  result  is  so  enormous  as  almost  to  .stagger  my  own  belief  in  the  correctness 
certSn.''^  of  the  preceding  views  and  estimates.  But  I  know  that  for  at  least  five  or  six  years, 
the  surplus  in  the  above  table  will  be  exceeded  year  by  year,  for  I  have  only  to  get 
rates  at  which  I  am  now  actually  leasing,  io  accomplish  it;  and  no  one  can  doubt 
that  tliere  is  to  be  a  considerable  advance.  But  let  it  be  observed,  if  tlie  above  cal- 
culations are  not  half  realized,  still  I  can  more  than  meet  payments  of  both  interest 
and  principal  as  they  become  due. 

One  of  these  propositionSj  either  to  buy  property  that  will  pay  seventeen  per 
cent.,  or  make  a  loan  at  ten  per  cent.,  I  am  sure  capitalists  will  avail  themselves  of; 
and  it  will  be  a  favor  to  receive  propositions  soon.  It  is  important  to  make  ar- 
rangements for  brick  and  for  building,  early  in  the  Spring;  and  a  small  amount 
will  not  divide  a  bargain,  if  I  can  get  the  money  right  away.  I  prefer  loaning  the 
whole  amount  from  one  person,  but  may  not  be  able  so  to  get  it,  and  will  therefore 
make  loans  of  less  amount. 

No  success.       Were  thesc   expectations    and  desires   immoderate?     Could  par- 
No  railways  ^^®^  have   Seen  as  I  did  the  certainty  of  railroad  building,  soon  no- 
foreseen,       ticed,  and  the  immense  progress  consequent,  whicli  must  give  Chica- 
go   a   rapidity  of  progress  far   beyond  any  previous  example,  -would 
these  persevering  efforts  have   been  futile  ?     But  besides  the  total 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  11 

inability   to   see  railroads  that  only  existed   in  my  wild  vision,  that 
year  again    broiight  the  cholera.    Not  obtaining  relief  myself,   and 
thereby  relieving  others  who  were  aiding  me  in  borrowing  money  at  ^'o|^^i^soi'i 
high  interest,  caused  the  sale  of  block  1,  in  1850,  for  $60,000,  as  no 
ticed,  p.293,  and  also  of  the  half  of  block  3  to  my  brother. 

Thou'1-h  almost  wholly  relieved  thereby  of  indebtedness,  it  was  an  Renper  busi- 

^  ''  •'  .     .         ness  begun. 

immense  reduction  of  my  North-Side  interest ;  and  the  remaining 
block  5  being  all  rented,  and  being  still  satisfied  Avith  this  and  the 
remnants  of  my  patrimony,  which  had  been  saved  by  borrowing 
money  of  my  uncle  at  twenty-five  per  cent,  interest,  to  pay  the  bank; 
I  thought  not  of  any  more  real  estate  operations,  and  foolishly  en- 
gaged in  the  reaper  business,  as  noticed  p.  294.  To  make  this  a  suc- 
cess, my  ambition  was  immoderately  moved  by  circumstances ;  and  property 
to  obtain  capital,  property  was  advertised — none  in  block  5 — and  t^ou."*' ^"*^ 
sold  at  auction  14th  October  '52,  in  the  hand-bill  of  which  are  these 
remarks : — 

In  the  foregoing  list  is  a  variety  of  choice  property,  from  which  large  or  small  ^^.^y.^.  ^gjg, 
capilaUBts  can  make  investments  to  tlieir  minds.  And  the  present  is  the  time  to  ' 
do  it.  Croakers  have  been  saying,  even  for  years  past,  that  real  estate  is  too  high. 
Yet  up,  up  it  goes,  and  never  has  there  been  a  time  in  the  history  of  Chicago  when 
a  future  and  rapid  advance  in  real  estate  generally  was  so  certain  as  at  this  time. 
Ciiicago  property  will  approximate  in  value,  willi  corresponding  population  and 
business,  prices  in  otlier  cities ;  and  it  is  generally  conceded  that  within  seven 
years  we  sliall  number  100,000.  If  so,  most  of  tlie  real  estate  must  double  or  treble 
m  value  within  that  period,  and  still  be  clear  below  what  it  is  now  worth  in  St. 
Louis,  Cincinnati,  &c. 

Railroads  tliat  have  been  mostly  prospective  with  us,  are  now  being  built  to  all  Railroads 
parts  of  the  West,  and  hardly  a  man  in  the  city  appreciates  at  all  their  influence  sure, 
upon  this  conunercial  centre  of  the  Great  West.  If  with  no  avenues  of  conse- 
quence except  the  Canal,  and  a  short  piece  of  the  Galena  Railroad,  it  has  been  im- 
possible for  our  mechanics  in  any  department  to  get  a  stock  ahead,  notwithstand- 
ing tlieir  constant  increase,  what  is  to  be  the  efl'ect  upon  manufactures  here,  with 
1500  to  2000  miles  or  more  of  railroad  radiating  in  all  directions,  and  centering 
business  liere  from  regions  wholly  isolated  from  us  hitherto?  Yet  three  years  e5 
fects  all  this;  and  any  one  wlio  will  reason  from  cause  to  effect,  must  acknowledge 
that  without  some  great  national  calamity,  the  probabilities  are  that  real  estate 
bere  must  double  in  value  within  three  to  five  years. 

Many  sagacious  ones,  too,  prognosticate  another  revulsion  like  that  of  1837  to  jjo  revulsion 
1840.  Tliey  consider  the  present  inflation  of  prices  like  that  of  1836.  No  such 
thing.  Paper  money  was  tlic  basis  tlien,  and  wlieu,  to  pay  loreign  balances,  specie 
had  to  be  drawn  from  the  banks,  suspension  followed,  and  the  bubble  burst.  Not 
so  now.  The  present  increase  of  money  is  the  result  of  the  discoveries  in  Cali- 
fornia and  Australia,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  these  mines  will  for  years  add 
one  to  two  hundred  millions  annually  to  the  currency  of  the  world.  There  is  noth- 
ing fictitious— no  danger  of  collapse— in  tliis.  The  result  is  inevitable,  that  with 
solarge  an  increase  of  money,  its  value  must  be  lessened,  or,  what  is  the  same 
thing,  real  estate  and  other  property  advance.  While  there  may  be  temporary 
panics,  got  up  by  interested  parties  for  particular  ends,  when  money  can  be  ad- 
vantageously employed  aiid  invested,  it  must  l)e  e\ident  to  any  one  that  to  make 
the  best  use  of  capital,  it  should  lie  put  into  property,  as  stocks,  real  estate,  &.C., 
which  must  surely  increase  with  the  increase  of  money.  The  man  is  not  wise  who 
hoards  his  funds  or  puts  them  out  on  permanent  loan  in  times  like  these. 

"Having  these  views,  then,  why  do  you  sell  lotsV"  will  be  asked.     I  reply,  be- -^^iiy  j geii 
cause  I  want  money  for  business.     As  evidence  of  sincerity  in  wh  it  has  been  said, 
I  wil!  make  this  proposition  i—l^IwiU  take  off  15  2)er  cent,  from  the  price  which 
any  lot  may  bring  at  tlw  sale,  if  Vie  purchaser  trill  give  me  the  x>rivilige  of  buying  it  ^g      .  ^ent 
five.  yeMrs  hence,  at  such  a  price  as  that  with  the  income  derived  from  the  property,  lie  goiiraaiee." 
ihiill  ■'ecm)e  100  per  ant.  on  his  intestmcnt,  \ohich  is  20  per  cent,  per  annum. 


12 


Former  Opinions  and  Predictions  a  Reasonahle  Hypotliesis. 


No  by-bid- 
ding. 


The  reaper 
ruiued  me. 


Real  estate 
tried  again. 


Circular, 
1858. 


Results  of, 
former  ad- 
vice. 


Joint-stoclc 
companies. 

Circular, 
1860. 

A  causeless 
panic. 


Want  to  buy 
property — 


—to  avoid  a 
debt. 


To  citizeijs  it  is  unnecessary  to  state  tiiat  a  piece  of  my  property  when  once  put 
up  at  auction,  is  mre  lo  go  for  what  is  hid,  without  any  underhanded  management 
or  flinching.  The  fact  f)l  selling,  at  a  recent  auction,  one  lot  for  $050,  for  which 
we  iiad  been  offered  $loOO  in  the  auction  room  just  before  the  sale,  is  sufficient  evi- 
dence tliat  there  is  no  chicanery  or  backing  out  from  sales,  no  matter  at  what  loss. 
But  to  strangers  who  ma}^  wish  to  buy,  I  would  offer  the  assurance  of  my  honor, 
that  every  bid  mode  is  bona  fide,  and  a  lot  once  put  up  will  be  sold,  if  it  does  not  bring 
a  quarter  of  its  value.  I  only  retain  the  privilege  of  stopping  the  sale,  if  property 
goes  at  too  great  a  sacrifice. 

Though  success  in  the  reaper  business  fully  justified  expectations, 
no  doubt  too  much  Avas  undertaken  for  any  one  man  ;  and  owing  to 
the  circumstances  stated  p.294,  and  the  general  revulsions  from  the 
senseless  panic  of '57,  and  the  consequent  depreciation  of  real  estate 
which  was  covered  with  mortgages — and  they  proved  true  to  their 
name, — my  real  estate,  worth  in  1856  at  least  $600,000,  and  not 
$100,000  of  the  indebtedness  chargeable  to  it,  was  completely 
swept. 

In  April,  1858,  a  circular  was  printed,*  though  not  distributed,  of 
w^hich  these  were  among  the  opening  j^aragraphs  : — 

The  money  panic  has  brought  a  most  favorable  time  co  buy  Chicago  property. 
Some  from  necessity,  and  others  because  they  are  foolishly  frightened,  are  selling 
at  lower  rates  than  have  prevailed  for  several  years.        *        *        * 

Ten  years  ago,  I  urged  friends  to  buy  property  here.  The  few  who  heeded  the 
advice  have  not  regretted  it.  Five  to  ten  fold  has  been  the  increase,  and  some  re- 
ceive in  ground  rents  each  year  more  than  half  the  entii'e  cost  of  their  lots.  I 
hold  out  expectations  of  no  such  advance  now,  as  I  did  not  then,  but  do  most  earn- 
estly repeat  the  assurance,  that  you  may  now  buy  with  great  advantage,  and  that 
you  will  regret  it  if  you  do  not.        *        *        * 

In  March,  1860,  a  plan  was  formed  of  two  joint-stock  companies, 
which  says  : — 

About  two  years  since  I  prepared  a  circular  concerning  investments  at  Chicago. 
For  reasons  not  necessary  to  explain,  its  distribution  to  friends,  as  contemj^lated, 
has  been  delayed.  The  time,  however,  for  its  use,  has  now  unquestionably  arrived. 
All  property  but  central,  has  depreciated  on  the  average  at  least  one  half  since 
1857,  and  must  now  take  an  upward  turn.  All  here  consider  that  the  crisis  has 
been  past,  though  but  few  seem  to  apprehend  how  rapidly  prices  must  recover 
from  so  great — so  unnecessary — so  groundless  a  d'cline  ;  for  though  propert}'^  was 
higher  than  was  desirable  for  the  best  good  of  the  City,  yet  anyone  looking  ahead, 
should  have  seen  that  the  growth  of  the  country,  and  of  the  town,  would  still  have 
insured,  in  a  few  years,  good  profits  on  the  investments. 

I  wish  to  avail  myself  of  this  important  period,  and  think,  at  the  same  time,  I 
can  benefit  friends.  I  therefore  submit  the  circular  referred  to,  the  views  of  wiiich 
are  still  applicable,  and  wiiich  appear  to  prove  fairly  and  conclusively,  the  certainty 
of  the  rapid  growth  of  the  City,  and  the  consquent  enhancement  in  the  value  of 
property.  Further  consideration  having  shown  me  the  difliculties  in  the  way 
therein  proposed  for  investing,  from  impossibility  of  always  buying  a  piece  of 
property  fin*  exactly  the  desired  amount — the  hindrance  to  a  sale,  if  the  capitalist 
wislied  to  cliange  his  investment,  ifec,  &c.,  I  have  been  led  to  prepare  plans  for  two 
organizations,  also  herewith  submitted. 

Had  I  the  requisite  capital,  or  had  I  securities  to  give  for  loans,  I  would  make 
more  to  l)orrow,  at  even  extravagant  interest,  than  to  use  your  funds  and  share  profits. 
But  that  is  out  of  the  question,  and  I  shall  not  again  go  through  the  process  of 


Hopt'B  still 
ou  the 
reaper. 


*TIiat  circular  has  little  appropriate  to  this  place  not  incorporated  iu  those  subsequent.  It  was  not 
prepared  for  actual  use.  for  my  hopes  still  clung  to  my  reaper  patents,  or  to  those  which  had  been  mine. 

Nor,  indeed,  when  the  circular  of  1860  was  prepared,  had  I  abandoned  the  hope  of  proving  still  that  I 
had  nut  uiejudged  about  the  reaper  busin:?ss,  but  that  misfortuneE  had  caused  uiy  difficulties.  These  cir 
culars  -.vore,  therefore,  inadequitely  studied,  and  were  quite  imperfect,  and  are  chiefly  valuable  as  pro- 
Benting  off-houd  views  seven  tu  te-.i  years  ago. 


Past,  Presey^t  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  13 

temporary  loans — regular  "  shinning" — as  in  '4G  to  '50,  and  paying  tAvo  to  five  per 
cent,  per  month  interest.  Doubtless  money  can  again  be  rapitUy  made  by  so  do- 
ing, but  I  have  worried  myself  and  friends  enough  with  that  system,  and  shall 
avoid  it  hereafter.  Besides,  though  giving  you  half  my  })roIils,  it  is  not  so  much 
lost  to  me,  for  if  supplied  with  more  cash,  and  not  having  to  use  credit  so  much, 
property  can  be  bought  considerably  cheaper.  [I  had  paid  Mr.  Bronson  double 
the  value  of  his  jiroperty  because  of  long  credit.] 

On  the  other  hand,  I  flatter  myself  that  I  c;ii:  take  your  funds  and  make  double  invest  on 
on  it  what  you,  or  at  least  most  non-residents  would      For  the  capitalist  andsiiares. 
agent  to  divide  profits  equally,  is  a  very  common  thing  here,  even  when  both  are 
residents,  and  it  is  still  more  desirable  to  a  non-resident.    Experience  and  knowl- My  expori- 
edge  are  eminently  requisite  to  success  in  real  estate ;  and  a  residence  of  over  euce. 
twenty-seven  years  in  Chicago,  and  large  experience,  and  unsurpassed  success  in 
purchasing  and  managing  property,  justify  me  in  claiming  skill  to  do  it  equal  to 
any  fellow-citizen. 

And  you  will  observe  in  the  accompanying  propositions,  that  you  have  an  im- Capital  and 
portant  countervailing  benefit  for  dividing  profits  on  your  capital,  in  its  safety.  I  profit  sure, 
have  sufficient  confidence  in  my  skill  and  judgment,  and  in  the  future  rise  of  prop- 
erty bought  b}"  me,  to  let  you  have  back  your  capital,  and  a  good  profit — more 
than  most  can  make  for  a  term  of  years,  with  their  best  and  constant  efiorts — 
before  I  receive  anything  for  all  my  labor  and  attentions.  You  may  think  this 
proposition  too  good  to  be  really  safe,  but  rest  assured  that  I  shall  make  hand- 
somely ;  and  if  so,  you  certainly  will. 

Some  of  you  want  an  income — sure — reliable,  and  would  look  more  to  that  than  jncome 
to  greater  profits  ultimately.  To  such  the  Income  Company  would  be  preferable,  plan— 
Property  yielding  rent,  both  improved  and  unimproved,  can  often  be  bought  low. 
A  short  time  since  a  lot  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  covered  with  a  good  brick  build- 
ing that  rents  for  $6,000,  was  sold  for  $24,000.  Such  purchases  are  not  often  to  be 
made,  but  occasionally  a  person  upon  the  spot,  provided  with  funds,  can  find  them. 
Your  safe  stocks  yield  you  perliaps  five  to  ten  per  cent.,  and  no  jjossibility  of  much 
increase  in  value.  I  can  assure  you  of  as  much  or  greater  annual  income,  and  just 
as  reliable — yes,  more  so — and  a  handsome  increase  of  your  capital  besides. 

Others  have  funds  that  you  desire  to  invest  surely,  to  be  relieved  of  care  and  _f,j  „„  j^. 
trouble,  and  that  will  give  to  yourself  or  heirs,  by  and  by,  a  large   return      The  come. 
other  Company  assures  you  15  per  cent,  per  annum  for  the  long  period  of  ten  years. 
How  can  you  better  dispose  of  a  part  of  your  money,  the  care  of  investing  which 
gives  you  much  thought  and  anxiety? 

Besides  the  safety  of  a  real  estate  investment — so  far  beyond  that  of  an  ordinary  convenience 
corporation  in  which  the  most  tried  and  trusted  officials  are  every  little  while  of  transfer, 
proving  defaulters — there  is  the  ease  of  convertibility  of  any  stock. 

Not  only  for  the  reason  given  in  the  note  preceding,  but  also  on  joint-stock 
account  of  the   division   of  my  efforts  to  two   companies,  and  stilP'*° '^*"*' 
more  because  of  the  persona*  liability,  the  joint-stock  plan  was  soon' 
discovered  to  be  impracticable,   and  not  half  a  dozen  copies  were 
distributed.     To  obviate  this,  an  excellent  charter  was  obtained  from 
the  Illinois  Leg-islature  : — 

AN  ACT  to  incorporate  the  Land  Improvement  Company. 

Section  1.     Be  it  enacted  by  the  .People  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  represented  in  the  ^  charter 
General  Assemhly,  That  John  S.  WnTfriiT  and  such  persons  as  may  become  asso- nunoir""^ 
ciated  with  him,  and  his  and  their  successors,  are  hereby  created  a  body  politic  and 
corporate,  by  the  name  and  style  of  "Thf,  Land  Improvkmekt  Company,"  and 
shall  have  continued  succession  and  exis*  ".''.r  twenty-five  years,  and  no  longer. 

Sec.  2.     The  capital  stock  of  said  company  shall  be  two  hundred  thouslmd  dol-  Stock, 
lars,  with  the  privilege  of  increasing  it  to  two  millions,  to  be  divided  into  shares  of  ^'■^•'^*^'^'''°*'- 
one  hundred  dollars  each,  which  sliall  be  regarded  as  personal  property. 

Sec.  3.  Said  company  shall  be  permitted  to  organize  and  go  into  operation  Authority, 
when  §20,000  of  its  capital  shall  have  been  paid  in,  and  shall  have  power  to 
contract  and  be  contracted  with,  receive  and  convey,  release  and  be  released,  sue 
and  be  sued,  plead  and  be  impleaded,  answer  and  be  answered  unto,  in  all  manner 
of  actions  whatsoever,  and  in  all  courts  having  competent  jurisdiction,  and  may 
have  and  use  a  common  seal,  and  alter  the  same  at  pleasure,  and  shall  be  vested 


14  Former  Opinions  and  Predictions  a  Reasonable  Hypothesis. 


Plan  of 
company. 


with  all  the  powers  and  privileges  requisite  to  accomplish  the  objects   of   its 
organization. 
Objects.  Sec.  4.    The  ol)jects  of  said  company  shall  be  the  purchase,  improvement, 

leasing,  exchange  and  sale  of  lands  and  lots  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  or 
within  six  miles  thereof;  and  the  members  may  make  all  needful  rules  and  regula- 
tions, and  by-laws  and  articles  of  agreement,  and  execute  all  instruments  in  writing 
requisite  for  the  profitable,  efficient  and  safe  management  of  the  stock,  property 
and  concerns  of  said  company,  but  nothing  in  this  act  shall  be  construed  to  invest 
said  company  with  any  banking  powers,  or  to  authorize  them  to  make,  emit  or 
utter  any  bill  of  credit  or  bank  notes,  or  other  thing  to  be  used  as  a  circulating 
medium,  as  and  in  lieu  of  money. 

Sec.  5.  This  act  shall  be  deemed  a  public  act,  and  take  effect  from  and  after  its 
passage. 

Approved  February  22, 1861. 

Having  then  given  over  the  reaper  entirely,  and  setting  myself  ear- 
nestly to  devise  the  plan  under  the  charter,  abundant  advantages 
were  soon  discovered.  But  to  devise  a  feasible  method  to  obtain  an 
income  or  not  at  the  option  of  the  shareholders,  and  also  to  prevent 
my  being  ousted  as  Actuary,  required  much  study,  and  with  tlie  cir- 
cular took  over  four  months  hard  work.*  The  following  was  the 
opening: — 

Circular,  The  revulsion  of  1857,  and  our  national  difficulties,  have  brought  a  most  ftivor- 

1861.  able  time  to  buy  real  estate  in  Chicago.     Prices  of  central  lots  are  reduced  nearly 

one-half,  and  of  out-property  about  three-fourths,  and  in  a  few  years  must  attain 
former  figures,  and  more.     Of  this  remarkable  ojiportunity  I  desire  to  avail  my- 
Panic  prices,  g^if,  and  think  my  plan  of  investment  will  commend  itself  to  non-resident  capi- 
talists to  our  mutual  advantage. 

A  chartered  real  estate  company  is  rather  a  novelty,  but  has  many  points  of 
excellence,  especially  for  non-residents,  who  desire  to  invest  in  this  most  prosper- 
ous city,  and  would  avoid  the  cares  of  personal  attention,  and  the  watching  and 
risks  of  agents ;  and  the  legislature  has  granted  a  very  liberal  charter. 

Although  much  property  has  regained  former  prices  and  more,  as 
above  prognosticated,  much  has  not.  Beyond  any  question,  no  other 
city  offers  equal  promise  of  profits  in  its  real  estate ;  and  let  us  here 
consider  that — 

Real  Estate,  especially  in   a    growing    City,  is   the  best  In- 
vestment. 

Land  ought  to  be  the  favorite  means  of  investing  funds  not  wanted  for  active  bus- 
iness, and  is  rapidly  becoming  so.  For  safety  and  profit,  comfort  and  ease  of 
management,  nothing  equals  it.  Government  stocks,  and  many  kinds  of  bonds 
are  safe,  it  is  true, — provided  they  are  of  the  right  kind — but  not  more  so  than 
real  estate;  and  while  the  latter  can  be  made  to  yield  an  income,  if  desired,  and 
with  at  least  equal  if  not  greater  certainty,  advance  on  the  land  may  be  several 
fold  in  a  few  years,  and  little  or  nothing  on  stocks. 

So  far  from  ordinarj^  stocks  and  securities  appreciating,  they  probably  must  de- 
cline. Tile  constant  and  immense  increase  of  the  precious  metals,  to  which  no 
limit  can  be  put,  and  is  yearly  augmented  by  new  discoveries,  must  affect  all  values 
— that  is,  cheapen  money.  Bank  stocks,  state  and  corporation  bonds,  and  other 
investments  at  a  fixed  rate  of  interest,  annuities  and  the  like,  must  depreciate  with 


Property 
still  low. 


Lots  advance 
In  value. 


Stocks  de- 
preciative. 


This  paper 
hurried. 


*lt  is  regretted  that  this  paper  cannot  be  as  strongly  digested  and  condensed.  But  supposing  it  would 
bo  easy  to  remodel  that  to  the  present  times,  plans  have  been  laid,  and  advertisements  issued,  that  leave 
me  time  wholly  inadequate.  Having  been  carefully  adapted  to  that  important  epoch,  much  is  wholly 
out  of  date,  and  to  obtain  the  same  information  for  this  period  requires  more  time  than  I  have.  So  that 
■with  the  advantages  of  seven  years  more  increase,  this  paper  cannot  be  made  equal  to  that.  Unfortu- 
nately, only  a  few  proof  sheets  were  struck,  the  type  being  left  standing  until  I  could  return  from  a 
visit  to  a  friend  in  New  York,  whose  advice  I  wanted  as  to  changes.  After  two  or  three  months'  waiting, 
the  type  was  distributed. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments. 


15 


the  increase  ot  the  circulatinc:  medium  of  values,  wliile  other  property,  and  espe- 
cially real  estate  miuI  slocks  like  Uiis  comjiaiiy,  must  corresponclinijly  advance. 

Even  railroad  and  manuiiieturing  and  similar  stocks,  are  to  be  injuriously —f^ven  rail- 
aiTected,  because  cheapening  money  will  stimulate  competition  in  all  operations  ""y"- 
that  are  very  profitable,  and  the  advantage  existing  companies  will  have  over  new 
ones,  will  rest  eliielly  in  the  real  estate  and  other  property  obtained  when  a  dollar 
bought  more  than  it  then  can.  In  the  ra])id  changes  which  are  progn-ssing,  many 
establishments  will  lind  themselves  so  placed  as  to  have  lost  even  this  benefit,  being 
unable  to  compete  with  others  in  more  advantageous  locations. 

Fortunes  are  often  made  bj'  business  and  speculations  of  various  kinds,  but  it  is  city  proper- 
well  known  that  most  of  the  great  estates  in  our  country  and  elscwliere,  have  been  ty  gives 
made  by  holding  lands.     The  largest  and  most  speedy  advances,  too,  have  been  in  ^'"''"'  estates 
cities.     Find  a  city  which  is  sure  to  grow,  and  you  may  there,  with  care  and  skill, 
invest  upcm  a  positive  certainty  of  success. 

It  is  a  pertinent  inquiry,  what  is  to  be  done  with  the  money  so  fast  being  made  riow  invest 
in  the  various  pursuits  of  life?     For  fifteen  or  twenty  j-ears  we  have  put  fifty  to  a  surplus' 
hundred  millions  annually  into  railroads,  besides  what  has  been  obtained  in  Eu- 
rope.    Investments  in  them  are  to  be  comparatively  small  in  future,  and  how  are 
their  incomes  to  be  used, — say  one  hundred  millions  annually — and  the  increasing 
profits  in  all  branches  of  industry',  stimulated  and  multiplied  as  they  have  been  by 
the  locomotive  and  telegraph  ?     Amid  the  marvellous  changes  of  modern  years,  it  j^  ^^^^ 
is  impossil)le  to  say  with  certainty  what  may  or  may  not  be  done  ;  but  it  is  hardly  tnt^and  * 
probable  any  new  absorbent  will  be  found  equal  to  the  railway ;  and  it  would  mannfac- 
seem  that  our  accumulating  capital  must  be  employed  in  real  estate  and  in  manu-  *""^' 
factures ;  and  the  latter  will  very  greatly  affect  the  former  at  the  more  central 
localities. 

Events  that  are  to  stand  forth  upon  the  liistoric  i:)age  as  cliief  of  views  stron- 
centunes,  have  since  1861  given  increased  force  to  those  considera-^®'°°^^' 
tions.     Some  talk  of  repudiation.     Pshaw!     The  national  indebted- 
ness, in  whatever  form  it  may  be  put — and  wliat  is  not  needed  for  or- National  in- 

T  •  ^     .•  •        It  Tin  1  1  T   •  detjtedness 

dmary  Circulation  m  "greenbacks  '  ought  to  be  converted  into  one  to  i>e  cur- 
form  of  stock,  payable  a  century  hence  with  three  or  four  j^er  cent,  in-'^*^'^'^^' 
terest — will  soon  be  highly  valued  the  world  over,  and  "greenbacks" 
and  bonds  will  be  equal  to  gold,  and  to  their  amount  increase  the 
circulating  medium.     If  good  for  anything,  they  should  and  soon 
will  be  worth  their  face  in  gold ;  and  the  longer  the  time,   the  more 
premium  wall  they  bear.     When  their  value  sluill  be   learned,  what 
will  be  the  difi'erence,  whether  Ave  dig  $1000  in  gold,   and  send  to 
Europe,  or  send  a  U.  S.  bond  for  the  amount,  except  as  to  the  inter- (j^^^,j  j^^  j.,,. 
est  ?     "Will  not  one  buy  what  we  want  as  well  as  the  other?   and  this  ''"^''■ 
result  comes  inevitably,  w^hen  we  ourselves  shall  have  learned  the 
true  nature  and  principles  of  our  governmental  system,  and  devel- 
oped tlie  strength  of  Xational  Union  based  upon  State  Sovereignty. 
When  the   North    shall   be   brought   to    see  its    errors   concerning 

1  1  •  f.     1        Tir  Confidence 

State  Sovereignty  and  correct  the  teachings  of  the  Massachusetts  'q  our  insti- 
school ;  when  the  South  shall  learn  the  strength  of  National  Union  be- 
tween sovereign  States,  and  acknow'ledge  the  errors  of  the  South  Car- 
olina school, — and  how  can  we  ever  have  re-construetioii  without  both 
knowledge  and  changes? — then  shall  we  and  other  nations  under- 
stand how  the  unexampled  power  displayed  in  Mar  lias  its  origin; 
and  learning  the  strength  and  sacredness  of  covenant  obligations,  no 
fear  can  exist  that  indebtedness  incurred  in  a  war  so  high  and  holy 
as  that  of  ours,  and  by  States  possessed  of  such  abundant  resources, 


16  Real  Estate  in  a  Groxolng  City^  best  Investmeirt. 


Debt  to  be 


will  not  be  paid  to  the  last  dollar.  And  it  is  the  heiglit  of  folly  to 
terit^^^"^'  think  of  putting  upon  this  generation,  or  even  the  next,  the  burthen 
of  payment  of  any  jjart  of  it.  For  a  long  period  it  will  be  to  us  like 
so  much  money;  and  now  having  accidentally  learned  from  the  exi- 
gencies of  war  the  true  national  currency,  and  when  the  "green- 
backs" shall  have  supplanted  the  issues  of  the  wild-cat  brood  of 
banks,  we  shall  have  the  best  currency  of  the  world,  and  with  the 
bonds  will  have  world-wide  circulation. 

Discussion  of  these  questions  would  not  be  expected  here  :  but  he 

Increase  of  _  ^  _  i  ' 

money—  wlio  lias  Confidence  in  the  perpetuity  of  our  Heaven-ordained  sys- 
tem, cannot  doubt  as  to  these  results.  And  what  must  be  the  effect 
of  this  immense  augmentation  of  the  currency,  conjoined  with  the 
rapid  increase  of  gold  and  silver,  which  must  be  still  more  rapid  as 
railways  penetrate  the  mining  districts,  which,  according  to  all  indi- 

— enhances   catious,  have  but  iust  begun  to  be  developed?     That  real  estate, 

reiil  estate.  .         .  ,  ,  . 

which  IS  the  last  thing  to  be  affected,  has  not  already  been  more  en- 
hanced, has  been  chiefly  occasioned  by  lack  of  confidence  in 
United  States  securities.  As  experience  teaches  us,  and  a  permanent, 
sound  policy  is  instituted,  be  assured  the  realty  of  the  country  will 
have  a  swift  and  permanent  advancement.  What  can  you  name  to 
compare  in  safety  with  property  judiciously  j)urchased  in  a  city  that 
is  sure  to  grow? 
This  the  Tliis,  howcvcr,  is  taking  the  bright  view  of  things.     Living  in  a 

bnghtside.  ^yQj-ij  Qf  uncertainty,  adversity  largely  mixed  with  prosperity,  and 
it  not  being  man's  province  to  know  positively  what  the  future  will 
bring  forth,  let  us  also  consider  that — 

General  pecuniary    Revulsions    mat   intervene,    but   cannot 

CHANGE   THE    ReSULT. 

Certainty  of      This  topic  is  Considerately  taken,  excluding,  as  is  apparent,  what 
desulfj^^      would   be    termed  Providential  occurrences,  as  the  termination   of 
lake  navigation  by  the  removal   of  Niagara's  rocks.     Notliing  less 
than  such  an  event  can  change  the  destiny  of  Chicago.     The  circu- 
lar of  1860  had  the  following : — 

Neglect  of        Most  of  jou,  perhaps,  are  becoming  wearied  with  this  reiterated  advice  to  invest 
past  counsel,  in  Chicago.     Yet  who  of  you  have  done  as  well  as  to  have  heeded  my  requests 
eight  to  twelve  years  ago  ?    It  is  true,  that  owing  to  the  revulsions  and  panic  of 
1857,  some  have  property  bought  in  1855  and  1850,  for  which  they  could  not  get 
cost.     But  the  present  is  no  such  period — it  is  Hke  that  eight  to  twelve  years  ago  ; 
and  those  who  have,  in  later  years,  paid  liigh  prices,  have  only  to  exercise  a  mod- 
erate degree  of  confidence,  and  some  patience,  and  the  poorest  of  their  purchases 
will  prove  better  than  money  loaned  at  ten  per  cent. 
Revulsion  of      Let  not  those  friends  who  are  among  these  suflerers  remind  me  that  I  have  con- 
1857—  tinually,  even  in  1855  and  1856,  been  advising  to  these  investments.     I  acknowl- 

edge that  I  did ;  but  they  will  also  remember  that  since  1851  and  1853, 1  have  ever 
coupled  my  advice  with  the  statement  that  it  was  possible  a  revulsion  might  come 
— many  prognosticated  it  for  years  as  close  at  hand — but  for  my  own  part,  I  could 
see  no  reason  to  fear — that  if  prosperity  continued,  their  Cliicago  investments 
would  pay  as  well  or  better  than  any  other ;  and  if  a  revulsion  came,  they  had 
only  to  wait  a  few  years,  and  they  would  still  make  money. 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  17 

The  panic  of  1857  came  at  last — and  panic  it  was  more  than  au^ht  else — and— "^ere 
though  so  long  predicted,  yet  nearly  everybody  was  taken  by  suri^risc.  I  confess  P'^""'- 
it  has  brought  .1  result  which  I  did  not  anticipate.  Never  could  I  have  believed 
that  by  any  inlluenccs  prices  would  again  be  depressed  here  as  they  now  are. 
With  such  an  absolute  certainty  as  the  future  destiny  of  Chicago,  which  all  ac- 
knowledge;, 1  cannot  understand  why  calculating  business  men  do  not  see  the 
intrinsic  and  ullimale  value  of  proj^erty  here.  It  is  a  proposition  as  simple  and 
certain  as  that  two  and  two  make  four. 

But  we  must  take  things  as  they  are.  The  depression  exists,  and  those  who  are  Advantage 
wise,  will  avail  themselves  of  it.  With  even  more  pertinacit}'  than  from  18-16  to '■^  i^"  t'l'^en. 
I80O — more  conlidence  than  ever  in  the  wisdom  of  the  advice — would  I  urge  you 
not  to  lei  this  golden  opportunity  slip.  And  there  is  this  important  difference  in 
the  periods — lliat  my  opinions  then  were  predicated  upon  railroads,  ifcc,  in  jiros- 
pect,  but  which  I  was  confident  must  be  built.  More — mucli  more — than  I  anti- 
cipated, has  been  realized,  and  my  advice  now  is  based  upon  an  absolute  certainty. 
No  earthly  pow(;r — not  even  the  dissolution  of  the  Union — can  divert  from 
Chicago  the  business  and  traffic  of  the  great  Northwest. 

In  1861,  the  same  ideas  were  a  little  differently  expressed: — 

Tlie  Revulsions  of  1857. — It  is  true  I  did  not  foresee  the  absurd  panic  and  crash  Prosperity 
of  1857,  or  I  would  have  protected  myself.     For  five  or  six  years  the  croakers  had  *"  *'""?"'  a 
said  one  was  coming,  and  upon  its  final  arrival,  were  generally  as  much  taken  '*'^"  ^"^°" 
aback  as  others.    But  fortunately,  while  advising  friends  to  invest,  I  had  told  them 
for  several  years  that  a  revulsion  might  come — I  saw  no  likelihood  of  it,  though 
others  said  they  did — but  that  if  property  declined,  they  had  simply  to  wait  with 
patience  for  the  favorable  change  that  would  surely  follow.    So  say  I  still,  and  am 
confident  that  but  few  purchases,  even  in  '56  and  '7,  will  not  within  ten  years 
return  the  capital  with  good  interest. 

Property  was  too  high  for  the  best  advantage  of  the  city,  and  for  its  then  attain-  Property  not 
ments,  but  a  causeless  and  immense  decline  like  the  present,  never  should  exist  in  *°°  '^'sii- 
a  place  possessed  of  the  certain  future  that  awaits  Chicago,  and  would  not  if  real 
estate  operators  studied  causes  and  effects  sufliciently  to  establish  independent 
judgments,  and  were  not  unduly  influenced  by  temporary  embarrassments.  But 
"the  depression  exists,  and  those  who  are  wise  will  avail  themselves  of  the  folly 
of  others. 

Have  not  results  thus  far  amply  justified  these  opinions,  notwith- Experience 

standing   they   were  written  before  the  beginning  of   the  conflict,  advi^™^ 

when  we  yet  had  reason  to  hope  that  peaceful  counsels  might  still 

prevail?     But  even  in  March  the  clouds  were  too  lowering  to  omit 

consideration  of  current  events,  which,  if  not  wholly  perfect,  will  at„ 

'        ^  '  ''    ^  '  National  dif- 

least  bear  comparison  with   the  iudgment  of  the  sage   counselors  Acuities anti- 

1         ■     1  .        cipated. 

who  predicted,  for  I  know  not  how  long,  the  "  end  of  the  rebellion 
in  only  60  to  90  days." 

Tlie  Effects  of  Secession  and  of  Civil  War. — The  lamentable  condition  of  our  views  I86I. 
national  atl'airs,  is  not  to  be  ignored  in  considering  this  subject  of  investments. 
It  is  to  affect  seriously  all  our  interests,  pecuniary  as  well  as  others.  But  it  seemed 
more  simple  to  look  at  the  prospects  of  the  West  in  view  of  ordinary  national 
events  and  progress,  and  then  examine  liow  they  are  to  be  affected  by  the  present 
extraordinary  current  of  governmental  affairs. 

That  with  peace  and  the  continuance  of  national  concerns  in  their  usual  -^y^gj   ^^g_ 
courses,  the  West  would  have  received  its  full  share  of  prosperity,  will  not  be  per  with 
questioned  ;  and  if  upon  examination  it  be  found  that  these  governmental  troubles,  peace— 
and  even  civil  war,  cannot  retard  our  progress,  but  may  even  advance  it  relatively, 
there  can  then  be  no  possibility  of  error  in  choosing  the  West  as  a  field  for 
investment. 

.  I  have  endeavored  in  studying  this  subject,  as  also  in  the  preceding  pages,  to 
divest  my  mind  of  its  strong  western  partiality,  and  hunt  up  all  adverse  influences,  ~°^  ^^*° 
and  I  can  see  no  single  point  which  is  made  unduly  favorable  to  western  interests, 
or  in  which  injuries  to  that  section  are  overlooked  or  under-estimated;  and 
I  confess  my  surprise  at  finding  that  even  these  deplorable,  powerful  national 
calamities  must  result  in  benefits  to  the  West  as  compared  with  effects  on  other 
sections. 

—2 


18  Pecuniary  Mevulsions  cannot  change  the  Result. 

View8  in  Soon  after  obtaining  my  cliarter,  I  commenced  the  preparation  of  these  papers, 

March  be-     and  in  March  wrote  the  one  following  upon  our  National  Difficulties.    Then  it 
fore  the  war.  ^^^^^^^  probable  that  Secession  would  be  eft'ected,  and  possibly  without  war,  and 
accordingly  it  was  so  discu&sed.    Aflairs  since  have  materially  changed;  the  war 
has  originated  in  a  manner  wholly  different  from  what  had  seemed  probable ;  and 
now  there  is  less  danger  that  any  States  will  be  allowed  to  secede.     Still,  it  is  one 
of  the  possibilities  that  a  prudent  capitalist  would  wish  to  take  into  account,  and 
therefore  do  I  present  my  views  concerning  it,  and  the  paper  of  March  is  better 
than  anything  I  could  now  write. 
West  to  suf-      Tlie  Consequences  of  Civil  War. — The  preceding  views  are  based  upon  the  hope 
fer  least—     that  our  national  differences  are  to  be  peacefuUv  adjusted.     Most  lamentable  is  it 
to  think  that  this  may  be  impossible  ;  but  if  the  dread  evils  of  civil  war  are  to  be 
ours,  I  do  not  see  that  thereby  the  results  of  secession,  as  hereinbefore  presented, 
are  to  be  materially  affected,  or  that  the  West  will  be  more  injured  than  the  East, 
—large  ar-    "With  armies  of  a  quarter  or  half  a  million  on  both  sides,  which  may  be  expected 
mies.  Qf  gyjjj-^  people  when  once  in  earnest,  it  is  impossible  to  judge  with  certainty  what 

West  not       may  or  may  not  be  done  or  attempted  ;  but  the  West,   with  the  exception  of  its 
devastated-  soutliern  border,  and  perhaps  St.  Louis  and  its  vicinity,  is  not  probably  to  be  the 
theatre  of  strife  and  devastation.    The  efforts  of  the  South  will  most  likely  be 
chiefly  defensive. 
War  enlarge     Wliether  the  war  be  of  short  or  of  long  continuance,  it  must  be  on  a  large  scale, 
scale—         with  an  immense  expenditure  of  money  that  will  stimulate  business  and  enter- 
prizes  of  all  kinds,  creating  an  extraordinary  demand  for  our  agricultural  produce 
—demand      ^^^^1  animals,  at  high  rates  and  with  great  wastage ;  and  though  our  government 
foragricul-    will  endeavor  to  cut  off  western  supplies  from  the  South,  yet  dealers  will  find  ways 
turai  pro-      to  get  them  there  at  an  extra  price.     And  as  shown  in  my  previous  paper,  the  West 
ducts.  ^,jjj  (jgj.jyg  ifg  [^^\l  proportion  of  beuetit  from  the  free  use  of  capital,  whether  caused 

by  war  or  otherwise. 

West  soonet     Wlien  the  means  and  energies  of  both  North  and  South  are  well  nigh  exhausted 

recuperate.    — it  indeed  passion  instead  of  reason  is  to  rule,  and  bring  severe  and  protracted 

warr-when  calm  shall  succeed  the  terrible  storm,  and  the  immense  cost  is  to  be 

counted  and  paid,  what  section  will  bear  its  proportionate  loss  more  ably  tlian  the 

West  ?      Which   has    most    elasticity,  and  will   soonest    recover  from  the  dire 

calamities  ? 

West  pay  Its     When  the  machinations  of  selfish,  fiery  zealots  of  the  South  Carolina  school, 

part  easiest,  g^^^^  ^f  jj^g  equally  wicked,  foolish.  Northern  abolitioni.sts,  shall  have  accomplished 

their  legitimate  and  common  purposes,  and  even  their  bitterest  hate  he  gori^ed  to 

satiety — when  damages   shall  have  ensued  to  our  once  happy  country,  and   to 

humanity  tiie  world  over,  that  ten  thousand  times  the  number  of  those  accursed 

conspirators  and  fanatics  could  never  repair — when  rivers  of  fraternal  blood  shall 

have  been  shed,  and  no  good  effected  except  to  demonstrate  to  observing  nations 

that  we  have  a  government,  and  which  is  one  redeeming  and  important  feature  of 

the  deplorable  calamity ;  still  the  diflerences  are  no  nearer  adjustment  than  before 

the  w^ar  began.     As  to  subjugating  either  section,  it  cannot  be  done  unless  the 

be  con-       °  South  is  annihilated,  which  none  but  crazy  men  dream  of*    Reason  sooner  or 

quered.         later  will  prevail  over  exasperated  passions,  and  re-union  or  division  will  be  agreed 

ujion,  either  of  which  brings  the  same  results  before  presented,  with  the  disastrous 

effects  of  war  superadded. 

******** 

War  begun.       Since  the  foregoing  w^as  written,  the  aspect  is  altogether  changed.     War  has 

begun,  and  in  a  mynner  quite  different  from  what  had  seemed  probable,  and  no 

N  1  th  a  unit  ^"® '^'•'''"  Predict  the  consequences.     The  refusing  of  supplies  to,  and  the  attack 

upon  Fort  Sumter,  has  made  the  North  a  unit,  which  it  would  not  have  been  had 

the  war  differently  originated.     With  a  division  of  sentiment  in  the  North,  the 

Government  would  ere  long  have  acknowledged  the  independence  of  the  Confed- 

Result  sure    erate   Stales.     But  with  the  present  entire  unanimity  here  existing,  and  much 

e^n^govern-  Union  sentiment  in  the  South,  which  would  increase  as  the  purposes  and  desires 

nients  inter- of  our  Government  came  to  be  understood  and  appreciated  by  the  masses  there, 

''ere.  the  result  would  be  evident  and  sure,  could  we  know  that  foreign  governments 

would  not  interfere,  tliougii  some  years  miglit  be  required  for  its  accomplishment. 

MisjudK-  *IIere  was  my  cliief  niisjuilgmcnt.     No  such  event  being  presented  in  all  history  as  that  of  two-thirds 

ment  as  to      of  a  nation  subduing  the  other  third;  wo  must  recognize  the  liand  of  a  covenant-keeping  God   in  sub- 
conquest.        Btituting  over  covenant-breaking   States,  the  rights  of  conquest  for  those  of  compact,  by  which  tliey 
were  hehl  to  National  Union.     But  it  seemed  wholly  improbatde  tliat  the  South  could  commit  the  folly 
of  commencing  tlio  attack.    Had  the  Federal  Government  begun  actual  hostilities,  the  North  would  not 
JjUive  been  the  unit  that  it  became  when  Fort  .Smi»— -  ... 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  19 

It  is  a  mistaken  idea  that  this  war  is  to  be  short.    The  blood  is  up  on  both  sides,  War  long 
and  much  is  to  be  let  off  to  reduce  either  party  to  a  temperate  condition  and  to  *""  "tree, 
calm  retiection.     Besides,  the  South  wholly  uiulernite  the  comha'ive  power  and  p^ioi-s 
determination  of  the  North.     Tliey  believe  one  Southron  equal  to  live  to  twenty  south- 
Yankees,  and  it  will  take  a  year  or  two  of  titihtiug  to  teach  them  proper  respect 
for  northern  courai^e.  And  on  the  part  of  the  North,  is  very  general  misapprehension  —uud  north, 
as  to  the  power  of  endurance  of  the  South,  and  their  relative  independence.     The 
conliiet     on   the  part  of  the  South  will  be  mainly  defensive,  which  gives  them 
greatly  the  advantage,  and  in  other  respects  than  climate. 

]\[any  suppose  the  blockade  of  the  coast,  which  will  be  nearly  if  not  entirely  snnth  can 
effectual  till  foreign  governments  interfere,  together  with  cutting  off  western  sup- sustuiu  war. 
plies  by  way  of  the  interior,  is  to  bring  the  South  speedily  to  terms.  Not  so. 
They  are  forewarned,  and  understand  the  necessity  of  providing  a  supply  of  food, 
and  have  had,  and  have  still,  ample  time  to  raise  crops;  and  instead  of  cotton, 
corn  and  wdieat  are  being  cultivated.  For  the  little  woolen  cloth  needed  in  that 
climate,  their  own  tiocks  are  sufficient,  and  slaves  will  be  set  to  spinning  and 
weaving  on  ever}'  i)lantation.  Of  course,  comforts  and  luxuries  from  abroad,  and 
even  many  necessaries,  are  to  be  dispensed  with,  but  in  that  they  will  glory.  No 
doubt  for  a  year  or  two,  or  longer,  the  South  can  live  very  well  within  them- 
selves.       *        *        * 

It  is  now  certain,  too,  that  tlie  Border  States  are  to  be  the  greatest  sufferers,  and  Border 
of  the  thousands  of  their  citizens  coming  to  the  North,  the  West  will   receive.states  in- 
much  the  largest  part.     Immense  injury  is  to  result  to  the  cities  along  the  Ohio  J'""*"''- 
and  to  St.  Louis,  and  rapidly  is  their  business  from  northern  directions  to  be  cen- 
tered here.     What  changes  it  would  have  required  five  years  to  effect,  in  the  ordi- 
nary course  of  events,  will  now  be  made  in  one  or  two. 

It  is  anything  but  agreeable  to  receive  benetits  from  such  a  melancholy,  deplora-  Chicago  to 
ble  calamity.  The  prosperity  of  the  West,  and  of  Chicago,  was  ample,  had  all  F'^P^'" '^^''" 
other  sections  received  of  the  smiles  of  Heaven  as  hitherto,  and  now  we  will  do 
anything  and  everything  that  is  right  and  reasonable,  to  bring  again  the  blessings 
of  peace.  But  it  seems  necessary  to  consider  the  results  of  our  national  struggle, 
even  in  its  pecuniary  aspect;  and  if,  as  we  have  seen,  the  prosperity  of  the  West 
and  of  Chicago  was  heretofore  sure,  it  is  more  so  now,  relatively  icith  otiier  sections, 
in  the  midst  of  the  disasters  and  ruin  that  have  come  over  our  wretched  country. 

Btit   the  war-cloud  has   passed:    and   how  much  of  sfood    has    a 

■■■        _  '  _  ^  _  Blessing  re 

ffracious  Providence  tningled  in  that  most   terrible  chastisement,  a snitinsi n-om. 

civil  Ti'gr 

civil  war  unexampled  on  history's  page  !  The  demonstration  that 
we  are  a  genuine  Nation,  albeit  we  little  understand  its  nature  ;  the 
ease  with  which  free  citizens  can.be  converted  into  a  Nation  of  sol- 
diers ;  the  riddance  of  slavery,  almost  the  sole  cause  of  sectional 
conflict;  the  substitution  of  a  true  national  currency  in  place  of  the 
bills  of  credit  of  the  banks,  with  which  the  West  has  been  fleeced 
year  after  year  and  which  the  Constittition  prohibits,  though  we 
have  never  known  it,  and  which  must  also  be  substituted  for  the  cir- 
culation of  the  rotten  national  banks  as  soon  as  the  West  and  South 
get  the  power; — all  these  great  national  blessings  bear  directly  u^^on 
this  question.  And  more  important  still — immeasurably  more  iin- question. 
portant,  because  it  reaches  the  foundation  principles  of  our  Govern- 

■^  .  .  ,  '■  "^  ,  Principles  of 

ment — is  the  fact,  Avhich  in  due  time  will  be  understood,  that  in  order  our  govem- 

-k.T      •  1   T-r    •  1  1  •        •     1  ™''"*  *°  ^^ 

to  reconstruct  our  National  Union,  we  must  learn  tiie  principles  upon  under- 
which  it  is  founded.  When  that  great  work  shall  have  been  accom- 
plished, of  which  we  are  beginning  to  feel  the  necessity,  not  only  we 
ibut  the  whole  world  will  learn  the  strength  and  superiority  of  our 
;compound  system  of  State  and  Federal  Governments,  built  upon  the 
one  solid  foundation — not  a  split  one — of  the  People's  Sovereignty — 


20 


Pecuniary  Hevulsions  cannot  change  the  Result. 


— dignity  of 
citizenship. 


War  worth 
the  cost. 


Adversity  to 
come. 


Affects  all 
property. 


Real  estate 
to  rise — 


— is  most 
parmanent. 


Look  on     15 
bright  side — 


— hope  and 
trust. 


the  People  by  States.  Then  will  the  dignity  and  benefits  of  citizen- 
ship of  free  and  independent  States  in  a  National  Union  like  ours, 
be  understood  ;  and  we  sliall  begin  to  discover  the  essential  ditfer- 
ence  in  the  forms  of  government,  and  the  power  it  has  in  free  States 
to  create  and  develope  the  highest,  noblest  specimens  of  manhood. 
Even  in  a  generation  or  two  shall  we  find  benefits  abundantly  coun- 
tervailing for  the  immense  cost  of  treasure,  and  even  of  the  precious 
life-blood ;  and  more  and  more  highly  estimated  will  be  the  benefits, 
on  and  on  for  ages,  as  the  ocean-bound  Republic  marches  to  its  des- 
tiny, chief  among  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

We  may,  we  undoubtedly  shall,  have  our  reverses,  for  continuous 
prosperity  appears  not  to  be  best  for  man  either  individually  or  col- 
lectively. But  is  not  other  property  affected  as  well  as  real  estate? 
What  is  more  stable  than  good  property  in  a  growing  city?  Truly, 
the  man  who  looks  for  hard  times  year  after  year,  patiently  hoarding 
his  gold  instead  of  seeking  reasonable  profit  in  its  use,  will  in  time 
find  an  opportunity  to  buy  even  real  estate  at  a  sacrifice.  But  is  that 
man  likely  to  judge  well  when  the  right  time  shall  have  come  to 
buy?  Certainly  real  estate  is  one  of  the  last  things  to  rise,  and  is  it 
not  at  last  reached?  Some  city  property  has  advanced;  yet  it  was 
too  high  before  the  cheapening  of  money — as  much  of  it  doubtless 
was  in  the  older  cities  of  our  country — or  it  must  considerably  en- 
hance. The  advance  has  already  begun,  and  he  is  unwise  who  fails 
to  invest  surplus  funds  at  present  prices.  Nor  is  real  estate  first  to 
fall,  as  is  generally  imagined.  The  more  fanciful  the  property,  the 
quicker  is  it  depressed.  Lots  and  lands  come  last,  and  the  better 
they  are,  the  less  they  feel  the  revulsion. 

Nor  is  he  wise  who  looks  only  or  chiefly  on  the  dark  side.  While 
duly  regarding  the  latter,  let  him  consider  how  much  more  of  national 
prosperity  is  given  to  us  than  of  adversity.  The  Christian — and  who 
that  is  not  a  GoD-fearing  Jew  ought  not  to  be  a  Christian  in  this 
Heaven-blessed  land? — he  who  has  proper  hope  and  trust  in  his  God 
and  coimtry,  ought  to  regard  the  sure  days  of  prosperity  that  have 
been  and  must  be  ours,  rather  than  the  days  of  adversity  sent  because 
we  do  not  properly  trust  and  obey  our  God  in  the  discharge  of  duty  to 
Him  and  to  each  other.  The  faithful  steward  hides  not  his  talent  for 
fear  of  loss,  but  manfully  uses  it  according  to  his  own  judgment, 
trusting  the  Master  for  prosperity.* 


Politics  *Think  not  that  politics  are  improperly,  and  religion  irreverently,  introduced  in  this  paper.    The  eta* 

proper  here,  bility  of  our  institutions  are  a  prime  consideration,  in  which  confidence  will  strengthen  with  examination. 
The  benefits  of  our  compound  system,  too,  will  expand  as  our  knowledge  of  its  nature  is  increased,  so 
that  pr  jgresB  in  the  past  will  bo  as  nothing  to  the  future. 

Nor  is  the  religious  aspect  more  out  of  place.  If  individual  prosperity  depends  upon  the  State  and 
civil  government,  all  depends  upon  God  and  Divine  government.  Here,  however,  we  are  considering 
pul)lic,  national  affairs,  as  affecting  those  of  the  individual ;  and  States  and  nations  have  their  awards 
in  this  life,  where  their  existence  ceases.  We  are  punished  for  our  disobedience  of  the  Laws  of  Nature 
and  of  Nature's  QOD  ;  and  the  study  into  principles  which  are  necessary  for  the  proper  practice  of  our 


— also, 
religion. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  .Investments.  21 

And  our  judgment  must  be  exercised,  carefully  and  with  all  possi-P^^of^sup-^^^ 
ble  knowledge.     It  is  my  hope  to  demonstrate  that  there  is  at  least  J^'^K'n^ot- 
one  city  in  which  investments  may  be  made  with  absolute  certainty; 
for  if  calamities  come,  prosperity  must  follow  from  the  nature  of  the 
case. 

To  judge  of  the  future,  we  must  know  the  means  of  present  at--i^ytt'« 
tainment.     Let  us,  then,  next  consider  the — 

Public  Improvements  anticipated  twenty  and  ten  Years  ago  as 

A  Basis. 

In  1847  I  wrote  a  series  of  letters  for  the  Boston   Courier,  to  ac- Letters  i847 
quaint  New  England  capitalists  with  their  interests  touching  western  courier!^ 
railroads,     Mr.  Buckingham,  in  introducing  them,  speaks  of  former 
articles  from  the  writer,  of  which  I   have  no  copy.     The  last  letter 

said  : — 

These  letters  were  commenced  to  urge  upou  Bostonians  the  importance  and  ad-  ^^^^^  ^^^ 
vantage  to  tliemselves,  of  subscribing  liberally  to  the  stock  of  the  Galena  and  Chicago  rail- 
Chicago  Railroad,  and  my  readers  will  must  likely  think  I  have  wandered  for  from  road. 
my  subject,  in  presenting,  in  this  connection,  the  line  of  railroads  from  Alton  to 
Chicago.    But  I  have  ouly  anticipated  a  little.    I  should  before  have  explained 
that  the  charter  of  this  company  authorizes  the  construction  of  lateral   routes, 
and  the  capital   is  sufficient,  being  $3,000,000,  witli  the  privilege  of  borrowing 
$3,000,000  more.     The  tirst  road  to  be  built  will  be  to  the  Indiana  State  Line,  to  ^^^^^  ^^^_ 
be  continued  around  the  liead  of  Lake  Micliigan  to  New  Butlalo,  there  connecting  Jrai  route— 
with  the  Central  Railroad  to  Detroit.     From  Sandwich,  C.  \V.,  opposite  Detroit,  a 
railroad  is  being  constructed  to  the  Niagara  river,  which,  by  the  wire  bridge,  can 
be  connected  with  the  New  York  railroads;  so  that  probably  within  three  years,  _3 years  to 
Boston  and  Chicago  will  be  connected  by  railroads,  with  the  exception  of  crossing  Boston, 
the  Detroit  river  "by  steamboat.     And  passengers  will  also  have  the  privilege  of 
relieving  themselves  from  the  tedium  of  so  long-continued  a  ride  in  the  cars,  by 
taking  steamboat  on  Lakes  Erie  or  Ontario,  or  both. 

Several  lateral  roads  will  doubtless  be  built,  connecting  witli  the  mainline  he- gaiena  road 
tween  Galena  and  Chicago,  but  the  branch  from  at  or  near  St.  Charles,  down  the  and  branch- 
Fox  River  Valley  to  Ottawa  and  to  Pern,  the  terminating  point  of  the  Illinois  and 
Michigan  Canal,  will  be  tiie  first,  and  sliould  be  speedily  constructed.     Then  if  the  _to  Alton 
Alton  and  Springfield  Railroad  is  immediately  pushed  forward,  as  its  friends  confi-  andSt.Louia 
dently  expect,  only  105  miles  (air  line)  would  remain  to  be  built  between  Spring- 
field and  Peru,  to  connect  Boston  by  railroad  with  the  Mississippi,  at  the  head  of 
large  steamboat  navigation.     A  person  might  then  start  from  St.  Louis,  and  be 
able  to  reach  B()St(m  in  about  63   hours,  with  an  average  speed  of  only  20  miles 
an  iK)ur.     Who  can  say  tiiis  shall  not  be   accomplished  within    ten   years?     It 
might  be  done  within  five  years,  and  surely  would  be  if  Bostonians  were  alive  to 
their  true  interests. 

And,  before  going  on  to  speak  more  directly  of  the  Galena  i"oad,  I  cannot  for-  important 
bear  adding  yet  another  word,  as  to  the  peculiar  interest  that  Bostonians  have  in  to  Boston, 
securing  the  speedy — immediate — construction  of  this  entire  line  from  Chicago 
to  Alton.  The  roads  from  Chicago  to  Detroit  will  be  completed  within  two  or 
three  years,  and,  also,  as  I  learn  from  the  Railroad  Journal,  the  road  from  Sand- 
wich to  the  Niagara  river.  By  that  time,  too,  the  Ogdensburg  road  will  be  built 
through  to  Boston,  and  with  a  line  of  first-class  steamers  running  over  the  beau- 
tiful waters  of  Lake  Ontario,  and  tlirough  the  "  Thousand  Isles,"  to  Ogdensburg, 
what  route  eastward  would  be  likely  to  be  more  popular? 

governments,  will  bring  ua  at  the  same  time  to  see  where  we  have  broken  God's  laws  ;  for  the  subjects 
are  inseparably  blended  in  the  Bible.  Repenting  of  and  correcting  our  wrongs  towards  GoD  and  each 
other,  we  shall  receive  of  Heaven's  blessings  in  larger  measure  than  ever.  He  has  not  proper  apprecia- 
tion of  bis  dignity  and  responsibility  in  business  affairs,  who  takes  no  cognizance  of  such  operating 
causes;  and  ho  is  lamentably  deficient  in  faith  in  both  GOD  and  country,  who  doubts  that  we  are  to 
have  prosperity  and  advancement  far  eclipsing  that  of  the  past.  Temporary  reverses  we  may  need 
and  suffer  under,  but  only  temporary  will  they  be. 


22        Improvements  anticipated  twenty  and  ten  Years  ago  as  a  Basis. 

Lake  Shore       The  Hue  of  roads  directly  eastward  from   Chicago,  along  the  southern  shore  of 
route.  Lake  Erie,  will  not  probably  be  built  till  some  years  after  the  more  northern  route 

shall  be  tinished  ;  but  it  is  surely  to  be  built,  sooner  or  later.     Now,  if  Boston  cap- 
Boston  to      italists  would  only  commence  at  once,  and  urge  onward  with  their  utmost  power, 
diiiw  busi-    tile  construction  of  the  line  from  Alton  to  Chicago,  they  could  get  business  so  far 
tu*^"ke6— °  ^^•^'^'^''^^^^'•^  '^^  tlieir  northern  route  before  the  more  southern  one  will  be  built,  as 
to  secuie  permanently  a  large  part  of  the  travel  and  business  which  is  quite  likely 
to  go  eastward  through  American  territor^'^,  over  Lake  Erie,  or  along  its  southern 
shore.     If  Boston  is  interested  in  turning  the  current  of  business  northward,  to 
avoid  competition  witli  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia,  she  is  not  less  so  in  giving  it 
the  direction  above  named,  to  turn  it  as  far  as  possible  from  New  York.     This  her 
capitalists  may  do  to  a  very  considerable  extent  if  they  move  early;  and  as  they 
soou!     °*    "^vil^  surely  turnish  capital  for  the  railroads  from  Alton  to  Chicago,  sooner  or  later, 
because  tliey  will  find  it  for  their  advantage,  how  much  better  will  it  be  for  themt 
to  do  it  at  once,  when  they  will  thereby  be  enabled  to  make  sure  of  at  least  their 
full  proportion  of  the  business  of  the  West  and  Southwest?  *        *        *        * 

.,        Yes,  indeed,  "Eastern  cities  are  sure  to  derive  great  and  permanent  benefits" 
iusiuter-       from  these  and  all  other  roads  in  tlie  West,  which  tend  to  throw  business  upon  the 
ested—         chain  of  great  lakes ;  and  of  them  all,  no  city  is  likely  to  reap  so  large  a  share 
J.        _  comparatively,  as  Boston.     I  have  before,  in  writing  concerning  the  Ogdensburg 
peciuiiy.        Toad,  nearly  two  years  since,  spoken  of  the  advantages  that  route  possessed  in 
competing  with  other  routes  to  tlie  Eastern  markets,  and  Boston  has  everything  to 
gain  and  notiiing  to  lose  in  getting  business  onto  the  lakes.     After  completing  the 
Ogdensburg  road,  there  are  no  others  of  so  much  importance  to  the  New  England 
metropolis,  as  the  Galena  and  Ciiicago  road,  and  the  line  from  Chicago  to  Alton. 
Rock  Island      Another  road  will  in  time  be  built  from  Peru  westward  to  the  Mississippi,  at  or 
road.  jjg.^j.  tijg  niouth  of  Rock  river,  which  will,  ere  long,  be  continued  on  the  same 

course  to  Council  Blufls  on  the  Missoiiri,  which  would  draw  largely  on  the  trade 
of  St.  Louis  with  the  Upper  Missouri,  sending  it  eastward  b}^  way  of  the  lakes. 
20  years  When  will  all  these  railroads  be  built?  It  is  less  to  say  that  within  twenty  years 
imiid  these  every  mile  of  them  shall  be  completed,  than  to  have  foretold  twenty  years 
Coulfcii"  since  that  we  should  now  have  the  works  that  within  that  time  have  been  built. 
B^uffj'!  Within  twenty  years,  I  believe  within  a  much  shorter  perioil,  the  iron-horse  will 

be  aide  to  travel  from  Council  Bluffs  to  Boston. 
Virginia ap-      ^  '^'^^  liQi'Q  in  the  "Old  Dominion,"  writing  about  the  interests  of  Chicago  and 
preciated—   Boston.     I  like  Virginia  and  its*  people,  and  can  in  truth  say  that  I  have  never  en- 
joyed myself  so  much  as  while  partaking  of  their  friendly  hosj)italities,  which 
have,  in  fact,  delayed  this  letter  for  several  days;  and  I  should  be  glad  if  we  could 
become  more  connected  in  interest  and  feeling  with  this  distinguished  and  honorable 
—but  Massa-  "1*^1  member  of  the  confederacy.     But  I  do  rejoice  that  the  home  of  my  adoption 
ciiusetts  and  is  SO  intimately  united  by  interest  and  intercourse  witli  my  native  State.     There  is 
the  West       no  one  reflecti(m  concerning  Chicago  and  its  connections  which  gives  me  more 
uuitec .  exquisite  satisfaction  than  the  close  tie  of  a  common  interest  by  which  it  is  united 

with  the  Old  Bay  State,  and  with  Boston. 
Boston  and  '^^^^Y  ™ust  go  on  to  increase  together,  and  Chicago  and  the  West  will  be — must 
Chicago  be — greatly  aided  by  the  far-reaciiing  and  wise  efforts  of  Bostonians,  to  secure  to 
identified  in  themselves  a  fair  proportion  of  the  busmess  of  the  country.  They  can  hardly 
interest.  niake  an  expenditure  in  ojiening  avenues  of  trade,  which  will  not  directly  benefit 
us  at  Chicago,  and  the  citizen  most  ambitious  for  its  growth,  could  not  desire  a 
stronger,  more  enduring  basis  of  prosperity. 

Railway  Altliougli  overwrouglit,  yet  "  within  20  years  the  iron  horse  has 

t'^iLfx^y^""^  and  does  travel  from  Council  Blufls  to  Boston,"  and  on  his  return  can 
Mountains.   ^.^^^^  j.^^  hundred  and   twenty-Jive   miles,    almost    half  the   distance, 

further. 
petitions  for      In  1848  I  distributed  at  my  own  expense,  6,000  copies  of  petitions 

Ills,  land  nil-  •  1        (»  -1  II'  1        TT 

grants.  to  Congress,  for  a  grant  of  land  in  aid  oi  a  railroad  irom  the  Upper 
and  Lower  Mississippi  to  Chicago.  Three  different  ones  were  pre- 
paiH'd  for  the  South,  Illinois  and  the  East.  Judge  Douglas  said  they 
came  to  Washington  by  the  hundred  numerously  signed  and  had 
much  influence,  being  the  earliest  movement  for  tliis  object  outside 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  CJucago  Invest^nents.  23 

of  Congress,  except  by  the  Cairo   Coia[)ariy.     The   southern   said  in 
part : — 

In  this  measure  the  South-west  has  a  large  interest,  as  supph'ing  the  best  route  Southwost 
to  the  East.     Even  now  tiie  Lake  route  is  nuicli  traveled,  and  two  or  three  years  "'tenwtcd  io 
connects  Chicago  with  all  the  Allautie  cities 'by  railroad,  when  it  will  Ije  preferred,  y^^^^^  *"""' 
except  in  winter,  to  any  route  tiiat  will  he  opened  tor  a  long  time.     Then  will  this 
Illinois  road  he  wanted",  which  will  make  it  the  best  route  in  winter  also,  enabling 
persons  to  reach  New  York  city  from  t'airo  in  three  and  a  half  da^'s;  and  which, 
the  Mississippi  l)eing  always  navigable  to  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  would  give  un- 
interrupted steam  communication  between  the  extremes  of  the  Union,  at  all  sea- 
sous  of  the  year. 

Other  routes  you  will  have  in  time,  but  with  the  grant  of  lands  this  would  be  This  the 
the  first  entirely  completed,  and  being  very  direct  will  give  strong  competition  to  first, 
any  others,  and  ensure  low  rates  of  travel.  *  *  * 

An  etlbrl  is  making  also  for  a  grant  of  lands  in  aid  of  a  railroad  fi'om  Mobile  to  Uelp  Mobile 
the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  to  which  this  would  be  an  important  extension,  and  those  road- 
interested  in  the  Illinois  roads  will  do  all  they  can  to  aid  that.  We  must  help  each 
other  in  these  matters.*  The  South  and  AVest  have  a  common  interest  in  svich  im- 
provements, and  it  is  but  right  and  just  that  a  part  of  the  public  lands  within  our 
borders  should  be  given  in  aid  of  works  so  important  to  us  and  to  tlie  public  at 
large. 

But  no  gratuitous  gift  is  asked  from  Government.    Thousands  of  acres  of  land.  No  gratuity 
through  which  the  road  passes,  will  never  be  sold  till  some  avenue  to  market  is  'iskcd. 
created  ;  and  only  alternate  sections  are  given.  *  *  * 

We  therefore  call  upon  the  public  spirited  men  of  the  south,  as  we  have  of  the  South  will 
east,  which  is  also  interested  in  the  road,  to  aid  us.     Get  our  bill  passed,  and  then  ayl  ti'is  ua- 
others  am  be  got  which  are  right  in  themselves.     And  it  is  just  and  politic  to  make  ^'°°"l  work, 
this  a  precedent.     No  road  in  contemplation  is  more  national  in  its  character  than 
that  which  connects  the  great  chain  of  Northern  lakes  with  the  Mississippi  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Ohio.  *  *  * 

The  circular  of  January,  184S,  contained  the  foUowino;: —  Circular, 

•'  '  '  ^  1848. 

TJie  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal. — All  business  with  the  interior  has  been  done  j..    .  ...  , 

hitherto  by  teams,  but  the  Canal  to  the  Illinois  River  at  Peru,  will  be  opened  in  caiialtobe 
the  spring,  which  will,  perhaps,  double  our  exports  the  first  year.     It  opens  to  us  finished, 
the  whole  river  navigation  of  tlie  Great  Valley,  and   furnishes  the  cheajiest  and 
most  expeditious  inland  route  between  the  eastern  cities  and  the  Mississi|)])i  river 
and  its  tributai'ies.     And  for  supplying  the  whole  Lake  region  with  West  India  its  value, 
goods,  cotton,  sugar,  etc.,  this  is  also  the  best  channel,  and  that  trade  must  be  very 
great.     Who  can  estimate  or  put  a  limit  to  the  amount  of  business  to  be  done  on 
such  a  route? 

Baili'Oiuls  with  -m  are  yet  prospective,  but  there  are  four  routes  of  so  great  im-  Railroads 
portance,  and  so  certain  to  be  built,  that  it  is  proper  to  speak  of  them  in  connec-  prospective, 
tion  with  the  future  growth  of  Chicago.     Arrangements  are  making  to  continue  i'"t'i  certain 
the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  from  New  Buffalo  to  Chicago,  a  distance  of  sixty  ^j^^^^  q^^^^ 
miles,  which,  with  the  road  building  across  Canada,  connects  us  with  the  eastern 
roads.     The  Galena  and  Chicago  railroad,  182  miles  long,  has  been  surveyed,  and  Galena. 
35  miles  of  it  to  Fox  River  will  be  built  next  season.     It  will  be  finished  in  two  or 
three  years,  and  the  grades  being  uncommonly  light,  and  mostly  descending  to  the 
lake,  will  permit  transportation  of  produce  and  lead  at  very  cheap  rales.     Branches 
will  be  made  up  Rock  River,  and  into  the  lead  regions  of  Wisconsin,  and  in  other 
directions,  and  the  stock  must  be  profitable.  Another  is  the  Bntlalo  and  Mississippi  „  ^      , 
road,  via  Chicago  to  the  mouth  of  Rock  River,  with  the  expectation  that  in  time  it  Mississippi. 
"will  be  continued  across  the  iVIississippi  to  Council  Blufi's,  on  the  Missouri.     This 
has  many  able  and  influential  advocates  and  friends;  among  others,  Hon.  Elisha 
Whittlesey  of  Ohio,  and  Hon.   S.  A.   Douglas  of  the   U.  S.  Senate,  who  are  san- 
guine that  they  will  be  able  to  obtain  for  it  a  donation  of  lands  from  Congress. 

*Quite  possibly  the  influx  of  petitions  to  Congress  from  the  South,  caused  the  annexation    of  the 
Mobile  rodd,  extending  the  grant  from  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Upper  Mississippi  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  j  "^fi"  w' 

Hut  the  prevalent  idea  is  wrong,  that  Illinois   received  any  gratuity.     Very  different  was  this  initia-  Mobile 

tory  step  in  aid  of  railroads,  from  the  munificent   donations   now  made,  and  with   great   propriety. 
Alternate  sections  were  granted,  and  the  price  of  those  remaining  was  doubled  to  if 2.50  per  acre.     But  ~  ♦  .-^  . 
the  present  policy  will  doubtless  continue;  and  what  other  city  will  be  so   much   aided  by  it   as  Clii- 
Cttgo  ?     To  what  other  will  a  quarter  part  of  the  miles  be  added  as  to  this  ci  ty  ? 


24         Improvements  anticipated  ticenty  and  ten  Years  ago  as  a  Basis. 

Ills.  Central.  Tile  fourth,  ami  b)'  far  the  most  important  one  to  us,  is  the  road  from  Cairo  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Ohio,  which  connects  Lake  Michigan  with  tlie  INIississippi  at  the 
be-id  of  the  largest  steamboat  navigation,  open  to  the  Gulf  at  all  seasons  of  the 
year  A  donation  of  lands  by  Congress  in  aid  of  this  road  will  probably  be  made, 
as  I  ieani  from  good  authority,  the^  present  session,  which  will  ensure  its  rapid 
prosecution.  i   ^  ., 

National  If  not  perfectly  familiar  with  these  routes,  please  take  a  map  and  trace  them, 

character.     Consider  their  importance  in  a  national  point  of  view, — see  the  direct  interest 
whicli  the  extremes  of  the  country,  and  the  intermediate  States  have  in  their  con- 
struction,—that  the  stock-holders  "of  Eastern  roads  who  have  so  much  capital  at 
command,  have  every  inducement  to  aid  in  building  these  roads,  which  would  so 
Boston  and   great!  v  auV^nent  the  income  of  their  own,— tliat  inasmuch  as  Boston  and  New 
New  York     Yov\s.  "have  a  vital  interest  in  directing  business  on  to  the  lakes,  to  i)revent  it  from 
intereeted.    jj^j.j,jj^  ,^  ^j^^g  Southerly  direction  to  their  rival  cities  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia, 
tliey  cannot  do  otherwise  than  aid  Chicago  to  the  full  extent  of  their  ability,  in 
stretcliing  its  iron  arms  in  every  direction,  particularly  to  the  South— and  then  re- 
15  years  to    member  what  the  past  tifteen  years  have  done  in  building  railroads,  and  is  it  an 
build  them,  over  estimate  to  say  that  lifteen  years  to  come  will  see  every  mile  of  these  four 
completed  ?    What  must  be  their  effect  upon  Chicago  ?    What  otlier  inland  town 
can  you  name  as  the  probable  centre  of  so  many  and  so  important  routes  ? 

5  named.  Five  wQYQ  named  of  those  which  are  among  our  chief  roads,  the 

Hock  Island  west,  and  Michigan  Southern   east,  being  parts  of  the 

Chan  ein     l>"ff!ilo  ai^<l  Mississippi.     When  only  ten  years  had  elapsed,  liope  had 

10 years.      hirgely  givcii  place  to  reality,  and  I  could  exultingly  say: — 

By  185S  focal     Rtiilroadx  NoiD  BuUt— The  Foml  Point  Fixed. —W'M  as  were  these  vie^vs  con- 
i-i.int  fixed,  sidered,  instead  of  the  four  [five]  railroads  anticipated,  we  have  twdve  important 
trunk  lines,  about  three  thousand  miles  in  length,  and  numerous  branches  of  over 
eight  hundred  miles  more.     No  longer  is  it  "  probable,"  but  a  fact,  that  Cliicago  is 
the  greatest  railroad  centre  in  the  world.     And  instead  of  fifteen  years,  ten  see  this 
all  done.     In  this  short  time  have  the  railroad   earnings  of  this  city   grown  from 
nothing  to  over  eighteen  million  dollars  <mnually. 
Other  roads       Railroads  will  iiereafter  be  built  with  more  diiBculty,  but  the  present  Imes  are  so 
to  be  feeders,  located  tliat  nearly  or  quite  every  addition  in  the  West  will  be  a  feeder  to   some  of 
them.     Those  most  important  to  tlieir  several  locations  as  well  as  to  us  are  for- 
tunately begun  and  will  be  tlie  first  tinished,  and  six  have  large  grants  of  land  from 
6we«tof       Congress,  ensuring  tlieir  speed}'  construction,  viz:     "  St.  Paul  &  Fond  du  Lac," 
Mississippi,    running  to  Jlinnesota  with  a  brancli  to  Lake  Superior;  the  "Dubuque  &  Pacific," 
to  the  Missouri ;  the  "Iowa  Central  Air  Line,"  from  Lyons  to  the  Missouri;  the 
"  Mississippi  ct  ]Missouri,"  from  Davenport ;  the  "  Burlington  &  Missouri;"  and  the 
Hannibal  ic  St.  Joseph,"    across  Northern  Missouri,  which  connects  with   the 
Quincy  Railroad.     Tliese  last  five,  running  westerly,  will  do  the  chief  carrying  for 
Iowa  and  North  Jlissouri  and  send  much  of  the  business  direct  to  this  city,  and 
are  already  built  from  thirty  to  eiglity-five  miles  each. 
Pacific  road.      "Tlie  Pacitic"  railroad,  too,  in  time  must  be  built,  and  will  connect  with  one  or 
more  of  these  roads,  and   thougli   I  do   not   as   highly  estimate  its  importance 
to  any  one  city  as  many  do,  yet  Cliicago  is  as  likely  to  be  benefited  by  it  as  any 
otlier. 

The.cpre-        The  chicf  poiut   to  be   made   from   these   extracts   is,  not  that  I 

dictions  real     ■,         ,  t  ^  ••ti 

ized—  should  have  anticipated  the  building  of  these  roads  with   such  cor- 

rectness, for  any  man  of  sense,  who  would  have  considered  the 
subject  with  my  knowledge  of  the  Great  West,  would  have  had  the 
same  exjiectations;  but  the  point  is,  that  anticipations  twenty  years 
ago,  to  so  great  an  extent,  of  wdiat  has  actually  been  realized,  prove 
the  system  to  have  been  natural,  and  what  the  country  demands,  and 
wliat  the   keen-sighted   capitalists  abroad    who    have    supplied   the 

-prove  the  i       ,  ,.  ,      .  .  -^-r  ^ 

M.tfiu  to  be  nieans,  saw  to  behest  lor  their  own  interests.  Yet,  however  ser- 
viceable sound  hypothesis  may  be,  it  is  a  great  transition  from  lohat 
is  lobe  done  to  xcliat  has  been  done/  and  now,  be  it  observed,  that — 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investmeyits. 


25 


TuE  Basis  of  Our  Pkospeuity  is  No  Longer  Hypothetical. 

The  work  accompliBlied  by  1858,  rendered  quite  sure  the  focal  posi- BhsU  quite 
tion   of  Chicago.     Yet  three  years  added  over  700  miles,  and  the"""^"'"  ^''^ ' 
lollowing  list  was  given  in  1601  : — 

Four  Thousand  Five  Hundred  Miles  of  Railroad  now  tributary  to  f'hicago. — Some  4,r.oo  miles 
may  like  to  see  to  wliut  cities  all  these  lines  of  railway  run  tiiat  are  claimed  tor  "''.'■"'''■"'"I 
Chicago.     From  Lloyd's  latest  railroad  map,  I  compile  the  following:  iu'lslu"^^ 


Cbiciigo  Mil.  1111(1  La  Crosso 285 

Kciioslm  and  Rocktbrd 

RaciiR'  mid  Fn-ciiort 

eiiic-ai;<.  and  N,.rtliwcstern 213 

Millon  to  I'lairii'  du  Chien 130 

Mill  Cret-lf  tu  Berlin 

'Watertowu  to  Coluiiilius 

Wutertuwn  to  Sun  Prairie 

Jaiiesvillc  to  Monroe 

Galena  and  Chicago,  (to  Frteport) 121 

iilgiii,  State  Line  and  Wisconsin 

Beioit  and  Madison 

Mineral  Point 

Duliuque  and  Pacific Ill 

Farley  to  Ananiosa 

Fulton  Air  Line  (Galena) 136 

Chicago.  Iowa  and  Nebraska 82 

Chicago  and  Hock  Island 182 

Rock  L-iland  to  Coal  Valley 

MissisBiiiii  and  Missouri 85 

Muscatine  and  Washington 

Miles  carried  Jorward 1,344 


73 
104 


MiUi  brought  forward 1344  476 

Peoria  and  Bureau  Valley 46 

Chicago  and  Burlin»;ton  210  

Burlington  and  MiHSoari 75  

Ualesburg  to  Quiucy ,.     100  

Hannibal  and  St.  .Joseph 200  

St.  Louis,  Alton  and  Chicago 285  .... 

Illinois  Central & 451  

Chicago  Blanch 263  

Uilnian  to  Galeshurg 1,"U 

Tolono  to  Camp  Point 165 

Mattoon  to  Illinoistown & 130 

Odin  to  lUinoistown 65 

Cincinnati  and  Chicago  Air  Line 280  

Pittsliu'-'li  and  Ft.  Wayne 467  

Michiga  i  Southern ai3  

Klkhart  to  Toledo 142 

Laporte  to  Plymouth 30 

Michigan  Central 284  

New  Albany  and  Salem 288 

Total  miles 4199  1475 


Of  the  above  list,  the  eastern  ends  of  the  Wisconsin  roads,  and  the  farther  ex-  |c*"r||f*' 
tremities  of  the  seven  last  named,  may  not  be  now  regarded  as  Chicago  roads.    In  tary. 
my  estimate  of  trunk  lines  I  therefore  deduct  nearly  700  miles,  and  of  the  branches 
nearly  500.    But  in  a  few  years,  ahnos-t  every  mile  will  belong  more  to  Chicago 
than  any  other  city ;  and  many  others,  particularly  in  Northern  Indiana,  might 
with  great  propriety  be  even  now  added  to  the  list. 

The    remarks  of  1858,  anticipating  roads   in   Iowa   and  Missouri  Ch.inge in 3 

^   .  °  years. 

were  altered  in  part  to  what  had  been  done  ;  and  the  change  from 
hypothesis  to  fact  as  the  basis  of  argument,  was  thus  noticed: — 

Capital  for  new  lines  will  hereafter  be  obtained  with  less  freedom,  hut  having  Chief  roads 
got  about  all  we  need,  this  difficulty  is  decidedly  in  our  favor,  destroying  all  danger  ^"'^"''*'^* 
of  injurious  competition,  even  if  that  possibility  existed,  which  does  not ;  and  the 
present  ones  are  so  located  that  nearly  every  addition  anywhere  in  the  West,  will 
be  a  feeder  to  some  of  them.     Those  most  important  to  their  several  regions,  are  Others  more 
also  most  desirable  for  us,  and  f  )rtunately  are  well  started  and  will  be  first  finished,  '''"'cult, 
and  are  all  continuations  of  Chicago  roads.     Five  of  them  have  large  grants  of 
lands  from  Congress,  insuring  their  speedy  construction,  viz  :  the  Northwestern,  Land  grants 
running  to  Miimesota,  with  a  branch  to  Lake  Superior;  the  Dubuque  and  Pacific,  *°  ^• 
to  the  ^lissouri  river  and  onward ;  the  Clinton,  Cedar  Rapids  and  Nebraska ;  the 
Mississippi   and   Missouri,   from    Daveni)ort;  and   the   Burlington  and  IMissouri. 
The  Northwestern  is  in  use  2i;J  miles.     The  four  in  Iowa  are  built  75  to  111  miles 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  will  soon  be  finished,  and  with  the  Hannibal  and   St. 
Joseph,  which  is  completed  and  extending  into  Kansas,  will  do  the  chief  carrying 
for  Iowa  and  North  Missouri,  concentrating  here  the  business  of  that  75,000  square 
miles  of  rich  territory,  which  hitherto  has  gone  chiefly  to  St.  Louis.     A  manufiic-  Of  Iowa  and 
tiu'er  or  merchant,  who  looked  solely  to  that  region  for  his  market,  if  he  sold  not  a  ^,"'r''ch"'^' 
dollar's  worth  east  of  the  JNIississippi,  wiMild  seek  this  as  the  location  whence  he  g,,  is  the 
could  most  easily  and  cheaply  reach  his  customers,  even  in  the  farthermost  coun- centre, 
ties.     No  place  within  or  without  the  borders  of  Iowa  ana  Missouri,  is  so  easy  of 
access  from  all  their  parts  as  Chicago  will  be  by  these  roads.  *  *  * 

Please  take  a  map  and  study  the  location  of  these  roads.    Is  not  this  the  centre  j^o  y^j-j^^jy 
whence  they  radiate,  not  in  short,  but  long  lines  of  hundreds  of  miles?  and  is  not  centre  west 
the  system  so  established  that  no  material  change  can  be  made?     Too  many  west-  "/  "s. 
erly  parallel  lines  are  built  and  extending,  to  make  it  practicable  to  converge  at 
any  point  beyond  us,  several  roads  of  considerable  length.    Nearly  every  one 


26  The  Basis  of  our  Prosjyerity  no  longer  Hypothetical. 

•west  of  the  Mississippi  and  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  is  a  direct  exten- 
sion of  a  Chicago  Road.     Wed  of  us  there  can  be  no  important  railway  centre. 
suitee  tribu-     It  is  cU-ar  as  sunliirlit,  tliat  for'lllinois,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  Iowa,  JN'orth  Mis- 
tarv.  souri,  and  part  of  liidiana  and  Michigan,  this  city  must  be  the  emporium.     Kansas 

and  Nebraslca  are  not  inchided,  being  so  remote,  [the  Cameron  and  Omaha  roads 
have  just  united  us]  but  they  will  soon  be  powerful  States,  and  some  or  all  of  the 
live  mads  above  named  extending  to  their  borders,  -will  in  time  be  built  across 
tiiem;  making  Chicago  tiie  most  easily  accessible  of  all  the  large  cities,  to  those 
States  also,  and  to  the  territory  beyond.  *  *  * 

Doubt  about     Of  all  the  cities  in  the  AVest,  this  is  most  certain  to  groiiv.     No  one  doubts  that 
gTDwtii  of     these  Northwestern  States,  so  wide  in  extent  and  rich  in  resources,  are  to  develop 
othor  citii-s.  ..p^-edily,  and  soou  to  be  among  tlie  most  wealthy   and   powerfik   in  the  Union. 
Large  cities  are  to  arise  within  them,  but  after   Chicago   it   is   difficult  to   foresee 
which  will  ultimately  take  the  lead.     Cincinnati,   Detroit,  Milwaukee,   St.  Louis, 
Hannibal,  Keokuk,  Burlington,  Davenport,  Dubuque,  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis,   and 
other  place?,  may  each  ])e  good  for  investment,  and  many  will  so  ])rove  ;  but  opin- 
ions difler  as  to  their  advantages  and  prospects,  and  the  uncertainty  time  and  en- 
terprise alone  can  determine.     No  one  can  be  singled  out  as  sure  to  grow  beyond 
St.  Louis       tlie  others.     Even  St.  Louis  will  probably  see  several  of  them,  or  otlier  western 
may  be         cities,  outstrip  her  within  half  a  century.     But  the  citizens  and  friends  of  each — 
beaten  by      except  of  St.  Louis  and  Cincinnati — concede,  that  however  prosperous  they  be- 
**"""■  come,  all,  and  the  whole  region  tributary  to  them,  must  contribute  directly  to  the 

advancement  of  Chicag<\ 
f oriner  pre-      J^I}'  l)redictions  hitherto,  though  by  many  deemed  extravagant,  were  ])ased  upon 
dictious  rea-  fair,  reasonable,  business-like  considerations,  as  are  these.     They   were  no  hap- 
sonabit^      hazard  guesses,  but  thoroughly  calculated.     Time  has  demonstrated  their  modera- 
tion and  correctness,  as  it  will  these  also.     But  there  is  an  important  element  of 
confidence  in  j^rogress  to  come,  far  better  than  any  one's  judgment,  however  well 
tested.     Former  estimates  were  based  upon  railroads  to  he  built,  which,  though  they 
—  calized     Seemed  to  me  certain,  rested  upon  contingency.     All  the  vailwayft  I  then  anticipated 
aud  mure,     are  noic  finis/ied,  and  many  mare,  and  their  forty-five  hundred  miles  are  admirably 
located  to  accommodate  the  business  of  the  West,  and  especially  to  concentrate  it 
at  this  point.    What  might  have  been  doubted  ten  years  ago,  is  now  a  fixed  fact, 
establishing  here  bej'ond  a  question  and  without  rivalry,  the  great  metropolis  of 
the  West. 
Basisnot  The  reader  wall  assent  to  the  importance  of  the  point  made,  as  to 

iemath."ii—  the  basis  of  prosperity  being  no  longer  problematical,  but  an  assured 
fact.     Whether  strengthening  coutidenee  in  present  views  or  not,  the 
—future  of  facts  speak  for  themselves  ;  and  any  thinking  man  will  deduce  from 
Chicago  sure  ^l^^j^  One  and  the  same  result,  that  extraordinaries  excepted,  the 
tendency  of  western  business  Chicago-ward  is  as  sure   as  the  rev- 
olution of  the  earth  towards  the  rising  sun. 
j»dmU8ionof     Nor  wiU  traffic  come  only  from  a  due  west  course,   but  from  far 
Mo. Van.      ji^yj^y  to  the  South,  as  our  chief  rival  admits.     The  Missouri  Demo- 
crat of  the  29th  November, puts  this  editorial  on  the  lead: — 

jTank  ^  Flank  Movement. — A  few  months  ago  the  Chicago  papers  contained  urgent 

mmemerd.      appeals  to  business  men  to  subscribe  to  the  Kansas  City  and  Cameron  road,  by 

which,  tiiey  were  told,  St.  Louis  would  be   flanked,  a  direct  connection  without 

change  of  cars  with  Kansas  and  the  Union  Pacific  Eastern   Division  would  be 

Cameron       secured,  and  the  business  of  Chicago  materially  increased.     After  a  week  or  two 

road  uot  aid- we  learned  from  Chicago  papers  that  these  appeals  had  been  unsuccessful ;  that  the 

J*_  business  men  of  that  city  liad  declined  to  invest  any  of  their  borrowed   capital; 

that,  in  short,  not  a  dollar  had  been  subscribed  in  Chicago  to  a  road  promising  so 

-but  by  the  inueli  to  Chicago  trade.     But,  after  a  few  weeks  more,  the  needed  cajiital  was  ob- 

Ea»t.  tained.    The  cajjitalists  whose  money  has  created  the  prosperity  of  that  city,  know 

enongli  to  protect  their  investments.     Applications  to  Eastern  men  of  wealth  were 

not  unsuccessful.     Work  upon  tlie  road  was  conunenced.     And  now,  within  less 

tiian  a  year  the  last  rail  is  in  ])osition,  and  Kansas  can  send  goods  to   or  receive 

|^^^'JiJ^'"'{]^~'li<-iu  froni  Chicago  with  less  difficulty  an(l  at  hardly  more  expense  than  from  St. 

pacific  r'oii.1   Louis;  the  Union  Pacific,  a  great  enterprise  in  which  men  of  this  city  have  iu- 

witiiCJiicugo  vested  largely,  is  connected  more  directly  by  rail  with  Chicago  than  with  St.  Louis ; 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  27 

and  another  link  is  added  to  tliat  network  of  railroads  wliich  threatens  to  surround 
us.  Until  the  guagc  of  the  I^Iissouri  Pacilic  can  be  eliaiiged,  or  the  North  Mis- 
souri can  be  pushed  to  Kansas  City,  freigiit  and  travel  will  have  to  change  cars  to 
reach  this  city,  but  will  have  no  such  obstacle  to  impede  itscourse  toward  Chicago.  Trndonot 
Trade,  like  water,  moves  in  the  direction  of  the  least  resistance.  Nobody  juis  i""  up  iJ»ll. 
ever  succeeded  in  niaknig it  run  up  hill.  For  the  jiresent,  at  least,  St.  Louis  will 
have  to  face  a  considerable  disadvantage  in  competing  for  all  the  trade  of  Kansas 
and  the  regions  that  lie  to  the  westward.  *  *  * 

It  is  not  our  business  to  grumble,  but,  if  .St.  Louis  does  not  mean  to  resign  its  ^voik  for  St. 
trade   altogether,  it  must  work.     If  Chicago  tajjs  the  St.   Louis   branch   of  tiie  Louia. 
Pacilic  at  Kansas  City,  St.  Louis  must  tap  the  ('liicago  branch  at   Omaha.     AVe 
must  i)enetrate  Iowa,  get  unbroken  connection  with  Kansas,  and  open  a   route    to 
the  South.     In  all  these  enterprises,  every  l)usiness  m;ui  of  St.  Louis  has  a  pecu- 
liar interest.   Chicago  merchants  can  atlbrd  to  negi(H't  enterprises  esscnitial  to  tlieir  Chicaco  pro- 
prosperity,  because  Eastern  capital  is  already  so  largely  enlisletl  in  them  that  more  i^i^gf^^i-u^ ' 
can  be  obtained  to  protect  what  is  already  risked.     The  business  men  of  this  city  ciipitai. 
have  not  the  same  resource.     To  be  sure   that   enterprises  of  importance  to  them 
arc  not  delayed,  they   must   invest   S(Mnethiug  themselves.     They   have   done  so 
already,  and  where  would  be  the  trade  of  this  city  to-day  if  it  were  not  for  these 
efforts?     Fortunately,  the  time  seems  to  be  near  at  hand  when  Eastern  capitalists  A  chiingo 
may  find  it  to  their  advantage  to  invest  something  in  works  which  will  l)enclit  liiis  ^uiuiug. 
citJ^     There  is  needed  only  evidence  that  our  own  people  have  conlideiice  in  these 
projects,  and   appreciate  their  importance,  to  attract  to  them  ample  cajMtal.     We 
tru.st  that  evidence  may  not  be  wanting.     "  The  times  are  hard,"  men  .say,  and  so 
they  are.    But  will  they  ever  be  easier  for  St.  Louis  business,  unless  this  city  en- 
ables itself  to  compete  with  rivals  on  equal  terms? 

The  views  are  prized  particularly  for  ackuowletloiiijr  the  important  Main  point 

.       ,     .        -,  "^     -,  ,         .  ,.    ^^,   .  claimed  20 

point,  that  eastern  capital  is  devoted   to  the  interests  oi  Clncago,  as  y<.-urs  ago. 
predicted  20  years  ago.     Surely  results  are  not  very  jjroblematical, 
Avliich  depend  upon  the   sagacious   capitalists  of  the  East,  who  are 
thus  on  all  sides  instructed  as  to  their  interests. 

The  character  and  effects   of  this  Kansas  road  had  already  been  sto.Re.p. 
presented  by  the  Missouri  Republican  of  the  26th  November:  aud 'camorf 

ou  road. 

Kiinms  City  and  Cameron  Railroad. — The  completion  of  this  road  gives  Kansas 
City  an  additional  route  of  connection  with  the  larger   cities  of  the  West   and  ^ ""''""' "=!'"- 
East,  and  will  have  the  effect  to  increase  the  growth   and  trade  of  that  youthful  tiieEa,"t?'' 
and  growing  city,  and  by  creating  competition,  perhaj^s,  may  result  in  the  cheap- 
ening of  the  cost  of  transportation  to  and  from  that  place,  a  matter  about  which 
some  complaint  has,  from  time  to  time,  been  made.     It  is  also  expected  to  cheapen  Cheapen  Chi- 
the  price  of  pine  lumber,  by  opening  a  market  for  this  trade  at  Hannibal,  as  well  cago  lumber. 
as  at  St.  Louis,  and  giving  a  more  direct  access  to  Chicago  than  ftn-merly,  m  con- 
nection with  that  trade,  the  value  of  which  can  only  be  determined  by  time  and 
experience. 

Kansas  City  is  already  considerable  of  a  railroad  centre,  in  this  respect  enjoying  Roads  at 
greater  railroad  facilities  at  the  present  time  than  any  city  west  of  St.  Louis.     The  Kau-sas. 
Slissouri  Pacific  ends  and  the  Union  Pacific  begins  at  or  near  that  city.     A  branch  p,^j.j,j^ 
of  the  latter  projects  to  Leavenworth,  some  thirty  five   miles  distant.     The   road 
just  completed  connects  with  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  and  thence  east  and  lianni.  al  & 
north.     The  west  branch  of  the  North  Missouri  will  soon  be  completed  to  that  |fj^^-|j^-j^^ 
point.     A  road  in  the  direction  of  Galveston,  Texas,  is  already  being  constructed,  G'uyeKton,' 
a  considerable  section  being  already  under  contract  and  even  graded  from  Kansas  Texas. 
City  toward  the  southwest.     All  these  roads,  when  completed,  will  make  Kansas 
City  a  point  of  very  considerable  connnercial  importance.     Indeed,  her  peoiile  ex- 
pect these  facilities  to  enable  her  to  outstrip  all  her  Missouri  river  rivals,  and  they 
seem  to  think  possibly  to  become  a  rival  to  St.  Louis  herself.     However  this  may  Hivai  St. 
be,  the  enterprising  business  men  of  Kansas  City  deserve  great  credit  for  the  ^""'^■ 
energy  they  have  displayed  and  the  success  already  attained.     We  trust  they  may 
secure  at  least  a  liberal  share  of  the  greatness  which  they  anticipate  the  future  has 
in  store  for  them. 

Thus  in  the  very  besinnniQf  of  the  Pacific  roads,  to  be  ])ut  in  ad- own  domain 

.  •    r       ,  1-11  1  111  trenched 

vantageous  connection  with  that  which  has  been  looked  upon  as  upon. 


28  The  Basis  of  our  Prosperity  no  longer  Hypothetical. 

peculiarly  St.  Louis'  own,  is  certainly  favorable  for  Chicago.  Though 
as  yet  she  only  hopes  to  tap  ours,  it  will  be  done  ;  and  it  remains  to 
be  seen  which  can  draw  out  the  biggest  streams  by  tapping  each 
other's  currents  of  business.  There  is,  however,  one  point  fuitherof 
prime  consequence  in  establishing  the  certainty  that  the  basis  of  our 
prosperity  is  not  to  be  moved ;  that  is — 

Art  following  Nature's  Lkad,  Chicago  has  no  Taxes  for  Rail- 
ways THOUGH  SHE  HAS  SEVERAL  TllIES  ilORE  THAN  ANY  RiVAL,  AND 
NEARLY  TWO-THIRDS  OF  ALL  WEST  OF  THE  TOLEDO  AND   CINCINNATI 

Road,  AND  north  of  the  Ohio  River. 

No  tax  an         The  exemption  from  indebtedness  on  account  of  railways,  is  some- 

"'"""'         thing  to  be  considered  in  seeking  an  investment.     But  the  cause  ot 

-the  reason  this  exemption  has  wonderful  significance   upon  the  very  important 

more  80.      -^Qy-QX^  whether   the  roads  have   naturally  sought  Chicago   as  their 

Determines  focal  point ;  Or  whether  by  dint  of  management,  liouest  or  dishonest, 

chira^'^'^is  a  they  have  been  hither  led,  and  when  the  false  iutiueuces  shall  be  re- 

ce^nt'e?.^        movcd,  they  are  to  vacate  for  the  benefit  of  some  rival.     If  Chicago 

be  the  natural  centre,  and  if  capital   has  not  only  discovered  this, 

but  its  interest  conspires  to  maintain   that  centre,   and  to  make  it 

more  and  more  so,  we  want  to  know  it,  to  judge  soundly  as  to  the 

future. 

Chicago  -phe  chief  drawback  with  Chicago  has  always  been,  lack  of  capital. 

lacks  capital  ^  j 

Probably  in  no  other  city  has  so  much  been  attempted  and  accom- 
plished with  the  same  means.     The  consequence  has  uniformly  been, 
that  the  slightest  disarrangement  of  finances  generally,  causes   seri- 
Coiiidnot     ous  embarrassment,  and  to  many  ruin.     Therefore,  had  we  to  depend 

Jmil'l  her  .  .it  /-^^  •  i  i  i  i        j?  i 

ruiroads.  upon  ourselvcs  lor  railway  building,  Chicago  could  not  be  the  local 
St. Louu  point  it  now  is.  St.  Louis,  on  the  other  hand,  has  immense  wealth, 
large  estates  having  been  there  accumulated  in  the  lucrative  fur 
trade,  and  from  her  well-established  river  business,  before  Chicago 
Hon.  u.  T.  was  known.  So  that  in  an  inaugural  address  to  the  St.  Louis  Board 
st^LuiT-    of  Trade,  iVth  October,  1867,  Hon.  II.  T.  Blow  coidd  in  truth  say  : 

—need  not        "We  have  too  long  labored  under  the  false  idea  that  we  must  necessarily  go  to 

goeaetfor    J^ew  York,  Philadelphia,  or  some  other  financial  centre.     Capitalists  are  sensitive 

capital—      i^^j.  ^,jgg^  ^jj(j  ^,j|i  gggjj  ^jjg  i3(,st;  portions  of  the  world  to  invest   their  money,  and 

we  have  only  to  commence  right,  and  keep  steadilj'  on,  to  draw  loans  as  direct 

—get  in  Eu-from  Central  Europe  as  New  York,  or  negotiate  in  St.  Louis  for  millions  as  readily 

"""P®'  as  our  borowers  do  in  London  or  Frankfort.     Any  man  who  will  calml\'  reflect  on 

all  our  resources,  and  then  deny  the  correctness  of  this  proposition  or  its  feasibility, 

but  poorl}"  comprehends  the  condition  of  Europe  at  this  very  moment.      *        * 

Capital  seeks     Capital,  naturally  distrustful,  draws  back  from  all  investments,  when  interna- 

BuK-ty.  tional  conflicts  threaten  its  security.     Hundreds  of  millions  lie  idle  in  the  vaults  of 

bankers,  and  capitalists  can  be  drawn,  as  readily  as  their  coin,  to  a  point  aflording 

good  securities  and  fair  rates  of  interest.     Is  this  great  valle}',  with  its  wealth  and 

unbounded  resources,  such  a  centre?     We  can  prove  it  in  a  single  moment.     Look 

at  this  Union  of  republican  States,  after  passing  through  the  severest  ordeal  that 

any  nation  on  earth  has  ever  known,  and  compare  it  with  Europe. 

Security  of       Thirty-six   millions  of  people,  having  a  perfect  faith  in  the  great  principle  or 

tliifl  nation.  Self-government,  almost  without  an  army !     Every   working  man,  rich  or  poor, 

hopeful  and  confident,  all  relying  unplicitly  on  the  perpetuation  of  this  noblest  and 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  29 

best  of  all  ffovernraents.  But  some  \vell-di?po5ed  and  really  enercetic  friend  will 
ask :  How  do  you  propose  to  accomplifih  so  much  now,  when  we  have  fulled 
entirely  of  late  to  impress  upon  capiulists  directly,  the  value  of  many  of  our  West- 
ern bonds  ?        *        *        * 

There  is  not  a  gentleman  in  this  hall  who  does  not  feel  the  necessity  and  value  j. 
of  a  close  and  direct  communication  with  every  portion  of  our  State  by  rail,  and  tuml^a  in- 
who  does  not  most  heartily  desire  it,  and  is  as  heartily  disgusted  with  the  disgrace- jnre«  st.  l. 
fal  failures  of  those  who  had  assumed  that  they  had  capital  and  credit  to  complete 
th".  original  system.     It  is  this  very  assumption  that  has  injured  us  so  much,  and 
kept  us  at  a  snail's  pace  on  our  waj'to  Iowa,  Southwest  and  Southeast  Missouri. 

Remarkable  is  it  indeed,  that  even  in  the  very  pro"^res9  of  our  aw-  ^'^t  Cbicago 

'  ^    r       o  roaua  never 

ful  "international  conflict,"  the  building  of  Chicago  railroads  never "''^ff*^- 
ceased,  though  much  retarded,  for  which  amends  are  now  making  in 
more  rapid  prosecution  than  ever. 

Capital  surely  discovers  profit  and  loss  ultimately,  and  is  not  often  Capital  finds 
wheedled    into   a  continuance  of  unprofitable    investments.     There 
have  been  unfortunate  operations  in  Chicago,  because  of  unwise  con- 
tracts in  building  and  first  management.     But  the   Galena,  the  pio- Profits  on 
neer,  was  only  a  sample  of  what  all  might  have  been  made,  upon  which 
the  semi-annual  dividends  were  so  large,  that  to  avoid  exciting  at- 
tention, the  stock  was  "  watered"  over  and  over  again.     No  doubt  it*  influence 
this    had  its  influence  in  gathering  capital  for   roads   hitherward, 
besides  the  natural  adaptation  of  the  surrounding  country  to  them. 
Still,  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  Milwaukee,   Detroit,   and  other  western  ot^ercUies 
cities,  are  supposed  to  have  precisely  the  same  advantages;    and J^^l^''^"" 
why  has  it  been  so  difficult  for  them  to  get  their  few  railways, — the 
fewness  of  which  ought  to  have  added  to  their  profits,  rendering  them— ^^^^  °'^* 
more  desirable — when,  except  with  the  old  Galena  and  the  North- <»p'**''5"' 
western,  we  have  literally  done  nothing,  and  instead  of  our  contriving 
and  laboring  how  to  get  roads,  they  have  one  after  another  contrived 
how  to  get  into  the  city?     Surely  it  must  be   a  natural  centre  that  This  a  natn- 

°  •>  •>  _  ral  centre. 

all  the  railroad  men  of  the  country,  and  "wealthy  capitalists  excelled 

in  sagacity  by  none,  thus  agree  upon  what  is  best. 

At  first  glance  it  would  seem  that  present  results  would  only  have  Examina- 
,  i-Ti  •         t>  •  1  •       •  •^^  tion  con- 

been  obtained  by  congruity  of  interest;    and  examination  will   not  firms  uiis. 

change   first  impressions.     The  surplus  capital   of   our    countrj',  to   . 
which  all  sections  look  for  aid,  is  in  Xew  York  and  Xew  England.  It  Natural  con- 
required  no  keen  penetration,  either,  to  discern  that  the  interests  oi  \^J^rn°MiA 
that  wealthy  region  were  coincident  with  Chicago  in  drawing  busi- , j^'^^°  "*" 
ness  from   the   South  and  TTest.      Writing  constantly  for  Eastern 
papers  from  1845  to  '50,  to  acquaint  them  with  the  advantages  ofj^{t^'^t^T?o 
the  West,  this  congruity  of  interest  was  of  course  employed;  and 
probably  first  in  letters  written  in  1845  in  behalf  of  the  Boston  and 
Ogdensburgh  road,  alluded  to  p.  21,  of  which  I  have  no  copy.     IHj^^j^.^ 
1847  a  series  were  prepared  for  the  Boston  Courier,  in  the  second  of^«([^^^"- 
which,  dated  on  the  lakes,  in  the  steamer  Louisiana,  it  was  said  : —  . 

I  have  said,  I  believe,  that  the  interests  of  Boston  and  Xew  York  are  identical,  BOT*tln°and 
in  ar^angiu^  the  courses  of  trade  from  the  West,  as  far  eastward  as  to  the  New  Sew  York— 


30  Art  follows  Nature — Chicago  more  Roads  than  any  Rival. 

York  and  Erie  Railroad,  and  both  of  them  must  encounter  strong  competition  Tvith 
Pliiladelpliia  and  Baltimore,  in  insuring  to  themselves  tlie  Western  trade.     Natu- 
rally, either  of  these  two  latter  cities,  have  greatly  the  advantage  of  the  former, 
—rivalry       both  by  being  in  close  proximity  to  the  West,  and  by  the  advantage  of  navigation 
ern'ciUes^'"   *^'^  ^^^®  Ohio  River;  and  therefore  if  Boston  and  New  York  are  to  gain  the  ascen- 
dancy over  their  Southern  rivals,  or  even  equal  them  in  facilities  for  obtaining 
Western  trade,  it  must  be  by  sti-ong  and  persevering  efforts.     A  few  years  will 
connect  them  with  the  Ohio  river  by  railroads  at  Pittsburg  and  Wheeling  ;  and  it 
needs  but  a  glance  at  the  map  to  see  how  the  North   would  be  affected  were  a 
straight  line  of  railroad  to  be  continued  on  through  Columbus,   Indianapolis  and 
Terre  Haute,  to  St.  Louis.     The  bulk  of  travel  from  that  portion  of  the  West,  and 
all  the  Southwest,  would  be  directed  Eastward  by  that  route,  and  much  the  largest 
portion  of  the  trade  also,  ma,king  Boston  and  New  York  ti'ibutary,  or  at  least  sec- 
ondary, to,  their  Southern  rivals. 
They  must        '^'**^  '^'^^^  safety  to  these  cities,  is  to  give  the  trade  and  travel  a  heavy  lift  to  the 
get  business  North  as  near  to  tlie  Mississippi  as  possible.     If  eastward  routes  south  of  the  Lakes 
to  the  lakes,  can  be  cut  off  all  the  better.    They  might  rejoice   and  triumph,   could  they  be 
assured  that  tlie  Legislature  of  Illinois  would  always  do  them  as  much  good  ser- 
vice as  was  rendered  the  past  winter,  in  refusing  to  charter  a  company  to  construct 
a  railroad  from  St.  Louis  to  Terre  Haute.     And  it  is  so  much  for  the  interest  of  our 
State  generally  to  build  up  towns  within  its  own  borders,  and  to  send  the  trade 
and  travel  thnmgh  its  length  rather  than  across  it,  that  they  may  be  assured  of  our 
cordial  co-operation  to  advance  their  ends,  so  far  as  it  can  be  properly  done,  and 
perhaps  a  little  farther. 
Dog  in  the        ^^^t  Illinois  cannot  long  act  the  dog  in  the  manger.     Though  every  interest  of 
iiiauserpoi-  our  State  requires  that  tlie  Southern  trade  should  be  made  to  reach  the  East  by 
icy  will  not  ^yjjy  of  the  lakes,  there  can  be  but  one  method  of  quieting  and  controlling  public 
'^'  sentiment  on  this  subject ; — there  must  be  speedily  supplied  a  good  and  expeditious 

route  trom  the  head  of  large  steamboat  navigation  on  the  Mississippi,  to  the  East, 
by  way  of  the  Lakes. 
Road  to  Ai-       ^^^  '*'  i'ail''<''«l  Ije  built  from  Galena  to  Chicago,  and  another  line  from  Alton  to 
ton  first        Chicago,  and  with  the  present  facilities  for  getting  eastward  from  Chicago,  to- 
wanted,        gether  with  those  which  will  soon  be  added,  the  public  will  be  pretty  well  served. 
Best  route     '^^^^  route  could  lie  shortened  considerably  by  running  east  from   Springfield  to 
for  N.  Y. and  Lafayette,  and  thence  up  the   Wabash   Valley  to  Toledo,  or  from   Lafayette  to 
Boston.         Michigan  City,  but,  as  I  will  presently  show,  not  enough  to  make  it  an  object  of 
importance  to  New  York  and  Boston  ;  and  the  efft)rt  to  shorten  the  distance  by 
running  to  Lafayette,  will  bring  them  into  the  strongest  competition  with  Phila- 
delphia and  Baltimore,  as  a  road  only  about  sixty  miles  long,  running  to  the  south 
east  from  Lafayette,  will  connect  with  the  great  central  line  from  Indianapolis 
eastward. 

[Then  a  comparison  was  instituted  between  seven  routes,  from  the  Southwest  to 
Sandusky,  everyone  of  which  is  now  occupied  exactly  as  laid  down,  though  none 
were  then  built,  and  it  was  added : — ] 
Chicago's  in-  Some  mry  cvte  fellow  may  perhaps  notice  whence  these  letters  come,  and  there- 
terest  is  from  deduce  the  very  logical  inference  that,  after  all,  the  writer  probably  feels 
that  of  those  ,,^;(,,,^  ag  n^iicli  interest  in  Chicago  as  in  New  York  and  Boston.  For  the  benetit 
cities.  ^j-  jj^ij  gucii  examiners  into  the  meal  tub,  I  acknowledge  that  my  home — my  all — • 

(except  what  is  away)  is  there  located,  and  tliat  I  expect  to  prosper  just  according 
as  Chicago  prospers;  and  it  is  tcholly  because  of  the  benetit  that  our  town  must 
derive  from  the  construction  of  these  great  works,  that  I  take  the  trouble  to  write 
these  letters. 
Does  that         But  what  then?     Are  the  positions  unsound,  or  the  inferences  unfairly  drawn? 
or"'Bo'stoiiT    Because  Chicago  cannot  but  grow  and  fatten  on  these  railroads,  is  their  impor- 
tance in  the  least  diminished  to  Boston  and  New  York?    I  trow  not.     And  if  it 
can  be  made  to  appear — which  is  my  object,  and  it  is  really  the  truth — that  the 
Their  inter-  i'^^ercsts  of  the  great  cities  of  the  East — yes,  of  all  New  York  and  New  England — 
est  in  Chi-    are  identified  with  ours,  and  that  they  must  insure  to  us  prosperity  if  they  would 
cago.  prosper  themselves  to  the  largest  extent,  surely  no  friend  to  Chicago  need  desire 

more.     Our  prosperity  is  upon  a  firm  tbundation,  for  we  may  calculate  with  cer- 
tainty upon  the  speedy  construction  of  the  Galena  and  Chicago  railroad,  and  of  the 
T  **      10IO  whole  line  to  Alton. 

Letters  1848 

joM^Tand       Though  nearly  the  whole  series  could  be   appropriately   quoted, 
'mquirer.     ^pacc  must  not  be  taken.     In  1848  another  series  was  published  sitn- 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  31 

iiltaneously  in  the  Boston  Mining  Journal  and  Railroad  Gazette, 
•and  in  the  New  York  Courier  and  Enquirer.  Tliis  was  the  intro- 
duction : — 

TJiiilrodds  are  being  made  the  ofTective  means  tn  unite  the  extremes  of  our  wide  K.-uiroads  a 
spread  country.     Tliey  are  literally  being  made  the  iron  bands  l)y  which  States  '""."^  "f 
separated  by  thousands  of  miles,  are  to  be  bound  together  in  indissoluble  Union.  """°"- 
As  each  link  is  added  to  the  great  chain,  the  patriot  and  philanUiroj^ist  must  re- 
joice, and  do  willi  his  might  what  he  can  for  its  extension,  till  it  shall  ere  long  be 
tiisteiied  in  all  directions  over  this  vast  Kepublic. 

And  fnrtlier,  the  great  commercial  cities  And  railroads  yield  a  power  which  has  irr.n  arms 
become  indispensable  to  their  highest  prosperity.     As  iron  arms,  thej'  use  them  encircliug 
to  encircle   and   draw   to   themselves   distant   trade,  and  connnendable  rivalry  is  *""'"• 
growing  up  among  Atlantic  cities,  as  to  which  shall  reach  soonest  and  farthest 
into  the  richer  regions. 

VVitli  all  of  them  tlie  almost  boundless  and  inexhaustible  West,  together  with '''''."  ^*'"***^® 
the  Souliiwost,  is  the  chief  prize  for  which  they  struggle.     And  to  the  successful  '""'*'■ 
competitor  ii  will  prove  a  prize  for  which  scarcely  no  etibrts  could  have  been  too 
great,     ll  ensures  the  ascendancy  of  that  over  all  other  cities  in  the  Union  ;  and 
another  half  century  makes  it  one  of  the  most  important, — the  first,  perhaps  the 
second  or  third,  city  in  the  world. 

As  it  is  our  business  that  is  sought,  it  might  be  expected  Western  men  would  Views  of 
have  their  own  views  as  to  the  manner  in  which  it  might  be  secured,  and  it  is  my  ^^'*^^*"'"°  "'^o 
hope  to  give  in  two  or  three  short  articles,  the  opinions  prevalent  in  this  region. 
They  may  be  controverted,  but  I  will  guarantee  it  shall  only  be  by  those  whose 
interests  are  opposed  to  New  York  and  Boston. 

First,  however,  let  me  allude  to  the  entire  unity  with  which  New  York  and  n.y. and 
Boston  may  co-operate  in  getting  to  themselves  the  business  of  the  West  and  the  Boston  toco- 
Southwest.    There  should  be — there  can  be — no  competition  between  them,  till  oi'«''»t«— 
the  Western  terminus  of  the  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad  is  reached.    If  true  to  _to  draw 
tlieir  separate  intereds  they  cannot  do  otherwise  thanjyull  tocjetJier  to  draw  business  on  Xinsim-aa  to 
to  the  Lakes.  lakes. 

The  roads  considered  were,  first :     The  Illinois  Central,  which  isKoadscon- 
made   better   than   was   anticipated,  m  that  it  does  not   deflect    to 
Springfiekl,  and  also  in  takin<^  off  the  Chicago  branch  way  south  at  Central— 
Ceiitralia :    second,    the  Alton   and    Springfield,  which,    instead  of— .A.itonto 
stopping  at  Springfield,  by  intersecting  the  Central,  was  continued    "  ^^'^ 
on  to  Cliicago  :  third,  the  Buffalo  and  Mississippi,  (Lake   Shore  and  s?iore  and 
Rock  Island)   with  its  extension  to   Council  Bluffs,   and  on  to  theomaha— 
Pacific:  and  fourth,  the  Galena,  with  these  remarks  : —  — Gaieua. 

Railroads  will  probably  reach  no  further  westward  than  the  Missouri,  for  a  con-  p,,cific  road 
siderable  time,  but  it  is  wiihiu  the  bounds  of  possibility  that  one  will  be  built  in  poasiijie. 
time  clear  to  the  Pacific.    It  is,  I  say,  among  the  joossibles ;  and  as  the  construction 
of  one  to  Council  Bluffs,  would  almost  ensure  the  continuation  of  it  whenever  the 
attempt  shall  be  made,  either  by  government  or  iudividuhls,  to  build  one  to  Ore- 
gon, it  is  surely  worth  a  stnmg  etibrt  on  the  part  of  the  Atlantic  cities  to  build  the 
line  to  the  Missouri;  which,  with  no  business  or  object  beyond,  otters  sufficient  p^t  oj,^  then 
inducement  within  itself,  as  it  gives  directly  to  New  York  and  Boston  the  business  to  Omaha, 
of  a  country  tldrteen  hundred  miles  in  extent.     If  those  cities  will  but  second  the 
efforts  of  the  West,  and  obtain  a  little  aid  for  those  roads  from  Congress,  which 
can  be  given  with  positive  pecuniary  advantage  to  government,  they  will  surely 
see  them  all  finished  very  soon  ;  and  who  can  put  bounds  to  the  growth  of  cities 
sustained  and  built  up  by  the  unlimited — illimitable — trade  of  the  great  Valley  of 
the  West. 

I  have  now  presented  fonr  lines  of  railroads  in  the  West,  for  the  consideration  geifinterest 
of  the  Eastern  public,  and  particularly  for  their  members  of  Congress.     Some  may  mies. 
be  disposed  to  jeer  at  the  whole  matter,  and  think  that  they  can  "  see  far  enough 
into  a  millstone  "  to  discover  that  the  writer  seeks  probably  quite  as  much  the  j.^j.j  t^  i^^ 
advantage  of  Chicago  as  of  the  East,  in  urging  for  help  to  build  these  long  roads,  benefited. as 

I  am  not  disposed  to  deny  that  they  are  each  and  all  to  benefit  Chicago,  and  ■*veii  as 
freely  acknowledge  it  is  for  that  very  reason  I  am  at  the  trouble  of  preparing  these  ^*^*' 


32  Art  folloics  Ntiture — Chicago  more  lioads  than,  any  Rival. 


N.  Y.  and  N. 

Knj?.  to  f:ft 
tniile  thru' 
Chicago. 


Views  not 
visionary. 


Results  of  15 
years — 


— what  for  15 
to  come? 


With  aid  of 
Cougr ess  will 
reach  Coun- 
cil Bluffs  iu 
16  years. 


Predictions 
of  20  yeais 
verified. 


Bight  Btriuj 
struck. 


Kesults  at- 
tained by 
1861. 

Chicago 
roitds  built 
by  foreign 
Capitalists. 


Other  cities 
loaded  with 
debt  for 
their  few. 


ChicttKo  has 
Inure  roads 
than  all  her 
rivaU — 


papers.  But  does  tliat  affect  the  soundness  of  the  views,  as  the  East  is  regarded, 
or  theconchisions  to  which  thev  h-ad?  Because  Ciiicago  is  profited,  is  a  tittle 
of  the  advantage  to  otliers  diminisheci?  Has  not  that  whole  region,  as  well  as 
Chicao-o,  a  deep^a  vital  interest  in  the  building  of  each  and  all  these  roads? 

Yes"  it  is  because  Chicago  is  backed  up  by  the  influence  and  power  of  that  great 
and  strong  portion  of  the  Jnion,  that  we  are  so  contident  of  its  future  growth. 
New  York  and  New  England,  if  true  to  themselves,  will  secure  a  good  part  of  the 
trade  of  the  Missi.ssippi  Valley,  and  they  mud  gd  it  through  Chicago.  They  may 
study  and  tigure  about  it  as  they  please,  and  will  come  to  no  other  conclusion  ;  and 
therefore  I  say  unhesitatingly,  that  their  public  men,  their  members  of  Congress, 
if  they  neglect  or  refuse  to  render  these  roads  all  reasonable  countenance  and 
support,  do  not  discharge  their  whole  duty  to  their  constituents.  A  very  impor- 
tant part  is  left  undone. 

Some  may  consider  the  project  visionary — that  all  these  roads  in  the  wilds  of  the 
West  cannot  be  built  in  a  quarter  or  even  half  a  century.  In  reply  I  would 
merely  remark,  that  iu  October  of  1832,  I  left  my  New  Knglaud  home  and  came 
here  to  live.  The  Mohawk  and  Hudson  Railroad,  which  I  believe  was  the  first 
built  in  the  country,  had  then  just  been  finished,  and  we  went  over  it  by  horse 
power,  sixteen  miles,  in  about  two  hours  and  a  half.  See  how  much  has  been 
accomplished  since  that  time  in  railroad  and  steamboat  enterprises.  A  journey 
which  then  took  me  nearly  three  iceelcs  I  can  now  perform  during  the  season  of 
navigation  mfour  days  and  a  half,  and  within  fifteen  months  it  can  be  done  in  less 
than  three  days.  It  fifteen  years  past  have  accomplished  so  much,  what  will  fifteen 
years  to  come  do  ? 

Considering  the  experience  acquired  in  railroads  within  the  past  few  years,  the 
increased  ability  of  the  country  both  to  build  and  to  sustain  them,  and  the  greater 
demand  for  them  for  quick  travel  and  transportation ;  and  it  is  difficult  to  say 
where  railroads  will  be  terminated  fifteen  years  hence.  I  am,  at  all  events,  willing 
to  stake  my  credit  for  foresight  on  the  prediction,  that  with  reasonable  aid,  which 
Congress  may  and  ought  to  render  to  these  roads,  they  shall  all  be  built  within  that 
time,  and  the  one  to  Council  Bluffs,  also. 

More  space  must  not  be  taken,  though  it  is  quite  satisfactory  to 
look  over  views  nearly  twenty  years  old,  and  observe  their  full  ac- 
complishment and  more,  and  on  the  routes  anticipated.  Had  Congress 
aided,  would  not  more  than  five  years  have  been  saved  ?  May  it  not 
be  possible,  that  the  continued  reiteration  of  the  joint  interests  of 
eastern  capitalists  with  those  of  Chicago — for  it  was  truly  tlie  string 
to  harp  on,  and  was  pretty  continuously  played  till  1850 — had  some 
influence  to  bring  about  the  result  argued  for,  and  in  which  Chicago 
abundantly  rejoices  ?  The  results  had  been  so  well  attained  in  1861, 
that  iu  the  circular  it  was  said  in  continuation  of  the  remarks,  p.  26: 

No  Tax  for  Railroad  Indebtedness. — These  roads  have  been  mostly  built  for  us  by 
strangers.  Parties  not  interested  in  Chicago  have  furnished  nearly  tlic  whole  of 
tlie  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  dollars  spent  in  their  construction,  either  because 
tile  roads  themselves  were  desirable,  or  as  feeders  to  Eastern  roads.  Nothing  could 
more  perfectly  demonstrate  this  to  be  the  natural  centre  of  the  West.  Witli 
trifling  effort  and  no  liability  on  our  part,  have  their  forty-five  hundred  miles  been 
stretched  in  all  directions.  Except  the  Galena,  the  pioneer  road,  little  has  been 
a.sked  of  us  in  their  entire  construction,  but  permission  to  reach  the  city;  while 
St.  Louis,  Milwaukee,  Detroit,  and  other  Western  cities,  are  weighed  down  with 
intiebtedness  to  get  the  few  they  have,  and  their  States  have  also  been  compelled 
to  issue  many  millions  of  bonds  to  aid  them.  There  is  much  satisfaction  in  the 
complete  fulfilment  of  my  prediction  to  this  effect,  made  thirteen  years  ago,  above 
quoted. 

Though  Chicago  has  many  more  miles  of  road  than  all  the  cities  united,  that 
have  been  thought  her  rivals,  she  owes  not  a  dollar  on  account  of  them ;  and  the 
seven  per  cent,  of  gross  earnings,  perpetually  accruing  to  Illinois  from  the  Central 
Uiiilroiid,  will  about  defray  the  expenses  of  the  State  government,  making  taxation 
very  light.  This  exemption  from  state  and  city  tax  on  account  of  railways,  is  a 
more  important  consideration  in  favor  of  Chicago  investments  than  other  cities 
will  now  admit,  but  which  will  in  a  few  years  be  domoiistrated. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  33 

So  notorious  is  tlie  fact  tliat  we  liave  done  iiotliiiiLr,  that  the  linan-  '"'"•  ^■"'" 

■  ■- '  (jiiiitcH  II  wri- 

cial  editor  of  the  Cliicaii^o  Times  treats  the  matter  facetiouslv  : —  t.rir..iii 

Some  person  writing  from  Omaha  to  the  Cincinnati  Commereial,  indulges  in  tlie 
following: 


iue  leeeui  uuiuiiiuuoii  oi  a  rauroaa  irom  UMicago  lo  l^maha — a  hnk  tiOD  miles  Tnuir'turnpd 
ing— gives  an  instructive  instance  of  how  enlerpriKe  can  reverse  th(!  current  of  [>•""' S'Lou- 
•ade.  Wt.  Louis  formerly  monopolized  the  trade  of  tlils  (Mly  and  section,  xia  the  '" ^''''^"''"' 
[issouri  river.     Now  Cliicago  is  autocrat  of  tlie  situation.     Uuiaha  eats  Chicaco 


"The  recent  completion  of  a  railroad  from  Chicago  to  Omaha— a  link  GOO  miles  TmOr. turned 

long 1: 

trade. 

Missouri  iivei.  j-xow  v,iin;;igo  la  auLocrai  oi  me  suuaiion.  uuialia  eats  Ulucago 
groceries,  wears  Chicago  dry  goods,  builds  with  Chicago  lumber,  and  leads 
Chicago  newspapers. 

"  The  ancient  store  boxes  in  the  cellar  have  '  St.  Louis'  stenciled  on  them  ;  those  8t.  Louis' 
on  the  pavement,  'Cliicago.'     St.  Louis  might  have  retained  the  trade  l»y  building  "''^■""'"K*^^ 
a  railroad  not  as  long  as  that  from  Omaha  to  Chicago;  but  it  failed  to  aclpromptiv, 
and  has  now  but  the  feeblest  hold  on  the  trade  of  Nebraska  and  western  Iowa.    It 
is  veiy  impressive  to  hear  St.  Louis  talk  about  its  magnificent  geogra|)hical  bless- 
ings, its  many  thousand  miles  of  tributary  navigable  rtvers,  but  it  sJiould  know  by 
this  time  that  steamboats  cannot  compete  with  locomotives.     It  has  lost  a  trade  — hard  to  r- 
here  of  several  millions  ])er  annum  ;  a  trade  that  tardy  energy  cannot  recover."     cover 

This  correspondent,  while  he  probably  places  a  proper  estimate;  upon  the  value  p.,.  ,„  ■,. 
of  this  railroad  in  a  commercial  point  of  view,  and  the  advantages  which  it  gives  nJn,!"'   '" 
Chicago,  betrays  a  shocking  ignorance  of  the  intluences  and  causes  which  led  to  roads— 
the  completion  of  the  railroads  to  which  he  alluded,  and  the  general  quality  of  the 
article  known  among  outsiders  as  "Chicago  enterprise."     Chicago  did  not  build 
this  railroad  ;  we  very  much  doubt  whether  a  half  dozen  business  men  can  be  found 
in  the  city  who  contributed  one  single  penny  towards  its  construction,  or  thought 
it  worth  while  to  give  encouragement  to  the  enterprise  when  it  was  merely  a  rail- 
road in  prospect.     Chicago  has  built  none  of  her  railroads.  *  *  * 

And  this  is  not  a  new  thing,  confined  to  remote  railroad  connections.     The  same 
thing  has  existed  here  always.     At  no  time  has   Chicago  contributed  anything  ""^^^"^ 
towards  the  construction  of  railroads,  not  even  a  penny  to  the  railroads  which  im- 
mediately centre  here.     Other  men  have  constructed  the  railroad.s,  and  our  business  •^'^"'•' '"''° 
men  have  been  content  to  grow  rich  upon  the  general  prosperity  which  these  j-^ji.  i'"'!*"*"^™- 
roads  have  created.     The  railroads  have  created  the  city,  not  the  city  the  railroads, 
and  Chicago  to-day  has  no  creative  powers  to  expend  in  this  direction.     There 
have  been  a  few  men  in  Chicago  who  have  made  railroads  their  business,  and  have 
given  their  time  and  their  capital  to  their  construction,  but  as   to  business  men 

generally  lending  them  any  encouragement  or  assistance,  everybody  knows  better. 
***** 

The  other  day  one  of  the  "Wisconsin  railroads,  operated  in  the  Milwaukee  inter-  Noaidfora 
est,  attempted  to  shut  off  Chicago  from  the  trade  of  Minnesota,  by  refusing  lo  road  to  Min- 
transport  freight  destined  for  Chicago,  upon  the  same  terms  as  freight  destined  for  "esota— 
Milwaukee,  and  our  business  men  were  called  upon  to  buy  the  bonds  of  a  new 
road  north  from  Madison,  which  would  re-open  to  Chicago  the  trade  of  Minnesota. 
The  amount  realized  was  contemptible. 

Not  long  since  delegates  from  Kansas  City  endeavored  to  induce  the  bu.siness  _j,or  for 
men  of  Chicago  to  lend  money,  on  the  best  possible  security,  to  construct  a  short  Kansas  and 
line  from  Kansas  City  to  Cameron,  a  trifling  link,  which  would  open  to  Chicago  Canit-ron 
the  trade  of  western   Kansas,  Missouri  and  New  Mexico.    But  the  Kansas  City'^"*  " 
gentlemen,  despite  their  eloquence  and  zeal,  left  Chicago  with  less  money  in  their 
pockets  than  when  they  entered  it. 

Chicago  build  railroads  !    Nonsense  !    We  have  permitted  others  to  build  them  gj^^,  permits 
sometimes,  provided  they  would  make  Cliicago  a  terminal  point,  and  give  us  all  romls  to 
the  benefits  resulting  from  their  construction,  without  expense  or  trouble.     It  is  come  in. 
doubtful  whether  we  will  give  onr  permission  much  longer.  *  * 

Oiir  rivals  themselves  have  for  years  perceived  the  truth,   though  j^j^.^i^^pe 

vainly  seeking  for  satisfactory  reasons,  because  of  their  ntnvilling- [,'','( '/Jf,'!,'; 

ness  to  admit  that  the  city  of  the  lakes  had  advantages  over  the  eity  "jg","J)Jt" 

of  the  rivers.     A  slip,  of  which  the  source  and  date  are  unknown, 

the  latter  part  being  lost,  but  which  was  probably  cut  in  1801,  be- ^^^  ^^^ 

cause  it  was  mainly  from  the  St.  Louis  Democrat,  says :  issi. 


34  Art  Follows  Xuture — Chicago  more  Hoads  than  any  Rival. 

Queen  of  the      Tlie  Citi/  that  Worships  a  B  iter. —In  Satunlay's  issue  we  publislu-d  an   art';. 

rivers  i'^«n«  from  the  Brunswick  (Mo.)  Central  City,  showing  that  the  tide  of  commerce  of  t; 

"^'•fViitr"^  Grand   River  Vallev  of  ^[issouri  is  iiow  tending  towards  Chicago,  and  that  m. 

''*'"     ""     Loiiis  is  fiist  losing  "the  trade  of  its  own  State.     Below  will  be  found  an  artid. 

from  the  Missouri"i)( wofm^  verifying  tlie  statements  therein  made,  and  revealiiii: 

a  decline  in  the  trade  and  commerce  of  St.  Louis  which  few  people  dreamed  of: 

.V...  Pern.  "  Yesterdav,  we  published  a  table  in  our  commercial  columns,  which  must  ha>v 

aamitsthe     furnished  our  merchants,  or  rather  the  entire  body  of  our  citizens,  with  food  lir 

""""'—         trrave  retlection— we  had  almost  said,  cause  for  alarm.     "We  refer  to  the  tabula 

statement  of  the  receipts  of  produ<'e  by  river  and  rail  in  this  city  for  the  curr.  '  t 

—figures       and  preceding  vear.     In  the  article  of"  flour  there  is,  it  appears,  a  falling  oft' th- 

given.  ^.^^.^^.  compared  with  last  vear  up  to  the  same  date,  (4th  of  October),  of  more  tiiaii 

"200.000  barrels.     The  de"crease    in    wheat   exceeds  400.000  bushels;  and   in   oats 

nearly  the   same  enornKuis  depreciation  is  experienced.      Still,  comparing  both 

years"  for  the  same  period,  we  find  a  falling  off  in  hemp  to  the  extent  of  6,510  bales, 

and  in  wliiskv  of  17,090  barrels. 

Cause  for  "This  showing  is  calculated  to  inspire  grave  concern  in  all — while  it  calls  for  the 

alarm.  serious  deliberation  of  our  capitalists  and  business  men.     "Whatever  may  be  its 

causes,  (and  we  believe  that  they  are  neither  occult  nor  remote,)  no  one  can  refuse 

to  recognize  in  the  ligures  we  have  quoted  the  register  of  the  startling  and  rapid 

decline'of  a  most  important  branch  of  our  commerce.     It  may  be  said  they  only 

show  an  eddy  in  the  current,  an  ebb  in  tlie  sea  of  our  prosperity,  but  to  assume 

tlie  correctness  of  any  such  hypothesis,  would,  it  seems  to  us,  be  fatuitous  in  the 

vicUm  of  il-,.xtreme.    St.  Louis  lias  been  the  victim  of  illusion  long  enough,  and  the  sooner 

lusiou.  gjj^^  awakes  to  a  sense  of  her  real  position,  the  sooner  will  she  redeem  the  past, 

improve  the  present,  and  forecast  the  future. 
Chi.  trade         '•  j^  contrast  to  the  state  of  things  here,  we  find  a  marvelous  augmentation  in 
lucreusiug.    ^j^^^  receipts  of  produce  in  Chicago  tins  year — or,  more  correctly  speaking,  of  the 
article  which  is  the  great  staple  i^  that  city — compared  with  last  year.     The  quan- 
titv  of  wheat  and  flour  received  there  last  month  was  little  less  than  double  the 
quantity  received  in  the  same  month  of  the  preceding  year,  and  exceeded  by 
500,000"bushels,  (expressing  the  flour  in  wheat  measure)  the  quantity  received  in 
September,  1857 — a  year  which  was  distinguished  liy  abundant  harvests,  and  in 
which  nnprccedented  quantities  of  grain  souglit  the  Chicago  mart.       *      *      * 
X.Y.  and  "  Without  enlarging  furtlier  on  the  foregoing  topics,  we  will  say  that  they  are 

Boston  in  fraught  with  solemn  warnings  to  the  people  of  St.  Louis,  and  especially  to  the  mer- 
coiiipetition  cantile  and  manufacturing  classes  who  govern  its  aflairs.  The  fact  can  no  longer 
iI,'\hrougu"" ''e  concealed  that  Xew  York  and  Boston  have  steadily  come  into  competition  with 
ciiicago.  St.  Louis,  and  with  no  mean  success,  for  the  commerce  of  the  Missouri  river  coun- 
try, ^[uch  of  the  produce  which  found  its  way  to  market  solely  by  that  river,  is 
Wall  street  n»''w  transported  overland  to  the  East;  and  we  learn  from  undoubted  authority 
plans  ad-  th.at  a  system  of  railroad  extension  is  projected  liy  the  capitalists  of  Wall  street, 
verse.  which  will  narrow  the  commercial  territorv  of  St.  Louis  to  a  very  limited  compass 

indeed,  unless  these  enterprises  are  encountered  on  our  part  with"  energy  and  Avis- 
dom. 
Treason  "  Some  weeks  ago,  we  adverted  to  the  sinister  feeling  manifested  in  St.  Joseph, 

home^  (whieli  city  is  at  present  the  frontier  fortress  of  Xew  York  and  Boston  cupidity), 
in  connection  with  the  proposition  for  extending  the  Pacific  Railroad  to  Kansas 
City,  and  we  remarked  that  Missouri  was  virtually  dismembered,  in  a  commercial 
membe'rwl  '''^'"*'-''  by  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad.  "The  statement  is  but  too  true. 
The  figures  prove  it.  One  of  our  local  contemporaries  made  the  remark  a  text 
for  a  display  of  generosity  at  our  expense  and  in  favi-ir  of  the  interests  which  con- 
trol that  Railroad,  and  which  are  undoubtedly  antagonistic  to  the  interests  of  St. 
Louis."        *        *        * 


True  about       ^^  sh^W  See  tliiit  the  defection  of  the  Ilimnibal  and  St.  Joseph 

lian.  and 

Jo.  roads. 


iian.aod  st.j.Qj^^j  jg  fnUy  established,  and  that  it  is  not  more  in  the  interest  of 


"New  York  and  Boston"  than  of  a  city  a  little  nearer.  But,  lest 
that  article  be  thought  antiqtiated  and  valueless,  an  extract  is  taken 
from  the  Missouri  HepubUcan.  of  the  twentv-fifth  of  Xovember  last, 

Mo.  Rep.,  ,..,,.  .  .  ^  .  .  .  *,  ,       , 

•25th  Novem-  sliowing  Cliicago  IS  quitc  a  favorite  city  with  somebody  : — 

ber,  '67. 

Chicago — St.  Louis — The  Bridge. — Again  and  again  the  question  recurs  :  How  is 
cw"<  utBt  •  '^  ^''***^  Chicago  outstrips  St.  Louis  in^acquiring'the  means  whereby  her  business 
St.  lI"  "  "^  ^'^'^  prosperity  are  increased  ?    That  she  does  so^caunot  be  denied.    That  by  means 


T*ast,  Present  and  Patare  of  CIucckjo  Investments.  3o 

of  l)er  railroads  ;uk1  otlx-r  means  (irtniiieportation,  and  lier  other  acquired  faeiliiies  "•-"  ""«'^'-  ■: 
of  doii)i,r  ))usiiu!.ss,  she  has  drawn  to  lierj-elf  a  ^^real  proportion  of  thi:  trade  of  ii,t.  "yihwwt. 
Northwest  in  the  large  items  of  grain,  cattle  and  hogs,  besides  many  minor  articles, 
is  ajjparcnt  to  all. 

How  did  she  get  these  facilities?    Have  her  people  greater  enterprise  than  ours?  wi.o  h.ip<, 
They  do  not  appear  to  have  gieater  industry  or  greater  economy  Ihau  we  have. '-''''^e"' 
They  have  not  greater  natural  advantages  or  acquired  cajjilal,  yet  whi-rever  any-  n„„,|v„„. 
thing  is  to  be;  done  for  the  good  of  Ciiicago,  somebody  is  lound  to  do  it;  wiietiier  i.i(j...i, no'' 
to  build  a  railroad  or  an  elevator,  or  a  ealllepen,  or  a  bridge,  or  to  prevent  oliiers  cuijiiai— 
building  them  for  the  advantage  of  some  oilier  place,  there  Chicago  is,  to  do  or  to  _ 
hinder  the  doing,  as  may  be  for  her  interest ;  and  with  her  sliarp,  shrewd,  active  BuppUed!'^ 
men,  always  fully  alive  and  wide-awake,  usually  accomplishing  lier desires.     Keen, 
sharji-sighted.and  longsighted,  quick  and  bold  to  the  verge  of  audacity,  persistent, 
and  the  censorious  say  unscrupuhius,  they  rush  on,  rejecting  doubts  and  conquer- 
ing difficulties,  to  triumi)hant  success  and  prosperity.     Even  just  now,  liere  in  our 
midst,  she  is  tliought  to  have  her  emissaries,  and  they  of  her  most  wily,  seeking 
her  advancement  by  hindering  our  progress.  *  *  * 

Now,  does  not  this  Chicago  arrangement  indicate  to  some  extent  the  dinerencc  DiflTorcnt 
between  the  management  of  St.  Louis  and  Chicago?     In  Chicago  it  is  recognized  I'-inngeni^nt 
that  whatever  benefits  one  branch  of  trade  or  business  benefits  all,  and  all  are  dis-  [.".j^''  J^-*""* 
posed  to  assist  each  and  every  enterprise,  at  least  to  the  extent  of  well-wishing ;     "^"*  ' 
•whilst  in  St.  Louis  it  frequently  happens  that,  when  useful  improvemenis  are  pro- 
posed, they  are  discouraged  by  open  opposition  or  callous  inditference,  or  sneering 
contempt  of  the  ability  of  the  proposers  and  of  the  soundness  of  their  plans,  or  a 
selfish  jealousy  lest  somebody  should  derive  some  peculiar  advantage  from  the 
improvement.  *  *  *  *  * 

Too  much  credit  by  fur  is  accorded  us  for  our  own  wit  and  energy,  Too  mnch 
whicli  they  usually  deem  preferable  to  acknowledging  tlie  truth.     Aschic^o— 
we  have  seen,  it  is  the  wisdom  of  New  York  and  New^  England  capi- 
talists, who   have   so  Avell  discerned  the   natural  advantages  which 
ChicasTO  offers  to  promote  their  own  interests,  which  has  wrouirht  thetoN.v.  aud 

.         .  .  N.Kng. 

results.     When  the  same  congruity  is  equally  apparent  in  St.  Louis, 
she  will  not  be  so  neglected.     Not  only  St.  Louis,  however,  discovers,, 

•^  ,  ,    •'  '  Kansas  sees 

the  magic  power,  though  denying  its  cause,  but  even  in  that  great  t^"  truth- 
State  to    the  west  of  her,   the  same  ideas  prevail,  except  that  the 
Kansas  editor   supposes    all    is   really    done   by    Chicago.      Says   a_2^^„^ 
recent  Lawrence  Tribune  : —  TnUuM. 

St.  Louis  and  Chicago. — The  St.  Louis  Democrat,  in  a  very  sensible  article  re-  Cf>nfirin8  St. 
cently,  animadverts  in  strong  terms  against  the  apathy  of  the  business  men  and  ■'^'s  ■^"'• 
capitalists  of  tliat  city,  in  regard  to  their  railroad  interests.    In  reviewing  its  rail- 
road s}"steni,  the  Democrat  saj'S  : 

"  From  this  review  of  roads  now  in  existence,  it  appears  that  St.  Louis  has  un-  gt  Loujg 
interrupted  railroad  communication  with  eighteen  counties  in  tliis  State,  and  none  miiroads 
at  all  in  any  other  Stale.     "Whh  the  bridges  at  St.  Louis  and  St.  Charles,  it  ■will '■''''c''  3«_ 
have  direct' connection  with  Central  Illinois,  and  with  eight  other  counties  in  this  *^''"°  '^* 
State.     By  the  transfer  at  Macon,  we  reach  ten  other  counties — thirty-six  in  all. 
By  the  transfer  at  Ivansas  City,  we  reach  part  of  Kansas.     And  this,  at  present, 
is  "the  railroad  system  of  St.  Louis.    Is  it  strange  that  our  merchants  find  business 
dull  ? 

"Chicago  already  has  unbroken  connection  with  sixty-nine  counties  in    that  chicaKo an 
State,  with  the  railroads  of  Wisconsin,  Indiana,  3Iichigan,  ilinnesota,  Iowa,  Ne- the  west, 
braska,  and,  as  soon  as  the  bridge  at  Quincy  is  completed,  will  have  unbroken  con- 
nection with  the  most  populous  half  of  Missouri." 

This  truthful  statement  not  only  clearly  shows  the  present  position  of  St.  Loui.s,  ^^^^  tells  of 
but  tells  unmistakably  of  the  future.     It  shows  that  unless  more  energy,  and  life,  the  future, 
and  spirit,  are  exhibited  than  heretofore,  instead  of  being  the  metropolis   of  the 
West,  it  will  degenerate  into  a  third  or  fourth-rate  city,  clipped  of  its  power  and 
strength  by  its  own  folly.     Chicstgo  is  extending  her  lines  of  railroads  to  us,  fur-  Chicago 
nishing  money  to  build  our  own  lines,  advertising  her  business  throughout  the  i'^esexteud- 
Statc,  and  offering  other  inducements  that  may  prove  irresistible  in  the  course  of '"S- 


36 


Art  Follows  Nature — Chicago  more  Roach  than  any  Rival. 


time  IsSt  Louisdoins^anvthing?  *  *  *  *  Chicago  builds  her  Inindrecls  of 
miles  of  railroad,  not  oiilv  building  up  the  places  with  which  she  comes  in  com- 
municiition  but  getting  back  cent  per  cent  on  the  investment,  and  if  St.  Louis 
Resultssnre.  pj^^j^^^^  .,(  [\[^,  comparatively  insignilicant  costs  of  such  undertakings  as  this,  specu- 
lation as  to  whicii  will  gain  the  trade  of  the  West  is  entirely  unnecessary— the 
question  being  as  easily  answered  now  as  a  hundred  years  hence. 


Art  follows 
nature. 


Policy  to 
continue. 


Solomon 
followed. 


Is  it  not  quite  evident  that  Art  has  only  followed  Nature's  lead? 
If  not  it  will  become  more  and  more  so,  nntil  St.  Louis  herself  shall 
confess — she  even  does  already,  as  we  shall  see  still  more — tliat  the 
Queen  of  the  Lakes  has  the  mastery  of  the  Queen  of  the  Rivers, 
because  Art,  operating  with  Capital,  has  truly  followed  Nature's 
lead.  And  wdth  vigor  strengthening  year  after  year,  the  necessity 
continues  for  pursuing  the  same  wise  policy.  Here  again  most  truly 
shall  it  be  said,  "  The  thing  that  hath  been,  it  is  that  which  shall  be  ; 
and  that  whicli  is  done,  is  that  whicli  shall  be  done  ;  and  there  is  no 
new  thing  under  the  sun."     Beyond  a  question, — 

The  Focal  Point  of  the  Great  West  is  Fixed  Immovably  by 
OVER  Seven  Thousand  Five  Hundred  of  its  Eleven  Thousand 
Miles  of  Railway,  Centering  at  Chicago. 

What  might  have  been  doubted  in  some  minds  in  1861,  Avith  4,500 
miles  of  railroads,  is  fully  established  in  1867  by  7,500  miles, — * 

15  Trunk  Lines,  and  45  Railroads,  Centering  in  Chicago,  with  20  Branches,  more  or 

less  Tributary. 


Bailways 
centering  in 

'1 
1.  *Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  LaCrosee 

yunks 
2S5 
60 
90 

'194 
216 
85 
47 
242 
75 
33 

Br'ch's 

'"96 

27 

"73 

181 

"Ti 

388 

Tr 

Miles  brought  forward 

*llannibal  and  St.  Joseph 

unks 

3,718 

206 

45 

80 

45 

325 

33 

Br'ch'S 
388 

Chicago 

t.ihi  trunks, 
2,211 

Milwaukee  to  Portage  City 

Watertown  to  Sun  Prairie 

2.*>Iilwaukee  and  Prairie  du  Cbien... 

♦McGregor  to  St.  Paul 

*St.  Paul  and  Pacific 

♦Atchison  and  Pike's  Peak 

branches. 

♦Pacific,  K.  D 

St.  Joseph  to  Savannah 

15 

163 

3.  *Chicago  and  Northwestern 

53 

Yates  City  to  Lewiston 

9.  ♦Chicago,  Alton  and  St  Louis 

Jacksonville  and  Bloomington 

10.  ♦Ills.  Cent.  (Chicago  to  Cairo) 

Centralia  to  Freeport 

St.  L.  and  Vincennes  to  Seymour 
St.  L.  &  T.  H.  to  Indianapolis.... 
Keokuk  to  Lafayette,  G't  West. 

Peoria  to  Logansport 

11. ♦Louisville.  New  Albany  and  Chi.. 

'28O 
179 
365 
275 

"296 

30 

Kenosha  to  Rockford 

Escanaha  to  Marquette 

4.  *Clii.  and  Nor.  West,  (to  Freeport).. 
*llls.  Cent.  (Freeport  to  Dunleith).. 

*Dubuque  and  Sioux  City 

Farley  to  Cellar  Rapids 

75 

121 

68 

143 

56" 

32 

48 

108 

356 

525 

182 

160 

50 

"253 

262 

287 
172 

Fox  River  Valley 

5.*Chi.  and  N.  W.  (.June,  to  Clinton)., 
♦^linton  to  Omaha 

132 

Jeffersonville  to  Lafayette 

172 
45 

Lawrence  to  Indianapolis 

12.  ♦Chi.  and  Gt.  Eastern  to  Cincinnati 

"294 

90 

6.  *Cliicago  and  Rock  Island 

♦Pacific  to  DesMoines 

Wilton  to  Washington 

Coal  Valley 

75 

13.  ♦Pitteburg  and  Fort  Wayne 

463 
244 
143 

47 

71 

210 

130 

100 

3,718 

Elkhorn  to  Toledo 

Laporte  to  Plymouth 

Peoria  to  Pekin  and  Virginia 

7.*Chi.  and  Quincy  (to  Burlington)... 

30 
45 

284 
■,254 

8.   Chi.  B.  and  Q.  (from  Galesburg)... 
Miles  carried  forward 

Total  tributary  miles 

2,211 

*  Some  roads  styled  branches  in  the  previous  list,  are  here  reckoned  as  trunk  lines.  The  Fox  River 
Valley,  for  instance,  and  the  Madisou,  are  as  valuable  as  the  same  number  of  miles  on  the  Northwestern 
main  line.     So  at  the  end  of  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph,  are  several  extending  west  that  will  be  long 

direct  ex-   l'"*"-    Also,  the  cross  lines  south  styled  branches,  are  extended  as  far  east  as  Indianapolis,  and  they 

tensioDB.         might  with  propriety  be  extended  farther.    The  direct  extensions  from   Chicago  are  marked  with  an 


What  aro 
trunk 
lines — 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments. 


37 


To  claim  these  as  Cliicai^o  roads,  it  is  not  necessary  that  they  con-!'"'"',  »''"'« 

,         ^  •'  •'  biiBiufiin  not 

duct  to  US  their  whole  business.     Tlu'  Milwaukee  and  La  Cro^sse,  Ibr '^''''"'»<'- 
example,  gives  much  business  to  INliluaukee,  yet   more  to   Chicago, 
not  only  by  the  3Iil\vaukee  road,  but  also  by  the  Noith \v(_-stern.      So 
the  Alton  and    St.   Louis  gives  much   business  to  those  places,  yet 
more  to  Chicago  than  to  both  of  them.     The  only  point  of  dispute  siioiii.i  croM 
about  the  list  is  whether  the    Great  Western,  and   the  other  tlireer^eku.K-d? 
south  of  it,  east  and  west,  should  be  included.      For  reasons  hereaf- 
ter given,  it  is  doubtful  whetlier  even  the    Vincennes    and    Terre 
Haute  roads  are  of  as  much  benefit  to   St.  Louis  as  to  Chicago;  and 
certain  it  is  that  of  the  wholesale  business  on  them,  Chicago  alr(!ady 
does  a  large   share,  and  steadily  increases  her  proportion.     If  four 
opposition   lines   cross   ours,   Chicago,   too,  has  four  crossing  them, 
each  of  which  takes  some  of  the  business  which  has  come  upon  them 
to  reach    Chicago.     A  little  from  each  fed  into  each  of  the  four  to  ^„ . 

y  Chicago  gets 

Chicago,  gives  in  the    aggregate   more   than   any  other  one  city  de- T''"  ^"■"''**' 
rives   from    them.      They   may,    therefore,    well    be    included    aso"*'*^"^- 
branches  ;  and  if  Chicago   is  to  be  the  manufacturing  and  commer- 
cial   centre   which  the    main    trunks   seem    to    insure,   those    styled 
branches   will  become  more  and  more  Chicago  roads.     We  should 
also  take  into  account  the — 

Other  Railways    West  of  the   Toledo  and   Cincinnati  Road,  and  North  of  the  Ohio 

River. 


Shcboygau  and  Foud  du  Lac 20 

Miltou  to  Brookfleid 48 

North  Missouri  (to  Macon) 170 

Pacific  (St.  Louis  to  Leavenworth) 309 

Southwest   Pacific 89 

St.  Louis  and  Iron  Mountain 87 

Seymour  to  Cincinnati 87 

Miles  carried  forward 810 


Miles  brought  forward 810  Other  rail- 
Indianapolis  to  Piqua 115  ways  in 

Indianapolis  to  Sidney 119  northwest. 

Lafayette  to  Toledo 203 

Detroit  to  (Jrand  Haven 189 

Adrian  to  Saginaw 110 

Total 1,646 


Ot  even   these   1,500   miles,   Chicago   gets  considerable  business,  GiveChicago 

T-iii  1  n  1  I'll  t         1     •        seme  l"l8i 

and  Will  have  more  and  more  irom  taein,   besides  the  gradual  in-ness— 
crease  farther  and  farther  into  Ohio,   and  to  the  south   and  south- 

— will  more. 

west,  which  is  inevitable,  unless  the  railway  system  of  the  West  can 
be  changed.     We  have,  then,  this — 

Total  of  Railroads  in  tJie  Northioest. 

Miles. 

Trunk  Lines  tributary  to  Chicago 7.2.')4  Total  roads 

Branch  Lines  tributary  to  Chicago 2,211 iu  northwest 

Chicago  Trunk  Lines  and  Brandies 9,465 

other  Lines  paying  some  tribute 1,646 

Total  Railroads  West  of  Toledo  and  Cincinnati  Road,  and  North  of  the  Ohio 11,011 

But,  to  make  the  calculation  satisfactory  to  the  investigator  most  i.ges  miles 

•       1  ^   r~n   •  •  ^  ii  1  -1    ^  i  /.  deducted 

jealous  of  Chicago,  we  suppose  nothing  comes  trom  the  other  1,540  oomchi- 
miles,  and  abate  nineteen  hundred  sixty-Jive  miles  from  the  Chicago '^^''''^ 
roads  proper,  claiming  07ily  seven  thousand  Jive  hundred  of  the  eleven 

asterisk;  and  except  the  Atchison  and  Pike's  Peak,  ami  St.  .loseph  lo  Leavenworth,  (No.  8.)  they  are 
all  direct  continuations.  The  road  from  Escanaba  to  Marquette,  it  is  true,  lacks  the  intermediate  con- 
nection with  the  main  line  at  Fort  Howard.  Yet  for  its  length  it  is  the  most  valuable  of  our  trunk 
lineSj  for  it  brings  the  iron  ore  that  is  to  make  Chicago  one  of  the  chief  cities  in  iron  manufactures. 


38  Focal  Point  fixed  at  Chicago  by  7,500  miles  Eaihcay. 

—leaves  thousaiKl,  wliicli  still  leaves  this  city  nearly  two-thirds  of  all  the  roads 
twu-thirds Jf i'yj,  tJie,  N'oHhioest.     Is  not   Chicago  now  the  focal  point?     And  what 

possibility  is  there  of  a  change,  in  view  of  the  extent  to  which  her 

trunk  lines  have  already  been  carried  to  all  points  of  the  compass, 
pof»XV"    except  those  from  east  to  north,  where  we  have  what  is  still  better 

lli.ui  as  many  more  railways,  in  Michigan's  deep  crystal  bed,  as  Ave 

sliall  see.     Let  us  ascertain  the — 

Length  of  Fifteen  Contimious  Trunk  Lines  from  Chicago. 

.  Miles. 

Coutiiiuoiis       I     Chicago.  Milwaukee  and  La  Crosse,  to  Chatfield  in  Minnesota 335 

lines  Iroui       .j      JliUvankee  and  Prairie  du  Chien,  to  Lake  Minuetonka  in  Minnesota 494 

Cuieago.  3      Chicago  and  Noitliwestern,  to  Fort  Howard 242 

4.  Chicago  and  Northwi'stern  and  Illinois  Central,  to  Dubuque  and  Iowa  Falls 332 

5.  Chicago  and  Nurthwistcrn.  to  Clinton,  Omaha,  and  the  Rocky  Mountains 974 

6.  Chicago,  Hock  Island  and  Pacific,  to  Des  Moines 342 

7.  Chicago,  Unrlington  and  Missouri,  to  Chariton 340 

8.  Chicago,  Quincy,  Ilannihal  and  St.  Joseph,  Cameron  and  Kansas,  and  Pacific 676 

9.  Chicago,  Alton  and  St.  Louis 280 

10.  Illinois  Central,  Chiiago  to  Cairo 362 

11.  Louisville,  New  Albany  and  Chicago 290 

12.  Chicago  and  Great  Eastern,  to  Cincinnati 294 

13.  Pittsburgh  and  Fort  Wayne , 46S 

14.  Michigan  Southern 244 

15.  Michigan  Central 284 

Total 5,960 

Where  the  Now,  if  already  one  single  city  of  the  West,  feeble  in  capital,  noth- 
pouerto       i]i<T  to  commend  her  to  favor  exceiit  lier  position;  if  of  the  eleven 

work  a  a  1  r  ^ 

change?  tliousand  milcs  ramifying  the  West  in  all  directions,  Chicago  actually 
has  over  one  half  of  the  whole  radiating  from  her  in  fifteen  long  lines 
from  242  to  974  miles,  on  each  of  which  she  sends  several  times 
daily,  running  to  their  destination  with  no  change  of  car ;  where  is 
the  power  to  come  from  to  break  up  this  system  ?     Not  to  say  that 

„    ., ,  .      it  cannot  be   done,    who  is  to   doit?     Will  not  the   same  interests 

Capital  in-  ' 

terestedto    operate  to  contiuuc  thino;s  as  they  are,  which  have  made  them  what 

miintain  ^  .  . 

present        tlicv  are  ?     St.  Louis  thinks  she  can  brino;  capital  to  her  aid,  from 

plans.  *'  . 

Europe,  as  we  saw,  p.  28.,  independently  of  New  York  and  Boston. 
It  is  well  if  she  can,  for  upon  the  latter  she  cannot  rely.  And  as 
she  is  now  the  sole  rival,  we  shall  see  further  and  important  reasons 
for  the  railway  system  of  the  West  to  be  continued  and  to  be  ex- 
panded upon  the  plan  which  already  is  quite  well  establislied. 

That  St.  Louis  has  some  conception  of  the  task  before  her,  is  quit-" 
perceives      apparent.     Having  only  to  retain  control  of  the  territory   of  which 

her  difficul-       ,',-,.  ,  "^  .      .  .  .  .  ,  , 

ties.  she  had  undisputed  sway,  it  is  grievous  to  witness  its  sudden  trans- 

ler  to  a  rival,  and  she  would  not  be  human  not  to  make  strong  efforts 

Mo  Rep       ^^  resist  her  fate.    Says  a  correspondent  of  the  Missouri  Republican  : 

St.  Louii  St.  Louis  and  Her  Flatterers. — Cities  and  individuals  are  subject,  to  the  same 

and  her        laws  and  influences  wliicli  control  progress  or  failure.   Tliere  is  a  city  in  this  great 
fiaUeren.      Mississippi  Valley,  which  for  the  last  f  )rty  years,  has  universally  been  considered 
as  occupying  the  finest  locality  for  permanent  growth  and  prosperity  in  this   ex- 
tensive ami  rich  domain  of  the  northwest.     Situated  centrally  near  the  confluence 
of  the  navigable  rivers  of  this  vast  region,  it  became  the  commercial  centre  of 
that  region  at  an  early  day — long  ago — before  the  wildest  imagination  dreamt  of 
Sheconld      '•'">'  rivalry  on  Northern  lakes  or  Western  tributaries.     During  that  long  period, 
hire  held      it  liad  tlie  opportunity  and  i)ower  of  so  fortifying  and  improving  its  condition  and 
hsrpoBiiion.  position,  as  to  render  all  allempts  to  sap  its  trade  and  reduce  it  to  a  sabordinate 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicayo  Investments.  39 

commercial  point,  simply  impossible.     It  licM  a  midway  location  between  the  pro- 
lific cereal  sections  of  tile  North  and  the  cotton  and  suirar  lands  of  the  gulf  States, 
and  had  the  ciieai)est  transporlalion  liicilities  that  nature  or  art  can  allbrd.     In 
the  exchange  of  commodities  between  these  diverse  agricultural  sections,  8t.  Louis,  g,,„     ^^ 
for  she  is  the  favored  centre  alluded  to,  grew  rich  suul  jiowerful.     hilie  doubled  her  rich  mid 
population  almost  every  year,  and  increased  her  wealth  and  busineys  resources  in  I'oweiiuJ. 
the  same  ratio.     Then  was  heard  IVom  one,  end  of  the  country  to  the  other  the 
grandest  prophesies  in  relation  to  the  destiny  of  this  rising  metropolis.  * 

The  demands  of  population  reciuired  other  connnereial  centres,  and  these  soon  New  sitt-H  in 
began  their  development.     Not  so  favorably  located,  the  new  points  were  com- competiiion. 
peljed  to  put  forth  extra  efforts  to  overcome  surrounding  and  obstinate  diflicullies. 
li  \\,\i&8  \\{;ciiii&-AYy  io  elevate  a  site  tea  fed  or  more  to  give  proper  drainage,  tiiat 
feat  was  accomplished;  if  water  transportation  was  not  accessible,  the  surrounding 
covmivy,far  and  near,  was  penetrated  with  railrixuls  to  (jut/ier  in  the  richest  pro- ^J,'^""*' ''"'^ 
ducts,  and  costly  structures  were  erected  to  give  to  trade  the  economy  and  dis- 
patch so  requisite  for  successful  comi)etition.     With  no  natural  advantages  or  en- 
dowments beyond  those  of  an  ordinary  character,  rivals  sprang  uj)  whose  l)usi- 
ness,  in  some  cases,  already  overtops  that  of  this  favored  and  lauded  emporiiun. 
The  trutli  is,  St.  Louis  is  too  highly  endowed.  *  *  *  Shipping  g^  j^  too 

points  and  sections  on  the  Ujiper  Mississippi,  formerly  tributary  to  this  market,  Ko'od'to  do 
ask  every  now  and  then  for  aid  to  bring  about  a  re  union,  but  there((uest  is  hardly  "'Otiiiue. 
heeded.  Our  railroads  are  not  as  yet  completed  to  any  paying  termini,  and  from 
present  appearances  years  must  elapse  before  several  of  them,  and  those  holding, 
too,  the  control  of  the  country  through  which  they  are  too  pass,  will  reach  their 
destination.  We  are  so  admirably  located — so  advantageously  situated — that  no 
eflbrt  seems  necessary  to  avoid  a  disaster  or  to  seek  a  good  result. 

The  plains'  trade  naturally  belongs  to  this  market,  it  is  very  true,  too  naturally  piuins  trade 
perhaps  ;  but  what  are  the  facts?     A  city  three  hundred  miles  north  of  us  is  con-  Eone  to 
tending  successfully  for  that  undeveloped  region,  and  is  rapidly  making  con  nee- ^^"^"fi"" 
tions  that  will  nullify  our  advantageous  position.      A  paper  jjublished  in  Law- 
rence, the  Journal,  on  the  14tli  inst.,  gives  the  mail  agent  for  Kansas  and  New 
Mexico  to  understand,  "that  by  sending  the  mails  for  Kansas  by  Quincy  instead  ^.^y^°g 
of  St.  Louis,  they  will  arrive  some  twelve  hours  earlier  than  they  do  now."     We 
are  obliged  to  go  via  Chicago  to  reach  certain  prominent  points  on  the   i\Iissouri 
river.     And  so  it  goes  ;  our  citizens  are  tickled  with  the  hair  of  flattery,  while  Scepter  de- 
others  are  realizing  the  marrow  of  profit,  and  are  satisfied  with  the  di'eam  of  pro-  P^rm^K- 
gress  and  power,  suggested  by  eligible  local  position,   while   contending   parties, 
strengthened  by  the  necessity  of  exertion,  are  grasping  the  sceptre.     During  the  ^"conveni- 
winler  months  this  market  is  dependent  upon  the  Illinois  Central  for  the  outlet  louIs." 
to  the  South ;  and  yet  the  chance  has  been  presented  for  years  to  obtain  a  com- 
munication of  our  own  with  that  portion  of  the  country.     Why  has  not  the  Iron 
Mountain  road  been  extended?     Connections  with  Iowa  are  indispensably  requi- 
site ;  but  with  the  best  paying  bonds  oflered  anywhere  for  the   purpose,  and  the 
brightest  prospects  for  abundant  freights,  the  extensions  have  not  been  made. 

A    Chariton    correspondent  of    the    Republican,    November    28,ciiiiriton 

writing  in   commendation  of  tlie   St.  Louis,   Chillicothe    and   Omaha 

road,  pertinently  inquires: — 

Pray  tell  us  why  it  is  that  Chicago  can  always  find  money  to  build  railroads,  why  does 
St.  Louis  not  at  all?     Here  we  are  endeavoring  to  open  up  a  rich  country  to  St.  Chi.  got  mo- 
Louis,  and  give  her  the  trade  of  the  Northwest,  and  we  are  left  to  struggle  'i'""<-'.  J^J^-^-.^S^-^jy 
If  it  were  to  reach  Chicago,  it  would  be  a  difierent  story.     The  merchants  of  St. 
Louis  can  save  millions  by  assisting  us  now. 

Mr.  Henry  Cobb,  too,  writes  for  the   Republican  over    his  own  5,^.  cobbof 
name,    November  25,  1867,  who  seems  to  understand  the  community  ^.^jV^s^J^e 
of  interest  between  Chicago  and  the  East,  but  represents  Chicago  a'^''"^It^t",\  j,_ 
Delilah,  instead  of  the  Queen  she  is,  and  candidly  acknowledging 
that  the   sagacity  of  Eastern  capitalists    has  effected  the  results  so 
damaging    to    St.   Louis: —  Cht. aDeit- 

But  alas !  St.  Louis,  that  used  to  be  a  Samson  in  strength,  and  a  ruling  master  of  'jjjjjlhe'""" 
the  commercial  domain  from  the  Allegheny  to  the  Rocky  JMountains— St.  Louis,  g'.'J.'^son, 
corrupted  by  the  impolitic  politicians — can  one  saj'  statesmen?  of  Missouri — St.  st.  L. 


40  Focal  Foint  fixed  at  Chicago  by  7,500  miles  Railway. 

Louis  sinking  under  the  consumin 2;  draughts  and  heavy  burdens  of  capitalists,  has 
fallen' a  sleei))'  victim  into  tlie  lap  of  the  artful  Delilah  that  is  cunningly  watching 
in  the  garden  city  on  Lake  Michiiian. 
(jlnea"-o,  the  tool  of  the  Philistines  in  tlie  East  who  were  jealous  of  the  strength 
wpp»S  the  of  St.  L'oiiis;  Chicago,  the  Delilah,  has  been  furnished  with  money  by  the  lords 
means.  of  Eastern  capital  for  shaving  St.  Louis  of  his  strength,  in  cutting  ofl"  by  means 

of  iron  railways,  tiie  trade  on  liis  rivers  in  which  his  strength  lay,  and  delivering 
him  a  seduced  captive  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
What  St  L        ^'"''  '*"'y  '*  '^^  trade  of  the  upper  Mississippi  river,  from  St  Paul  to  Hannibal, 
has  "lost."    '  in  .Missouri,  cut  ofl"  from  St.  Louis  by  Chicago,  but  also  tlie  trade  of  the  jNlissouri 
river,  from  St.  Joseph  to  Omalia,  and  even  the  Rocky  Mountains;  not  only  is  the 
Even  Pitts-   trade  of  the  Lower  "Mississippi,  in  winter,  cut  off"  by  the  same  hand,  using  the  IIU- 
burgh  trade  nois  Central  Railway;  but  even  the  trade  of  the  Ohio  river  at  Pittsburgh  is  this 
coiiR'svia      day  being  clipped  by" the  Fort  Wayne   and  Chicago   Railway;  as  tlie  previously 
Ciiicago.       mentioned  thousand  tons  of  iron,  bought  iu  the  Allegheny  Mountains  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, to  be  laid  down  on  the  extension  of  the  road  in  the  iron  mountain  region  ot 
Missouri,  could  not  be  brought  by  the  Ohio  River,  nor  by  the  Panhandle,  by  the 
Cincinnati  or  Terre  Haute  routes,  which  have  heretofore  been  considered  the  chan- 
nels of  trade  between  St.  Louis  and  tlie  East ;  but  the  whole  train  of  more  than  100 
cars,  bringing  these  loads  of  iron  from  Pittsburgh  to  St.  Louis,  could  find  no  other 
way  of  reaching  their  destination,  except  in  being  permitted  to  (•ome  by  way  of 
Chicago;  and   by  the  gracious  favor  of  the  Fort  Wayne  and  Chicago  road,  St. 
Louis,  in  a  few  days,  will  be  allowed  to  receive  this  iron — an  additional  evidence 
of  humiliation. 
Bridges  over     r^^^^  ciucago  Capitalists  are  bridging  the  Mississippi  river  at  Quincy,  and  even 
Missouri       the  JMissouri  river  at  Kansas  City,  and  propose  to  draw  ofl"  the  trade  of  not  only  our 
rivers.  Missouri  Pacific  Road,   but  also  of  the  Southwest,  even  daringly  striking  at  the 

centre  of  our  State  through   Boonevdle  and  Sedalia,  to  and  be3'ond  Springfield; 
Threatened   and,  were  it  not  for  the  sagacity  and  liberality  of  ]\Ir.  Thomas  Allen,  in  giving 
loss  of  even  ;§;jr)0,OUO,  besides  a  proportion  of  the  $;375,000  bonus,  tor  the  Cairo  and  Fulton  road 
trade"'"'       "^  Missouri,  which  is  of  no  use  to  him,  which  he  did  not  want,  and  which,  in  its 
original  aim,  was  more  hostile  to  St.  Louis  than  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joe  foreign 
movement, — were  it  not  for  this  prudent  sacrifice,  the  Chicago  interests  might  be 
now  extending  this  road  from  Cairo,  through  Little  Rock,  to  Fulton  on  Red  river, 
to  draw  the  trade  of  central  Arkansas  and  Texas,  thrcmgh  Cairo,  over  the  Illinois 
Central  road;  thus  finally  cutting  ofl"  the  trade  of  St.  Louis  from  every  side. 
5,    r  •  Then  miglit  it  be  said  to  St.  Louis,  "  The  Philistines  be  upon  thee,  Samson!"  and 

fetters.  St.  Louis  might  wake  up  and  shake  himself,  but  find  that  his  strength  was  gone, 

that  he  was  bound  by  the  enemy  in  "fetters "  stronger  than  " brass." 


Further tes-      Further  testimony  of  this  sort  comes    hereafter.     It  is  sufficient 

imuny.       ]iere  to  invite  the  reader's  attention  to  a  railway  map,  to  consider 

Present  sys-  souie  self-evident  points.     Had  a  master  mind,  in  the  outset  of  rail- 

biy  supplies  Way  building  in  the  West,  planned  the  system  solely  for  the  accom- 

"^^"modation  of  the  conntry  traversed,  he  could  scarcely  have  improved 

upon  what  has  actually  been   done.     Very  few  farmers  in  Indiana, 

Illinois,  or  Wisconsin,  are  over  ten  miles  from  a  railroad  or  naviga- 

San.e  doing  ^^^  watcr,  and  more  than  one-half  are  within  five  miles.     To  continue 

M^fbisJippi.  ^^^^  system  as  devised,  will  do  the  same  for  the  States  west  of  the 

Mississii)pi.  Who  can  improve  that  ? 
Had  concen-  ^^"j  ^^^  ^^^^'^  master  mind,  with  wise  forethought  and  proper  regard 
'ouKht,iame^"°''  penuanencv  of  the  railroad  interest,  planned  the  entire  system 
plan  pursued  ^^.^]j  Jii-ect  reference  to  concentration  of  the  business  of  the  entire 
West  at  one  centre,  very  little  would  any  of  the  lines  have  been 
changed  from  their  present  location,  and  most  of  them  not  at  all. 
Kachroad         Yet  instead  of  one  mind  pursuing  one  object,  either  to  accomrao- 

has  BOU|;ht       ,  .  i.  n  j  7 

its  own  in-    date  the  country  or  to  build  up  a  city;  every  one  of  these  railways 
have  labored  to  accomplish   their   own  individual,    selfish   objects. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  41 

These  rival,  soulless  corporations,   each  iiitenl  upon   proniolini,'  its 
own  particular  advantage,  or  that  of  its  connecting  lines,  one  and 
the  same  interest,  have  actually  been  led,  in   spite  of  their  strong  ~f;;;',',',"j' 
competition,   to   do   precisely  what   the    wisest  mastermind   of  tiie  jf  1;';;;^ '•"''- 
world  would  have  planned  to  promote  the  highest  i)uhlic  good.     Is 
not  this  a  strong  indication — nay,  is  it  not  proof  positive   and  ah  so- '^ ''"'"' 
lute — that  there  is  a  natural  focal  point,  and  that  it  surely  has  lieeii  '''"'"i""^'  ^ 
found  ?     If  not,  the  success  of  the  plan   whicli   the  revenues  of  the 
roads,  so  immense  in  the  beginning,  that  the  Galena,   the  pioneer  uuiiro«j 
road,  watered  its  stock  repeatedly,  yet  constantly  increasing,  speak  Zr.jg'iV 
a  word — and  that  a  word  which  needs  no  watering  with  superfluous'''""'^- 
language— in  the  following  table  : — 

The  Gross  Earnings  of  the  Chief  Trunk  Lines  of  Chicago  for  Ten 
Years— IQQl^  $60,000,000. 

185S.  1S59.                       1860.  1861.  1862. 

C.  &  Alton  Railway..?     871,715.00  $   732,917.00  $   938.641.20  $  l,098,4fri.80  $  1,226,000,83  15  trunk 

C.  B.  AQuiucy 1,850,.3.39.33  1,288,891,00  1,383,957.05  1,732,084.69  2,246,084!l7 ''I'l'S,  cnrn- 

C.  Rock  I.  &  Pacific.    1,407,845.72  889,300.05  l,r93,933.77  1,164,018.21  1,054*701.40 '"'^'V*'^* 

Mich.  Suuthern 2,309,487.30  2,714,848.00  2,019,424.96  2,075^459.08  2[25oi517.91  ~"^^^~ 

Mich.   Cential 2,428,75752  1,8-38,129.67  1,832,944.86  2,058,052.61  2,361,'241.42 

Great  Eastern 320,825.93  331,024.48 

Illinois  Central 1,976,578.52  2,114,448.98  2,721,590.94  2.899,612.64  3,445,'826.88 

C.&N.  Western 

Total $10,844,723.39  §9,578,538.30  19,990,493.38  $11,348,518.05  512,914,400.09 

1863.  1864.  1865.  1S66.  1867. 

C.  &  A.  Railway $1,673,706.60  $2,770,483.96  $3,840,091.82  18  695,152.86  $3,850,000.00 

C.B.  &Q 3,037,372.54  4,039,922,81  5,581,859.22  6,175,553.35  6,083,138.05  '  ^^^^'^^' 

O.K.  I.  APHcific 1,529,141.02  2,143,874.78  3,359,390.80  3,154,236.68  3,574.033.71 

Mich.  Southern 2,813,831.40  3,384,294.23  4,289,465.73  4,686,445.02  4,673,192.86 

Mich.  Central 2,946,560.55  3,434,548.63  4,145.419.57  4,446,490.61  4,325,490.51 

Great  Eastern 528,364.15  850,495.49  1,112,867.12  1,317,102.11  1,287,500.00 

Illinois    Central 4,571,028.38  6,329,447.20  7,181,208.37  6,646,741.47  7,100,000.00 

C.  <feN.W 6,820,749.75  8,243,840.28  10.161,735.45  11,680,938.76 

Total $17,100,004.64         $29,673,816.85        $37,754,135.91        $40,183,456.45         $42,574,293.89 

This  table  by  no  means  gives  the  total  earnings,  large  as  they  have  ^otaii  • 

already  become.     The  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph,  the  Burlington  and  '='"<^ed. 

Missouri,  are  as  much  Chicago  trunks,  as  the   Chicago,   Burlington 

and    Quiucy  Raih-oad  connecting  them  with  Chicago.     So  are  the 

La  Crosse,  Prairie  du  Chien,  Dubuque  and  Pacific,  etc.     The  earn- 

inofs  of  these  and  others  on  Chicago  trade  are  doubtless  more  than 

mi  '''"*'''  "* 

sufficient  to  increase  the  aggregate  to  $60,000,000.     The  early  years  hnst 

„    ,  -,  ,    .  .         '  ,  -,  ffo.ooo.ooo. 

of   some    of  the    roads   not    being    given,    the    sum    above    named, 

$18,000,000,  may  be  taken  as  the  earnings    in  1800.     Doubtles.x   the 

„   .  (.  -ii         J.  1     1  Future  in- 

per  cent,  of  increase  lor  seven  years  to  come  will  not  equal  tlie  past; crease. 
but  without  shadow  of  doubt  the  aggregate  will  exceed  that  of  the 
last  seven  years  at  least  two-fold,  perhaps  three-fold.     How  much  of 
a  city  must  we  have  by  1875  to  do  the  manufacturing  and  distribute 
such  a  trade  ? 


42  Focal  Point  fixed  at  Chicago  by  7^500  miles  Railway. 

Focal  point       F'lrfliei"  iiot  oiilv  because  Chicago    is  the  natural  focal  point  of 

iniuioviible  '  '  ''  inir>i  -i 

because capi- ^]^g -W^^.i^t    of  Avluch  wc  shall  liavo  lurtner  evidence;  and  not  only 

till  rules.  '  .  Ill  Til 

because  the  system  is  exactly  what  the  country  traversed  and  to  be 
traversed  M^ants  ;    but  also,  because  the  capital  invested,  and  the 
capitalists  who  are  to  do  the  further  investing  requisite,   will  have 
the  present  system  maintained  and  expanded,  is  the   focal  point  ini- 
wiierethe    movable,     if,  under  these  circumstances  9,500  of  tlie  11,000  miles  of 
?haugc?       western  railway  have  been  given  in  perpetual  lease-hold  to  Chicago, 
whence  shall  come  the  influence  and  wealth  to  work  any  essential 
change?     With  a  clean  field  before  them,  they  would  be  strong  men 
Change  im-  to  do  ail  cqual  work;  but  with  the  whole  field  occupied,  and  what  is 
pobBi  e.       ^^^^  occupied,  certain  to  extend  present  lines  ;  with  the  whole  wealth 
and  influence  of  the  country  from  New  York  north  virtually  inter- 
ested in   preventing  innovations,  and  even  that  south,  best  served 
by  keeping  things  as  they  are;  is  it  not  a  truth  certain  as  anything 
Chicago  the  gau  be  in  the  future,  that  the  focal  point  in  the  great  "West  is  fixed  im- 
movably by  over  seven  thousand  five  hundred  of  its  eleven  thousand 
miles    of   ralway  centering   at   Chicago?      Of  the  westward  lines, 
however,  those  to  the  Pacific  merit  further  consideration. 

Thk  Pacific  Railways  in  Progress — tueir  Effects. 

N  r  Times.      ^''^■^^  the  New  York  Times  Dec.  4th  : — 

Pacific  load  From  the  Pacific  in  Fifteoi  Days. — We  are  assured  by  the  Directors  of  tho 
finished  iu  Union  Pacific  Railroad  that  the  railway  from  tlie  Missouri  to  the  Pacific  will  be 
1870.  completed  in  1870,  so  that  in  three  years  from  this  date  the  time   from  New-York 

to  San  Francisco,  will  be  less  than  a  week.  It  is  hard  to  realize  that  so  great  a 
distance  may  be  accomplished  in  so  short  a  time;  but  the  results  thus  far  attained 
by  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company  are  such  as  to  inspire  strong  confidence 
in  the  fulfillment  of  its  promises.  Thus  we  find  that  the  road  is  now  in  complete 
order  and  active  operation  for  525  miles  west  from  Omaha;  and  the  practical  bene- 
fit to  be  derived  from  this  fact  will  be  well  illustrated  to-day  or  to-morrow  by  the 
receipt  of  foreign  mails  whicii  left  San  Francisco  only  fourteen  days  ago.  When 
the  time  usually  occupied  in  tlie  transit  of  mails  and  passengers  from  that  city  to 
this  is  considered,  tlie  immense  advantages  oftered  by  this  railway  route  are  ap- 
parent to  every  business  man. 

This  topic         The  moderation  exhibited  in  past  opinions,  which  the  reader  now 

not  hi-reto-  .  . 

fore  couaid-  admits,  liowevcr  extravagaut  they  secined  in  the  year  of  utterance, 

ered—  .  ,.  . 

would  have  precluded  calculation  ten  years  ago  of  business  by  the  Pa- 
cific road.     But  now  one  or  more  will  certainly  and  speedily  be  fin- 
— phouidbo  if^licd;  and  although  still  lioldiiig  to  the  opinion  expressed  in   1858, 
now.  p^  24^  that  the  benefits  are  national  rather  than   special,  this  paper 

would  be  quite  incomplete  were  it  not  shown  tliat  "  no  single  city 
will  be  more  benefited  by  connections  Avith  the  Pacific  coast  than 
will  this." 
^Tiatistho  And  what  is  that  trade  ?  We  need  not  adopt  the  chimerical  ideas 
trade?  publicly  and  privately  expressed  both  East  and  West,  that  the 
traffic  of  the  Atlantic  States  and  even  of  Europe  must  chiefly  employ 
tliis  route,  to  make  it  an  object  abundantly  sufficient  to  excite  strong 
contest.     For  the  seaboard,  and  still  less  for  Europe,  the  saving  in 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chlcaqo  Investments.  43 


Importance 

lie 
ect. 


time,  in  which  interest  is  the   princiinvl  item,  can  never  iustHV  tlie  ^'"'■''••nboard 

.  .       r.  •  ,  .1  .  ,i,„l  Kurous 

extra  cost  ot  carriage  except  upon  the  most  valuable  articles.     iJut  ""t '"""y 
travel    over    it,    even   from    Europe,     will    be    immense,    benefiting 
especially  the  chief  cities  on  the  route.     The  country,  too,   west  ot',^^,,_.  ,j^^ 
Lake  Erie,  may  as  advantageously  receive  its  supplies  direct  from  ^^^"t- 
the  Pacific  as  from  the  Atlantic.     By  this  trade  alone  the  city  that 
should  obtain  the  chief  distribution,  would  attain   high  commercial 
importance.     The  trade   of  the  Orient,  from  time  immemorial,  hasTn„]oof 
enriched  the  cities  which  could  command  it.     We  need  not    specu- ^'■''"'' "''''• 
bite  as  to  wliether  it  can  be  secured  for  P^urope,  or  even  for  the  sea- 
board.    The  trade  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  alone,  is  that  for  which 
we  should  calculate,  and  who  can  name  its  limits?     Mere  carria<'-e 
is  not  the  object;  breaking  bulk  and  distribution  yields  the  revenues. 
A  sober  view  of  it  was  taken  by  the  London  Dally   Tde(jraph,  and  ^^^  ^^■^ 
copied  into  the  San  Francisco  Pulletin  : 

It  is  nearly  a  year  since  we  called  attention  to  a  gigantic  public  work  now  in 
progress  in  America,  the  effects  of  which  on  our  own  conmieree,  and  on  that  ofon'im 
the  world  it  is  difficult  to  over-estimate.     On  the  future  of  tiie  United   States  tlie  la-.yec 
consequences  of  its  completion  are  far  beyond  human  foresight.     This  great  work  . 
is  the  railway  connecting  the  Atlantic  and  the  Paeitic  oceans,  across  the  entire 
continent  of  America  on  its  widest  line,  spanning  such  rivers  as  tlie  Ohio,  tlie 
Mississippi,  and  the  Missouri,  and  climbing  over  such  ranges  as  the  Rocky  iloun- 
tains   in   the   interior  of  the  continent,  and  the  Sierra  Nevada  or  snow-cajiped 
peaks  that  border  the  Pacific  ocean  at  an  average  distance  of  about  100  miles  from  ^ 
the  seaboard.     Of  this  vast  work,  the  portion  that  joins  the  Atlaniic  States  to  tlie  Mo"''ri?er  in 
western  territories  as  far  as  the  Missouri  river  had  been  completed  by  the  private  i«63. 
enterprise  of  the  people  in  the  year  18()8.     But  from  that  river  to   San  Franf;is(;o, 
the  distance  of  1890  miles  to  be  traversed,   passed  through  a  country  still  uuin- 
habitea  save  by  the  trappers,  the  hunters  and  the  Indian  tribes.  *  * 

The  broad  results  are  fascinating.     The  magnificent  perspective  of  a  line  of  new  ExtnuaKHnt 
great  States  stretching  across  the  continent — of  a  commercial  stream  diverting  tiie  expectatroua. 
trade  ot  the  world  from  its  accustomed  channels — withdrawing  the  silks,  teas  and 
spices  of  the  East  from  the  usual  track — sending  them  straight  across  tiie  Pachic 
to  San  Francisco,  thence  by  this  railway  to  New  York,  from  whicli  they  will  be 
distributed  to  Europe  in  half  the  time  now  required  for  their  transit — and  the  fab- 
ulous accumulation  of  wealth  to  be  gathered  from  the  new  and  vast  connnerce — 
all  this  inflames  the  excitable  American,  flatters  his  national  vanity,  and  he  already 
enjoys  in  anticipation  the  spectacle  of  his   country  enthroned  as  mistress  of  the 
commerce  of  the  world.     We  do  not  share  in  the  belief  of  extravagant  gains  so 
confidently  expected ;  but  the  visions  of  wealth  and  grandeur  to  flow  from  this 
and  kindred  enterprises  in  the  United  States  are  far  from  being  baseless.    It  can  Results  to  be 
hardly  be  doubted  that  a  few  years  will  siiow  marvelous  clianges  in  the  great  immense. 
West,  where  already  the  population  is  increasing  five-fold  in  every  twenty  years! 
The  centre  of  power  in  the  States  will  be  displaced,  their  commercial  policy  ■will 
no  longer  be  controlled  by  Eastern  manufacturers,  a  considerable  efiect  will   be 
produced  on  European  commerce  with  the  Indies,  and  various  other  important 
consequences  might  be  suggested.     We  may  be  sure,  too,  that  causes  so  great  will 
produce  ettects  in  a  variety  of  unexpected  ways  that  no  liumau  being  can  conjec- 
ture in  advance.  *  *  *  * 

The  JSfevj  York   Comynercial  and  Financial  Chronicle  also  says  : —  c/Irw!.^"'"' 

The.  New  Route  to  the  Pacific. — The  rapid  progress  in  the  construction  of  the 
Pacific  Railroad,  and  the  prospect  of  its  completion  fjcfore  the  close  of  ISTO,  raises  Pacific  rail- 
the  important  question  as  to  its  probable  effect  upon  the  future  commerce  of  the  op^thr*^ " 
country.     First  of  all,  it  is  patent  that  this  new  highway  to  the  Pacific  must  open  west. 
up  a  vast  extent  of  territory  valuable  in  the  precious  metals  and  in  agricultural 
resources.     As  in  the  case  of  all  our  pioneer  roads,  it  is  to  be  anticiiiated  that  pop- 
ulation will  rapidly  locate  along  its  route,  and  especially  in  those  parts  which  oJBer 


44  The  Facific  Eaihoays  in  Progress— their  Effects. 

Increase  the  temptation  of  rich  mineral  deposits.  Colorado,  Nevada  and  Idaho  are  already 
miuiug.  contributing  an  aggregate  suppl}'  of  treasure  nearly  equal  to  th(!  product  of  Cali- 
fornia; but  the  development  of  their  resources  is  being  to  a  large  extent  held  in 
abeyance  until  the  new  road  atlbrds  them  the  facilities  of  cheaper  labor  and  safLr 
transportation  to  the  Atlantic.  Following  the  mining  population  there  must  be 
an  accession  of  agriculturists  and  traders,  whose  wants  will  have  to  be  su{)plied 
from  the  interior.  One  of  the  first  results  to  be  anticipated  fiom  the  road,  there- 
fore, must  be  tlie  opening  of  a  vast  traffic  wnth  the  rich  country  between  Omaha 
Citv  and  Salt  Lake  City ;  which  will,  at  the  same  time,  give  a  new  stimulus  to  the 
trade  of  the  country,  and  redound  to  the  advantage  of  the  road. 
Pacific  trade.  Next  conies  the  opening  of  direct  railroad  connection  with  the  great  port  of  the 
Pacific.  Alreadj  we  have  a  trade  by  steamers  and  sailing  vessels  svitli  San  Fran- 
cisco, covering  botii  ways  400,000  tons  of  freight  annually,  while  the  number  of 
passengers  by  ocean  and  overland  is  estimated  at  150,000  per  annum.  When  the 
time  of  the  journey  is  reduced  to  six  days,  the  travel  between  the  Pacific  coast  and 
the  Eastern  States  will  naturally  be  largely  increased.  Eastern  merchandise  will 
then  be  in  a  position  to  compete  on  more  favorable  terms  in  the  California  markets 
with  the  importations  from  other  ccjuntries,  and  much  of  the  staple  manufactures 
now  supplied  by  England  may  then  be  furnished  by  the  factories  of  New  England' 

However  iniiJortant  the  Pacific  trade,  it  is  by  no  means  cliief ;  but 

To  develop  i  .... 

the  west  is    as  above  intimated,  tlie  occupation  of  tlie  o-reat  interior  plain,  and 

first  object.  '  *■  .       •^     .  \ 

the  resulting  business,  and  close  connection  with  the  Pacific  States, 
are  more  wortliy  of  consideration.  These  are  the  motives,  or  ought 
to  liave  been,  which  led  Congress  to  make  its  liberal  grants  for  the 
Omaha  route,  and  branches  from  Sioux  City,  Atchison  and  Kansas. 
Not  only  have  grants  been  made  of  United  States  bonds,  but  they 
are  made  a  second  lien,  the  respective  companies  being  authorized 
to  borrow  an  equal  amount  upon  the  road  and  its  lands;  and  liberal 
One  road  in- land  grants  are  also  made.     And  one  road  and  branches  being  of 

BUfficient,  n  ^  ^    •  •  •  i  •  in 

small  account  lor  the  objects  in  view,  as  the  experiment  shall  prove 
successful, we  may  expect  other  roads  to  be  built  in  the  same  way. 
chic-i  o  T^he  contest  for  this  new  and  important  business  is  mainly  between 

wants  gj_  Louis   and  Chicago  :  though  Omaha,  as  the  termination  of  the 

more.  o      ?  o  ? 

first  through  line,  comes  into  consideration  with  many.  Omaha 
being  due  west  from  Chicago,  it  would  seem  for  the  interest  of  both 
to  have  the  single  road,  w'hicli  would  give  so  large  advantages  over 

—no  mo-  St.  Louis.  Yet  that  is  not  the  case.  A  forced  monopoly  by  one 
route  accords  not  with  the  genius  of  Chicago,  and  she  would  invite 
the  largest  competition  ;  not  only  because  the  country  needs  and  will 
have  various  roads  for  its  development,  but  because  she  is  so  abun- 
dantly assured  of  her  own  impregnable  position  as  the  natural  centre 
of  the  entire  plain  between  the  AUeghanies  and  the  Pocky  Mountains. 
With  two  or  more  routes,  Omaha  loses  its  ai)parent  advantage;  and 

Trade  must  it   is   Only  apparent  as  against    Chicago.     If  this  city  possess    the 

como  here.  i        i  i  •    i     •      •         i  V  c     ^  •  -, 

natural  advantages  which  it  is  the  endeavor  oi  this  paper  to  estab- 
lisli,  being  in  truth  the  focal  and  distributing  point  of  the  Great 
West,  could  the  Pacific  trade  be  stopped  at  Omaha  for  distribution? 
So  much  of  it  must  at  all  events  come  here  that  it  would  draw^  largely 
on  the  balance;  and  the  three  competing  routes  we  shall  have  from 
Omaha  direct,  via  Burlington,  Rock  Island,  and  Clinton,  before  the 


I^ast,  Present  and  Future  of  Cldcago  Investments.  46 

line  is  open  to  the  Pacific,  insures  the  delivery  of  the  l)Usiness  to  us 
at  the  lowest  posible  cost. 

Of  the  northern  route,  from  St.  Paul,  the  New    York   Tribune  o^^^yvn- 
December  21.st,  remarks: — 

The  Northern  Panjxc  Briihnnj. — Wliilc  the  Central  Pari  fie  and  Union  T'suMficxorthcrn 
Raih'oacl  (companies  are  imsliins;  on  their  roads,  l)otii  I'mni  Ihe  eastern  and  western  nMit.- irom 
points  of  departnre,  witli  aniazin.i,' energy  and  sneeess,  Ihe  IS'ortliern  Company  has  ^'' ^''*"'~ 
as  j'ct  done  Utile  more  than  enlighten  tiie  coinitry  on  the  comparative  advantaj^es 
of  its  route  over  any  other.     The  reason  is  i)iain.     The  former  lias  a  large  Gov- 
ernment subsidy,  a  loan  of  United  States  credit,  while  the  latter  has  only  a  sirnijlo 
land-grant.     These  roads  lie  at  all  points  nearly  six  hnnilred  miles  apart,  and  for 
local  trade,  could  never  be  rivals.     If  there  be  any  jealousy  between  tliem,  it  is— Ims  the 
because  the  Northern  road,  on  account  of  its  shorter  distances  and  easier  graile.s, '"i*""'*ee. 
must  eventually  be  the  great  highway  of  international  connnerce  between  Europe 
and  Asia,  and  between  Asia  and  our  Atlantic  seaboard.     IJut  we  do  not  propose 
to  discuss  the  relative  prospects  of  the  roads  from  any  point  of  view.     The  vast 
Importance  of  either  to  the  solid  and  permanent  growtii  of  the  Union,  to  its  com- 
mercial prosperity  and  its  defensive  strength,  i.s  beyond  any  possible  estimate.     In  its  impor- 
the  midst  of  tlie  "general  satisfaction  which  hails  tiie  rapid  constr\iction  olllie  one,  tance. 
we  simjdy  desire  to  call  attention  to  the  grand  resources  wdnch  tiie  other  is  likely 
to  command — to  the  stupendous  empire  in  extent  and  in  natural  wealth  which  it  is 
destined  to  develop.     In  the  success  of  the  latter  enterprise  New  York  and  New  N- V.  and  N. 
England  have  a  deep  interest,  worthy  of  their  most  practical  consideration.     The  ^"^j.'"**"^" 
commercial  supremacy  of  the  City  of  New  York  can  never,  of  course,  be  disturbed, 
but  it  may  be  enhanced;  and  it  seems  perfectly  evident  that,  should  the  trade  of 
Asia  and  the  gnat  Northwest  be  poured  into  the  lakes  which  wash  the  northern 
boundary  of  the  State,  whatever  is  broken  in  bulk,  or  ilistributed  to  the  Atlantic 
States,  wHU  be  drawn  ofl"  to  the  advantage  of  this  metropolis.  *  * 

From  a  newspaper  slip  the  following  statement  concerning  other 
roads  aided  by  Congress,  is  condensed  : — 

The  Sioux  City  and  Pacific,  has  a  grant  of  $16,000  per  mile,  to  itSgj^y^Pity 
intersection  with  the  Union  Pacific  at  Fremont.     This  being  a  con- »°*^^'*<='^'=- 
tinuation  of  the  Dubuque  and  Sioux  City  Road,  open  143  miles  to 
Iowa  Falls,  (about  half  the  distance  to  Sioux  City,)  supplies  a  route 
competing  Avith  Omaha,  giving  Chicago  a  fourth  line  from  the  main 
Pacific  road. 

The  Union  Pacific,  finished  from  Omaha  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  rnion  Pa. 
has  received  therefor  $16,000  per  mile.     For  150  miles   across  the"  *"" 
mountains  she  receives  $48,000  ;  and  for  78  miles,  to  the  junction 
with  the  Central,  $32,000  per  mile. 

The  Central  Pacific,  receives  for  the  first  7  miles  from  Sacramento,  cen,rai 
$16,000   per    mile,    and    for  150   miles,  across   the    Sierra   Nevada,^*''"*'" 
$48,000  ;  thence  to  its  junction   with   the   Omaha  line,  544   miles, 
$32,000  per  mile.     It  is  probably  now  finished  150  miles,  to  Virginia 
City,  across  the  Sien-a  Nevada,  the  heaviest  part  of  the  work,  from 
whence  it  can  now  be  rapidly  pushed  forward. 

The  Central  Branch,    Union  Pacific,  (Atchison  and  Pike's  Peak,)  jfJf^X. 
has  $16,000  per  mile,  and  is  already  built  80  mil.es  from   Atchison.  '^^'>-^- 
This  was  also  to  connect  with  the  Omaha  road,  making  another  tap, 
though  being  southerly  it  favors   St.   Louis.     But  with  the  change 
made  in  the  route,  next  to  be  noticed,  this  may  run  to  Denver.     A 


46 


The  Pacific  Baihcays  in  JProf/ress — their  Effects. 


Atcliison 
writer. 


Plan  for 
Atcbisoa 
road. 


tin.  Pacific 
K.  D. 


Santa  Fe 
Writer. 


Change  of 
route. 


Another  line 
to  San  Fran- 
cisco. 


Di  faculties 
small. 


Coal  and 
water. 


Two  rentes 
surveyed. 


Make  rails 
In  New 
Mexico. 


Congress  to 
aid. 


correspondent  of  the  St.   Louis  Republican^  writing  from  Atchison 

November  21st,  says: — 

"What  you  call  the  Atchison  and  Pike's  t*eak  Railroad,  is  now  the  "  Central 
Branch  ot  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,"  and  is  not  only  completed  eighty  miles 
west  from  Atchison,  witli  two  daily  trains  running  over  it,  but  is  nearly  completed 
one  hundred  miles,  with  worli  progressing  rapid!}'  beyond  that  point.  This  road 
traverses  the  best  country  west  of  the  Missouri  river,  and  at  this  early  day  is  doing 
a  very  heav}'  business  and  daily  increasing,  not  a  dollar  of  which  goes  to  St.  Louis 
for  want  of  a  connection  with  the  ]Missouri  Pacilic  Railroad ;  but  all  crosses  the 
i\Iissouri  river  at  Atchison,  and  on  to  Cliicago  over  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph 
Railroad.  The  Central  Branch  does  nut  turn  north  eighty  miles  west  ot  Atchison, 
as  3'ou  suppose,  but  runs  out  nearly  due  west  for  one  hundred  miles,  and  then 
bears  northwest,  and  will  connect  with  the  Union  Pacific  from  Omaha,  at  Fort 
Kearne}',  or  fifty  miles  west  on  the  100th  degree  of  longitude.  And  from  Atchison 
to  the  point  of  intersection  the  distance  will  not  exceed  two  hundred  and  sixty 
miles  ;  and  the  universal  opinion  of  tliose  best  acquainted  with  the  country  is,  that 
as  soon  as  completed,  the  Central  Branch  will  be  the  main  line  of  travel  across  the 
continent. 

The  ZFnion  Pacific,  Eastern  Division,  lias  a  grant  of  $16,000  per  mile 
for  385  miles,  where  at  the  lOOtli  meridian  it  was  to  connect  witli  the 
Omaha  line.  It  is  built  325  miles,  and  being  rapidly  pushed;  but 
the  route  has  been  changed  by  tlie  Company.  Of  numerous  extracts 
upon  the  subject,  it  is  best  set  forth  by  a  correspondent  of  tlie  Sati 
Francisco  Bulletin,  writing  from  Santa  Fe,  October  4th,  1867  : — 

Your  readers  throughout  California  will  undoubtedly  be  hiterested  to  know  of 
the  progress  being  made  by  the  engineering  parties  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway 
Company,  Eastern  Division,  The  railway  of  this  Company  will  be  completed  in 
a  few  weeks  to  Pond  Creek,  a  distance  from  the  Missouri  river  of  385  miles,  and 
where  the  Government  subsidy  ends.  Instead  of  extending  this  road  in  a  north- 
westerly course  to  connect  with  the  road  from  Omaha  via  Salt  Lake,  as  was  origi- 
nally intended,  the  Company  have  decided  to  make  of  it  an  independent  trunk  line  to 
San  Francisco.  In  order  to  do  this  it  is  the  intention  of  the  Company  to  run  from 
Pond  Creek  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  into  and  through  that  portion  of  New 
Mexico  lying  east  of  the  Rio  Grande,  to  that  stream ;  thence  by  either  the  Gila 
route  or  the  35lh  parallel,  through  to  California  and  your  city. 

The  ditHculties  on  that  portion  of  the  proposed  route  east  of  the  Rio  Grande 
were  considered  by  many,  before  the  engineering  parties  went  over  it,  as  almost 
unsurmonntable.  These  difficulties  are  proven  by  the  survey  to  have  been  greatly 
exaggerated;  instead  of  high  and  unbroken  mountains,  with  passes  presenting 
barriers  impassable,  the  scientific  parties  engaged  in  the  survey  have  found  tliat 
the  mountains  are  detached  in  their  character;  that  the  altitude  of  the  passes  is 
small ;  that  there  are  long  extents  of  fertile  valleys  and  level  mesas;  that  there  is 
abundance  of  coal  and  sufficient  wood  and  water ;  and  that  no  serious  obstacles 
exist,  so  tar,  on  the  line  of  the  survey.  Tiiere  are  also  several  most  excellent 
crossings  on  the  Rio  Grande  on  the  contemplated  route — the  banks  being  of  rock 
and  the  channel  confined  to  a  narrow  space. 

From  the  Rio  Grande  westward,  as  I  have  before  remarked,  two  routes  are  to  be 
surveyed  :  one  by  the  valley  of  the  Gila,  the  other  via  the  35th  parallel ;  and  which- 
ever route  maybe  finally  selected,  of  this  fact  there  can  be  no  question,  viz:  that 
the  Colorado  of  the  West  will  be  crossed  at  a  point  far  enough  south  to  permit 
iron  and  other  materials  being  brought  up  that  stream,  thus  materially  conducing 
to  the  early  completion  of  the  road.  In  New  Mexico  it  will  probably  be  the  policy 
of  the  Company  to  erect  iron  works,  so  that  iron  rails  may  be  turned  out  for  this 
part  of  the  line.  What  is  needed  now  is  that  Congress  may  be  induced  to  grant 
tlie  same  aid  to  this  route  tliat  it  has  already  granted  to  the  Northern.  This  grant 
will  probal)ly  be  eflected  during  the  coming  session  of  Congress,  and  to  secure  it 
let  California  join  with  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  and  Colorado,  in  urging  it. 

For  this  soutliern  route  one  advantage  can  certainly  be  claimed  over  any  other 
— that  of  freedom  from  snows  and  severe  cold.  I  would  not  disparage  the  north- 
ern route,  nor  the  wonderful  energy  displayed  by  its  builders,  but  whatever  may 
be  said  in  regard  to  it,  there  can  be  no  question  but  that  two  through  routes  are 


I^ast,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  47 

needed.     Before  either  road  can  be  c<)nij>k'ted  botli  will  be  insuflieicntto  carry  the  ""('■  '■■■'n.is 

trade  of  the  eoiiiitry.     The  line  from  Omaha  by  (Salt  Lake  cannot  develop  llie  vast  """«'^<^- 

territory  of  the  United  States  lyinj,^  upon  this  one.     Tliis  line  would  ^ive  an  outlet 

to  say  50(M)()()  people  residinir  ni   Southern  Kansas  and  CJolorado,   New   iMexico,  C'xmtry 

Arizona,  Soutliern  and  Middle  Calilornia,  Northern  and  Western  Texas,  and  liie  """'"''■ 

rich  States  of  Durango,    Chihualnia,    and  Sonora,  and  would  at  once  develop  the 

vast  pastoral,  mineral  and  ai;rieuitural  resources  of  the  territory  named. 

Let  Calltornia  shalce  hands  witii  New  ^Mexico  in  this  m"aiter,  and  assist  in 
making  patent  to  Congress  and  the  people  the  necessity  of  carrying  through  this 
great  enterprise. 

The  San  Francisco  Bulletin,  of  November  4tli,  also  says: —  buImZ"*' 

The  engineers  of  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad  are  vigorously  pushing  their  snr-  Kangag  roaU. 
veys  for  the  extension  from  Fort  Riley,  across  New  Mexico,  to  California.     The 
road  is  nearly  built  to  a  point  385  miles  westward  from  Leavenwortii  and  Kansas 
City,  and  it  is  intended  to  lay  the  results  of  the  new  surveys  before  Congress  at  its 
next  session,  witii  a  request  for  the  same  aid  in  bonds  and  lands  which  h:is  beeu 
accorded  the  ])ortion  already  constructed,  and  which  is  allowed  the  Union  and 
Central  Pacitic  roads.     The  surveys  will  extend  to  both  San  Diego  and  San  Fran- No  contest 
ci.sco.     Gen.  Palmer,  the   Treasurer  of  the  Company,  in  a  recent  address  to  the  «'"' *J»"«ha 
people  of  New  Mexico,  declared  that  he  had  no  contest  with  the  road  from  Oma-  *""'"'• 
ha,_to   San  Francisco,   "except   to  reach   the  western   ocean  before  them."     lie 
believes  that   there  is  a  local   want   fn*  a  road   on  the  southern  route,  and  that 
"before  either  road  can  be  finished,  both  will  be  insufficient  to  carry  tiie  trade  of 
the  country,  and  second  tracks  will  be  required  to  be  begun  on  each."     Gen.  uoute  a-asi- 
Wright,  the  chief  engineer  of  the  Kansas  Pacific  Company,  speaks  favorably  of  ihebie. 
route  through  New  Mexico,  and  says  that  "  no  material  obstacles  will  intervene 
between  the  survey  and  the  building  of  the  road."     Gen.  Palmer  speaks  confidently 
of  its  completion  through  the  Territory  inside  of  three  years. 

We  must  allow  consideral)le  for  the  exaggeration  natural  at  the  inception  of  such  Moderation, 
enterprises,  but  it  is  probable  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad  Company  means  busi- 
ness.    Whether  Congress  will  consent  to  subsidize  it  is  doubtful.     If  "the  enterprise 
is  based  on  local  needs  and  resources,  as  contended,  it  ought  to  rely  on  tiio.se. 
Congress  has  done  enough  in  giving  bonds  to  one  great  central  railvva}'  across  'he  (^j,,,^,^^.  ^^ 
continent.     It  cannot  give  bonds  to  the  Southern  Pacific  without  according  them  i„iii Jus uwn 
to  the  Northern  Pacilic  wliich  is  just  as  eager  an  applicant ;  and  if  it  grants  both,  rua<ia. 
tiicre  is  at  least  $100,000,000  more  added  to  the  national  debt  at  one  fell  swoop. 
Rival  Pacific  Railroads  should  depend  upon  the  legitimate  demand  for  their  con- 
struction by  private  capital.     There  must  be  a  stop  somewhere  to  national  subsi- 
dies in  money,  and  it  might  better  be  at  the  point  already  reached.     Perhaps  it 
may  be  politic  to  make  further  land  grants  in  hivor  of  railroads,  under  conditions  Land  gmntg. 
requiring  their  sale,  at  low  rates,  as  soon  as  possible,  to  actual  settlers ;  but  the 
nation  cannot  afibrd  to  draw  upon  its  credit  any  more  for  such  enterprises.     The 
argument  of  Gen.  Palmer,  that  a  road  by  the  New  Mexican  nnite  will  be  a  great 
convenience,  if  not  an  actual  necessity,  is  probably  true  ;  and  we  concur  with  the 
opinion  that  it  would  not  compete  injuriously  with  the  Central  road  ;  but  the  Gov- 
ernment ought  not  to  be  asked  to  Iniild  any  more  roads  to  enrich  indiviiluals.     It 
did  right  to  start  one  trunk  line  over  the  continent  ten  years  sooner  than  it  would 
have  been  started  by  private  capital ;  in  doing  that  it  did  enough  in  the  same  line 
to  meet  all  public  requirements. 

That  two  or  more  routes  will  speedily  be  constructed  through  t o  CompotiUoi 

r  J  of  two 

the  Pacilic,  cannot  be  questioned.  With  no  more  than  two,  no  one  roads- 
place  upon  either  can  monopolize  the  Pacific  trade,  which  must  take 
its  chances  with  the  general  trade  of  the  West,  and  with  the  rest 
seek  its  natural  centre,  if  there  be  one.  In  view  of  what  has  been 
done,  even  without  Congressional  aid,  who  can  doubt  that  in  ten  or— h.ive 
fifteen  years  numerous  railroads  will  reach  at  least  to  the  Kooky 
Mountains,  and  several  cross  them?  Rival  railroads  from  the  east 
to  Chicago,  by  consolidation  of  continuous  lines,  are  fast  settling 
into  gigantic  corporations,  each  interested  iu  its  line  to  and  beyond 


48  Tht  Pacific  Raihcays  hi  Progress — their  Effects 

the  Mississippi,  insuring  of  itself  the  rapid  extension  of  lines  into  the 
lich  country  yet  unoccupied,  and  which  railroads  will  fill  speedily 
non.j.  F.     with  the  best  of  settlers.     Says  Hon.   J.  F.   Joy,  President  of  the 
"*  Burlington  and  Quincy  Railroad,  in  his  last  annual  report:  — 

e^tof  ^^^  ^''''''  Company  has  bpcomc  largely  interested  in  the  Burlington  and  INIissouri 

B°r"aii<i''Q.  Kiver  Uailroad,  under  the  contract  with  the  Company  owning  it,  by  which  for  a 

roa.iiii  Bur.  period  often  years  from  its  date  two  years  ago,  we  are  to  bfecoine  purcliasers  of  ils 

and  Mo.  securities  convertible  into  preferred  stock  to  the  extent  of  $120,000  a  year,  it  is  not 

'^''"  ■  deemed  inappropriate  to  bring  its  condition  and  business  and  prospects  before  our 

Earnings  siockliolders.              *              *              »            Tlie  road  the  past  year,  with  cmly  88 

^^.^^.'^^.    .  miles  on  an  average  in  operation,  and  part  of  it  just  opened,  has  earned  §47:3,999.46. 

Mississippi.  ^^^  ji^.^  j^.^^^^^  ^.|.j^  ^^^^y  g^  j^jj^^  added,  it  is  earning  at  the  rate  of  $(iOO,000  per 

annum,  and  more,  therefore,  than  enough  to  pay  the  interest  on  its  mortgage  debt, 
when  tifty  miles  more  shall  be  completed,  and  enough  to  pay  the  whole  interest 
not  only  upon  that  debt,  but  upon  all  the  securities  out,  and  of  which  this  Compa- 
ny is  becoming  the  purchaser  at  the  rate  of  $120,000  per  annum.  There  can 
hardly,  therefore,  it  seems,  remain  a  possibility  of  doubt  of  the  value  of  all  these 
Settlement  Securities  when  there  shall  be  a  further  section  of  50  miles  added  to  the  road.  Nor 
of  country,  to  tliosc  who  consider  the  rapid  development  of  the  West,  and  the  ease  with  which 
its  prairies  are  subdued  and  brought  under  cultivation,  and  the  fact  that  at  least 
nineteentwentieths  of  the  country  along  the  line  of  that  road  yet  remains  unim- 
proved, and  yet  to  be  settled  and  to  be  made  to  contribute  to  the  revenues  of  the 
road,  would  there  seem  to  remain  any  question,  either  of  the  entire  safety  of  the 
investment,  now  making  by  this  Company,  in  its  bonds  to  be  converted  into  pre- 
ferred stock,  or  of  its  great  future  value  in  the  addition  of  business  it  will  bring  to 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy  Railroad. 

Mr.  Perkins.     In  the  appendix  Mr.  Joy  presents  the  report  of  Mr.  C.  E.  Perkins 

the  Superintendent  of  the  Burlington  and  Missouri  Road,  in  which 

he  remarks  : — 

Importance  An  examination  of  the  table  of  distances  will  show  that  when  a  completed  link 
ot  Bur.  and  iu  the  line,  we  are  sure  of  doing  a  large  share  of  whatever  business  in  passengers 
Mo.  road.      ^^^  freiglit  may  pass  over  the  Pacitic  Road. 

Our  lauds  cannot  be  sold  until  tiie  road  is  built  through  them,  but  with  the  road 
'    they  will  probably  sell  rapidly  and  at  good  prices,  and  unless  sold  within  a  very 
few  years  their  value  seems  likely  to  be  absorbed  by  local  and  State  taxation. 

Eastern  Nebraska,  and  Page,  Fremont,  anil  Mills  counties  in  Iowa,  are  all  well 
settled  and  wealthy  in  agricultural  communities  ;  we  shall  hnd  there  a  large  local 
traffic  as  soon  as  the  road  is  completed. 

There  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  after  the  completion  of  our  road  to  the 
Jlissouri  river,  the  improvement  of  both  the  road  and  the  conntry  throu!j,'h  which 
it  passes,  will  resemble  the  improvement  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy 
road,  and  the  country  tributary  to  it  during  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years. 

Way  to  ex-        On  p.  94  a  statement  of  the  traflic  is  given,  showing  the  increase 

tend  Chi.  ^  °  . 

roads.  froiu  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  and  the  Burlington  and  Missouri 

Roads.  This  is  a  sample  of  the  objects,  and  ways  and  means  of 
extending  the  Chicago  lines.  It  is  not  necessary  to  decry  any  road  ; 
sufficient  is  it  that  these  pay  abundantly,  insuring  rapid  increase. 

Congress  Yct  this  is  Dot  the  only  reliance.     The  aid  of  Congress  will  surely 

will  aid  Pa-   ,,  ,.  ici-n-  t  i 

ciflcroud.  be  givcn  to  many  Jines,  the  San  Jbrancisco  editor  to  the  contrary  not- 
withstanding. Because  they  are  certain  of  the  one  from.  Omaha, 
also  that  from  Kansas,  they  would  oppose  further  grants,  because  our 

Policy  sound  f,Q,.(.]^gj.^  jines  would  be  recipients.  But  the  measure  in  itself  is 
every  way  right  and  desirable,  notwithstanding  a  few  sharp  men 
make  incredible  fortunes  out  of  them;  and  the  policy  is  sufficiently 
inaugurated  for  these  sharp  men  to  get  the  grants  and  build  the 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  40 

roads.     And   shall   St.  Louis  or  Chicago  reap  the  benefits?     IJoth  y'"ci,i..,r 

must  be  great  gainers,  but  with  the  parallel  lines  started  so  numer- b'""^'-? 

ously  from  the  Mississippi,  and  extending  indefinitely  westward,  at 

least  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  it  is  certain  that   no   great  centre  in 

the  for  West  can  be  formed,  and  which  city  will  be  able  to  control 

the  business  in  the  main  ?     The  3Iissouri  Pepublican,  of  November -i^,.  /.v;<. 

19th,  thus  presents  her  side  : — 

St.  Louis  and  her  Western  Canmctions.—St.  Louis  is  quite  certain,  ultimately  St.  Louii 
to  have  four  connections  by  railroad  with  the  centre  of  the  continent  aiul  tlie  Pa-  '"'^■"  •*  l'"c- 
cific  coast.     The  Kansas  branch  of  the  Union  Pacitic,  already  built  to  a  point  (;(J0 '"'"^''' 
miles  west  of  St.  Louis,  we  all  know  about.     That  wdl  connect  us  witii  Denver, 
and  with  the  Omaha  branch  of  the  Union  Pacitic  at  a  point  HO  miles  west  ol  the 
longitude  of  Denver.     At  Pond  creek  or  Fort  Wallace  the  Kansas  l)ranch  ol  the 
Union  Pacific  is  to  be  extended  southwest  to  Santa  Fe  and  Albu(iuerque,  and 
thence  by  the  most  admirable  route  on  the  continent  to  San  Franeisco.    Ne.\t 
there  is  our  own  Southwest  Branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific,  known  as  tiie  Atlantic 
and  Pacific,  which  will  assuredly  be  finished  to  the  southwest  corner  of  the  State. 
and  onward  to  Albuquerque.     Congressional  grants  of  land  have  already  been  made 
to  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific. 

Then  St.  Louis  will  at  an  early  day  be  in  direct  railroad  connection  with  Omaha  Connections 
and  the  Union  Pacific  at  that  point.    The  connection  will  very  soon  be  made  by  ^'''' 
means  of  the  road  which  is  in  process  of  building  from  St.  Joseph  to  Omaha.    An-  ^""'''"■~ 
other  connection  will  be  made  by  the  more  direct  route  from  Brunswick  through 
Chillicothe  to  Omaha.  " 

But  there  is  one  Pacific  Eailroad  connection  in  which  St.  Louis  is  essentially  Atchison  .c 
interested,  of  which  very  few  persons  are  aware.    "We  refer  to  that  which  will  be  ^"'f "  ^''-^^ 
effected  by  means  of  the  Atchison  and  Pike's  Peak  Railroad,  leading  westward       ' 
from  Atchison.    That  road  is  built,  stocked  and  running  for  a  distance  of  eighty 
miles.    At  that  point  it  diverges  northwest  over  a  line  surveyed  and  locatecl  to 
Fort  Kearney,  on  the  Omaha  branch  of  the  Union  Pacific,  a  distance  of  two  hun- 
dred miles.     Congress  has  granted  to  this  road  the  usual  subsidies  of  land  and 
money  granted  to  the  Union  Pacific.    Any  one  who  will  take  a  map  of  Kansas  and  Connect  with 
Nebraska  will  see  what  a  direct  connection  this  will  give  St.  Louis  with  the  Union  0"i»im  roau 
Pacific  Railway  at  Fort  Kearney.     From  Atchison  to  that  point  is  280  miles,  80  K-trney 
miles  built,  and  the  rest  to  be  built  next  year.    From  Atchison  to  Leavenworth,  a 
distance  of  twenty  miles,  there  is  a  gap.    But  the  route  for  a  road  over  that  gap  is 
surveyed  and  that  road  will  be  built.    And  then,  by  means  of  our  own  Missouri 
Pacific,  to  Leavenwoi'th,  St.  Louis  will  be  in  connection  with  the  Union  Pacific  at 
Fort  Kearney,  nearly  300  miles  west  of  Omaha,  which  places  St.  Louis  at  once  on 
an  even  footing  with  Chicago,  so  far  as  the  Union  Pacific  is  concerned,  giving  to 
St.  Louis  an  advantage  in  distance,  if  we  mistake  not,  for  Fort  Kearney  is  nearer 
to  St.  Louis  than  to  Chicago.     Tapping  the  Union  Pacific  at  Fort  Kearnej',  St. 
Louis  will  then  be  in  connection  with  the  road  leading  directl}^  to  Salt  Lake  and 
the  Pacific.    We  learn  that  the  gentlemen  interested  in  the  Atchison  and  Pike's 
Peak  Road  and  the  Fort  Kearney  connection  will  early  next  year  press  it  rapidly 
to  completion.     The  President  of  the  road  is  R.  M.  Pomeroy,  of  Boston  ;  Elfing-  Boston  men 
ham  H.  Nichols  of  New  York,  is  Treasurer.     We  learn  that  these  gentlemen,  aird  "id'iiK  St. 
those  associated  with  them,  among  whom  is  Lieutenant  Governor  Clafiin,  of  Mas-  ^"""*— 
sachusetts,  are  aiming  at  com])leting  this  road  with  a  view  to  perfecting  a  connec- 
tion with  St.  Louis.     Any  one,  upon  an  exaramation  of  the  map,  will  see  that  the 
route  is  natural  and  direct,  and  that  it  is  a  most  important  matter  to  St.  Louis  to 
have  this  road  built.     It  will  in  fact  constitute  for  us  the  Union  Pacific  Railway 
via  Nebraska,  opening  to  us  the  same  regions  penetrated  by  the  Union  Pacific,  and  jj^te  xwlii 
placing  in  our  hands  the  necessary  means  for  competition  with  Chicago  on  that  Chicago, 
line. 

We  have  then : — 

1.  The  Kansas  branch  of  the  Union  Pacific,  the  central  route,  running  to  Den- 
ver, connecting  with  the  Union  Pacific  sixty  miles  west  and  north  of  Denver,  route."^'"* 
running  southwest  to  Santa  Fe  and  Albuquerque  and  on  to  the  Pacific  ocean. 

2.  The  two  connections  with  the  Union  Pacific  at  Omaha,  one  vui  St.  Joseph  2-  Two  to 
and  one  via  Brunswick  and  Chillicotjie.  Omaha. 

.    3.    The  connection  with  the  Union  Pacific  at  Fort  Kearney  by  means  of  the  3.  Atchison. 

—4 


50  The  Pacific  Eailways  in  Progress— theii'  Effects. 

Atchison  and  Pike's  Peak  railway,  wliich  will  make  of  the  Omaha  Branch  of  the 
Union  Pacitic  a  rnad  tributary  to  St.  Louis. 
4.  s.  w.  4.    The  Atlantic  and  Pacific,  running  through  Southwest  Missouri,  and  thence 

Pacific. '       to  the  3r)th  parallel  at  Albuquerque.     This  road  will  ultimately  pass  down  through 

Arizona  and  Souora  to  Guayraas  on  the  Gulf  of  California. 

St.  Louis'         This  presents  the  near  railroad  future  of  St.  Louis,  so  far  as  its  connections  with 

near  future,  the  Northwestern,  Central,  and   Southwestern  Territories  and   States,    and  the 

Pacific  ocean  are  concerned.     The  middle  position  of  our  city,  on  the  grand  central 

line  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  insures  the  connectitms  we  have  indicated. 

Chicago  Pa-  What  has  been  called  the  Chicago  Union  Pacific,  through  Omaha,  becomes  ours 

cifictiieir     ^,y  ti,g  inevitable  necessities  of  our  position,  and  through  it  St.  Louis  reaches  Ne- 

^'^'^^'  braska,  Utah,  Idaho,  Montana,  and  all  regions  West  and  Northwest.     Our  second 

Some  gaps    Pacific  is  insured  by  the  road  now  built  nearly  to  Pond  Creek.     What  is  needed 

at  home  to    here  at  home  is  prompt  and  liberal  aid  to  be  extended  to  those  who  are  seeking  to 

^"'  fill  up  certain  gaps  with  roads  in  our  own  State,  or  immediately  on  our  borders. 

Parties  engaged  in  building  the  roads  outside  of  us,  to  the  West,  do  not  seem  to 

require  aid.    They  have  the  means.    But  in  our  own  State  there  are  enteiprises  on 

foot,  designed  to  perfect  the  railroad  system  of  the  State,  which  require  aid.    Let 

such  aid  be  granted  in  liberal  measure.    Not  a  city  or  town  can  be  named  which  is 

so  greatly  interested  in  some  of  these  as  St.  Louis. 

Trade  of  the     j^  seemed  expedient  to  take  space  for  that  argument  entiie.     Yet, 

■west  rims  to  '■  ^  '■  ' 

Chicago.  on  my  side  to  argue  about  business  from  Omaha  would  be  useless. 
If  Chicago  cannot  control  trade  directly  in  her  rear,  the  experience 
of  the  past,  which  is  our  main  premise,  is  useless,  false  ;  and  the 
Queen  of  the  Lakes  will  be  seen  crawling  into  her  lake  tunnel  for 
shame. 
Atchison  The  Atchison  road  is  only  a  few  miles  south  of,  and  is  connected 

Bcctedwith  with  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  road,  which  St.  Louisians  seem  to 

Hau.  and  St.  „  .   ,     .  ■I^-r^  i  t  •  i  i  ni  i 

Joe.  have  lost  laith  m.     When  the  editor  seriously  and  coniidently  argues 

Fnnnyif      that  Mr.  Pomeroy  of  Boston,  Mr.  Nichols  of  New  York,  and  Gov. 

St'.  Louis  Claflin  of  Massachusetts,  is  building  this  road  in  the  interest 
of  St.  Louis,  it  appears  to  me  the  editor  would  display  more  sagacity 
to  consider  the  past  and  ascertain  whether  the  Hannibal  and  St. 
Joseph  game  is  not  being  repeated,  and  by  the  same  party,  A  pretty 
keen  fellow  might  be  trapped  once  at  the  game,  "  heads  I  win,  tails 
you  lose  ;"  but  the  winner  would  be  very  much  of  a  Sucker,  and  the 

Han  and  St.  loser  too  much  of  a  Pake,  who  was  cauo^ht  by  it  a  second  time.     In. 

Joe  will  do  .   .  '  o  J 

the  work,  stead  of  Waiting  to  fill  up  that  gap  to  Leavenworth  to  connect  with 
St.  Louis'  "own  Missouri  Pacific,"  these  Boston  capitalists  will 
"  Avant  to  know"  why  the  Macon  route  via  St.  Joseph,  will  not  an- 
swer for  St.  Louis  even  better  than  the  other,  because  shorter  ?  If 
that  creates  "the  necessary  means  for  competition  with  Chicago  on 
that  line,"  St.  Louis  and  Chicago  can  be  good  friends. 
Kansas  '^^^^  Kansas  route,  deflecting  south  into  New  Mexico  and  Arizona 

Ne^w^Mcxico  secms  promising  to  St.  Louis.  Yet  if  she  could  not  hold  her  own 
cago.^'^'  business  in  close  proximity,  and  which  she  had  fastened  to  her  by 
many  years  of  intercourse,  how  can  she  draw  to  her  from  the  far 
West,  where  Chicago  begins  competition  at  least  even-handed?  We 
in  Chicago  may  overrate  our  abilities,  but  most  surely  if  we  could 
have  had  the  direction  of  the  Kansas  Branch,  it  would  have  been 
run  directly  to  Fort  Wallace,  and  thence  southwest  through  New 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicarjo  Investments.  51 

Mexico  and  Arizona,  precisely  as  the  judicious  directors  have  deter- ny.abo* 

1  Ai'i-iiT  Ti  ..  ton  look  out 

mined.     And  it  will  be  proved  that  the  interest  and  capital  of  Xe \v  •""■•  <^''''^''K"- 
York  and  Boston  which   incorporated   the  Hannibal    and   St.  Joseph 
road   into   the    Quincy  and   Chicago  road,  as   ellcctually  as  it  could 
have  been  done   by  charter,  will  do  the  same  thing  Ibr  this  new  line 
tlirough  New  Mexico  and  onward. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  remarked,  that  St.  Louis  will  do  well  s.w.  Pacinc 
if  she  can  control  even  the  Southwest  Pacific  road.     A  recent  article  ^fi«".  """"'''^ 
in  one  of  the  St.   Louis  papers,  which  I  have  hunted  for  again   in 
vain,  felicitated  that  city  upon  the  important  fact   that  Hon.  Jumesj,  5,,  j,,,. 
F.  Joy  and  others  had  bought  800,000  acres  on  that  line.     Possibli/i^^J^j;}''''' 
these  chief  shareholders  in  the  lines  from  Kansas   City  to  Chicafo 
are  operating  in  the  St.  Louis  interest.     Yet  sagacious  as  these  gen- 
tlemen are  known  to  be,  if  they  could  make  the  land  operation  pav 
as  well  or  a  little  better  by  giving  the  southern  business  a  sli"-ht  bend 
to  Kansas,  would  they  not  do  it?     Would  it  not  be  fur  the  interest 
of  that  region  to  have  a  fair  competition  between  Chicago  and   St. 
Louis  which  this  slight  change  would  make  ?     The  road  to  Galves- Another 
ton  from  Lawrence,  already  begun,  effects  the  object.     Let  St.  Louis  mou't.'""^*' 
look  out  for  another  "flank  movement,"  for  Chicago  men  are  in  it. 

To  show  that  St.  Louis  must  be  pretty  well  occupied  in  "  seeking  St.  Louis' 
to  fill  up  certain  gaps  with  roads  in  her  own  State,  or  immediately  on  "'=''"1"''"'°" 
her  borders,"  while  Chicago  makes  "  flank  movements  ;"  a  letter  is-andcw- 
taken  from  the  Pittsburgh  Gazette,  headed  "The  Chicago  Yankee  on*^"*^"" 
his  Westward  Way."     It  is  dated   Salina,   Kansas,  June  13;   and  ^  ?•">?»« 
July  12th  the  editor  alluded  to  him  as  a  well-informed  man: —  Pitu.Gcu. 

It  is  a  notable  fact  that  all  the  active  business  men  here  hail  from  Chica/ro,  or 
somewhere  on  that  social  and  commercial  line.     Many  of  the  stores  are  brandies  ■*■"  ''"Biness 
of  commercial  houses  in  that  city.     The  forwarding  and  commission  meroliants,  cuca^'o— 
who  handle  the  Denver  and  Santa  Fe  trades,  are  Chicago  men ;  and  the  wagons, 
reapers,  mowers,  threshers,  shovels,  spades,  hoes,  cooking-stoves,  and  everytiiing 
pertaining  to  a  farmer's  outfit — and  there  are  more  of  these  things  here  than  I— ondgoods. 
ever  saw  in  any  town  of  its  size — bear  the  same  im])ress,  and  are  furnished  by 
Chicago,  or  by  New  York  or  New  Englmd  through  Cliicago.     Tliis  I  like  to  see';  Chicago  en- 
it  proves  that  already  Chicago,  which  has  not  yet  a  perfect  connection  l)y  rail  with  trenching— 
this  road,  is  entrenching  itself  strongly  and  firmly  in  this  matchless  garden  of  the 
continent.     It  is  through  this  avenue,  and  this  only,  that  that  city,  and  the  great  ^JiHilm*^'* 
commercial  cities  of  which  it  is  the  outpost,  can  reach  the  centre  of  Colorado,  and  territories, 
the  still  more  remote  Territories  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona ;  and  I  am  persuaded 
that  it  is  destined  to  be  their  best  route  to  California. 

At  present  that  trade  is  carried  over  the  Chicago,  Burhngton  and  Quincy  Rail-  _ 

road  (the  best  road  in  Illinois)  to  Quincy;  thence  across  the   Mississippi  to  tlie  ro'ilto."       '' 
Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  road,  which  begins  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river, 
and  runs  to  St.  Joseph,  on  the  Missouri.    Thence  it  goes  hj  rail  to  Weston,  six 
miles  below  Leavenworth.    From  Weston  to  Leavenworth  it  is  carried  b}''  steam- 
ers.   At  Leavenworth  it  meets  one  branch  of  the  Union  Pacific  Koad.     In  a  short 
time  a  branch  road  will  be  completed  from  Cameron  (about  fifty  miles  east  of  St. 
Joseph)  to  the  east  bank  of  the  Missouri,  opposite  Leavenworth  ;   and  a  bridge  ^.^'"dg^o 
across  the  river  to  that  city  is  the  last  remaining  link  required  to  complete  tiie  Chicago, 
long  and  direct  chain  between  Chicago  and  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  of  Kansas. 
A  branch  road  from  Cameron  to  Kansas  City  is  also  in  progress  of  construction, 
and  another  bridge  Is  to  be  built  across  the  Missouri  at  that  point,  which  is  the 
main  terminus  of  the  Union  Pacific.    Thus  two  distinct  Unes  will  unite  the  cities 


52 


The  Pacific  Fudhcays  in  Progress— Their  Effects. 


of  the  lakes,  and  through  them  all  the  railroad  lines  in  and  north  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, with  this  great  continental  thoroughfere.  They  are  now  building  a  brido;e 
over  the  ^Mississippi  at  Quincy.  So,  when  all  that  is  now  in  rapid  progress  sh.Til 
be  completed,  cars  may  be  run  from  any  of  the  cities  of  the  Atlantic  coast  to  the 
Pacific  without  breaking  bulk.  Before  five  years  more  shall  have  rolled  round, 
that  which  lately  seemed  but  an  enthusiast's  dream  will  be  sober  verity,  an  accom- 
plished fact. 

I  have  said  tliat  I  was  pleased  to  see  the  energy  of  Chicago  in  grasping  this 
prize.  It  is  eminently  commendable,  and  if  the  cities  along  the  other  great  line  of 
the  country's  commerce,  beginning  at  Philadelphia  and  ending  at  St.  Louis — allow 
themselves  to  be  outstripped,  it  is  their  own  fault. 

The  magnitude  of  the  trade  on  this  road  astonishes  even  those  who  are  building 
it.  Its  revenue  during  the  month  of  May  was  over  $105,000,  or  at  the  rate  of 
*1 ,750,000  a  year.  A  double  track  will  be  needed  through  the  valley  of  the  Kan- 
sas long  before  the  far-distant  goal  will  be  reached.  j.  c. 

P.  S. — In  justice  to  our  State,  I  must  State  the  fact  that  all  the  rails  and  all  the 
locomotives  on  this  road  are  of  Pennsylvania  manufacture. 

conflict\^^th     — The  conflict  with  St.  Louis  for  western  business  will  be  also 

considered.   Considered  when  we  compare  the  rivalry  of  the  three  chief  cities  of 

the  West.     To  prepare  further  for  this,  it  must  be  remembered  that 

Clucago  not  only  has  her  railways,  but  her  canal  and  lakes.     Let  us 

look  at — 


Bridge  Mo. 
river. 


No  breaking 
bulk. 


Northern 
route  vs. 
southern. 


Trade  largo. 


Canalto Ills.  The     ILLINOIS    K^D    MiCHIGA:N-    CaNAL    TO    THE     ILLINOIS    RiVER ITS 

rivers'^^'  POSSIBLE  CONTINUATION  TO  RoCK  IsLAND  ON  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 


Viewsi86i.       Remarks  of  1848  were  quoted  p.  23.     The  circular  of  1861  had  the 
followinsf : — 


Canal  im- 
portant. 


Corn  and 
lumber. 


Shallovr-cnt. 


Deep-cut. 


Improve 
Ills,  river. 


Ills,  river 
good  for 
navigation. 


Deep-cut 
di-girablo 
for  health 
of  Cbicttgo, 


Such  has  been  the  increase  of  railroads,  that  the  canal,  which  was  a  great 
national  work  when  completed  in  1848,  is  now  almost  overlooked.  Its  value, 
however,  for  all  heavy  transportation,  is  shown  in  the  statement  that  of  15,212,394 
bushels  of  corn  received  here  last  year,  [1860]  4,326,944  bushels  came  by  canal ; 
and  of  225,000,000  feet  of  Inmber  distributed — lath,  shingles  and  timber  not  in- 
cluded— nearly  46,000,000  were  by  canal ;  and  of  sugar,  molasses,  etc ,  large 
quantities  came  by  canal,  and  little  by  rail.  The  transportation  of  coal  is  here- 
after noticed. 

The  original  plan  of  the  canal  was  to  feed  it  from  Lake  Michigan,  and  much  of 
the  heaviest  work  was  done  accordingly.  But  in  the  embarrassments  of  the 
State  it  was  deemed  best  to  put  it  in  operation  with  the  least  possible  cost,  and 
consequent^  the  summit-level  was  raised  eight  feet  above  the  lake. 

The  deep-cut  would  not  affect  boating  on  the  canal  itself,  it  being  now  six  feet 
deep,  and  allowing  the  use  of  boats  of  even  more  draft  than  can  ordinarily  run  on 
the  Illinois  river.  But  canal  boats  are  loaded  at  various  points  on  the  river,  and 
also  on  the  Mississippi,  and  towed  bj'  steaml)oats  to  La  Salle,  the  foot  of  the  canal, 
which  saves  transliipment  at  St.  Louis  and  other  places,  and  it  is  desirable  to  se- 
cure a  constant  stage  of  water  in  the  Illinois  equal  to  the  canal.  By  lowering  the 
summit-level,  and  feeding  from  the  lake,  it  is  supposed  this  can  be  done  at  a  cost 
of  about  $1,500,000,  and  without  creating  too  strong  a  current,  which  would  be 
moderate  except  in  a  drouth.  The  canal  is  a  substantial  work,  and  steam  tugs  as 
well  as  horses  are  used  for  towing. 

The  Illinois  is  even  now  a  more  reliable  stream  for  navigation  than  the  Ohio, 
or  Upper  Jlississippi,  or  Missouri,  but  would  be  much  improved  by  this  sure  sup- 
ply in  mid-summer,  and  the  pure  water  of  the  lake  would  much  augment  its 
healthiness.  When  Chicago  becomes  very  populous,  it  will  also  be  desirable  to 
have  this  constant  flow  of  lake  water  for  miles  through  the  heart  of  the  city, 
which  the  deep-cut  will  give,  and  as  the  canal  and  its  lands  yield  good  revenues, 
the  city  or  State,  or  both,  will  probably  in  a  few  years  make  the  change.  The 
Legislature,  at  its  recent  session,  passed  resolutions  directing  surveys  and  esti- 
mates of  the  work,  not  only  of  the  canal,  but  for  improving  the  navigation  of  the 
Illinois  river. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Livestnients.  53 

This  is  the  shortest  and  l)est  route  to  form  a  steamboat  communication  between  This  sliort- 
the  waters  of  the  Lakes  and  of  the  Gulf  of  ]\[exico,  and  it  is  wiliiin  the  bounds  fron^aU  eg 
of  possibility,  if  not  probability,  that  Congress  may  itself  tinish  the  work  on  even  to  rivera. 
a  larger  scale  than  is  now  planned.    It  is  very  important  to  the  whole  country. 

The  city  of  Chicago  has  taken  in  hand  the  canal  enlargement,  and  city  eniarg- 
already  let  the  contracts,  which  are  in  progress.     It  will  cost  the '"'^ '''""' ' 
city  nothing  ultimately,  the  tolls  having  already  reduced  the  canal 
debt  to  about  $600,000. 

The  corn   received  by  canal  in    1861   was   11,735,043   bu.;  1862,^,:];^j''^y 
11,585,749;  1863,10,067,081;  in  1864,4,310,864;  in  1865,8,639,108;'=''°''^- 
in  1866,  9,575,569;  and  in  1867,  6,553,257.     Lumber  was  shipped,  _i„niber 
exclusive  of  shingles,  siding,  dressed  flooring,  etc.,  in  1861,  41,521,- ^'"p^*"'" 
790  ft;  in  1862,  55,658,586  ft.;  in  1863,  55,655,475  ;  in  1864,  52,842,- 
972;  in    1865,77,794,095;  in    1866,  67,951,954;   in  1867,  73,029,473 
feet.     The  total  receipts  are  given  p.  60. 

It  is  also  proposed  to  continue  the  canal  almost  due  west  from  Kxtcndcni  to 

•■^       -"^  ,  .  .         ,  Kock  Ibland. 

LaSalle  to  Rock  Island,  which  will  no  doubt  be  done  in  time,  to  the 
great  benefit  of  the  whole  Upper  Mississippi  region  as  well  as  Chi- 
cago.    For  while  river  navigation  has   relatively  seen  its  best  days,  Rj^er  stm 
as  will  be   hereafter  considered,  yet  for  bulky  articles,  as  lumber,  ""p°"*"'- 
corn,  etc.,  water  will  always  be  largely  used  where  it  can  be  ;  and 
even  if  produce  can  be  marketed   cheaper  by  shipping  it  down  the  interest  ot 
Mississippi,  it  will  be  directly  for  the  interest  of  Chicago  that  it  goes     "^^s*" 
that  way.     The  commercial   and  manufacturing  city  of  the  West, 
would  have  all  articles  taken  from  and  gotten  to  the  farmers  at  the 
least  possible  cost  to  them.     Iler  prosperity  will  be  ^Jari/>a6■s^i  '^^'i'^^^  thl^armers. 
the  farmers,  whoever  may  make  the  trifling  pittance  in  a  tranship- 
ment of  produce. 

Having  these  unexampled  facilities  to  gather  the  productions  of  with  these 
the  West,  what  is  she  to  do  with  them  ?     Her  powers  of  con  sump- ^^o^.'eTs,"^ 
tion,  and  her  distributing  facilities  to  the  eastward,  then,  are  quite  as  trltate*? '^'^' 
essential  as  those  considered;  and  in  this  respect  also,  Chicago  will 
not  be  found  wanting.     Let  us  first  examine —  p.  es.) 

Five  Rival  Rail w^ ays  Eastward.  6  roads  east. 

Even   in  raih-oads  to  the  East,  no  other  city  is  our  equal.     The  Mich.  Cent. 
Michigan  Central  and  its  connections  ;  the  Michigan   Southern  and  Mich.  Sou. 
its  connections  ;  the  Pittsburg  and  Fort  Wayne  and  its  connections  ;  Pitts.and 
the  Great  Eastern  and  its  connections  ;  and  also  the  Lafayette,  Indi-*"^^' 
anapolis  and  Central  route  through  Ohio  to  Baltimore, — are  all  tive,  "'•  ^''**- 
particularly  the  first  four,  strong  competitors  for  the  business  here  Central, 
centering,  insuring  expediuon,  and  care,  and  the  lowest  possible  rates, 
in  the  transit  of  both  freights  and  passengers  to  and  from  the  vari- 
rious  seaboard  cities. 

The  one  to  Baltimore  is  yet  to  be  shortened,  by  a  straight  line  Bai*- i^as  ad- 

•J  '       1  .J  vantage — 

(now  building)  from  Fiqua  to  Columbus,  and  thence  to  Parkersburg, 


54 


Five  Rival  Railioays  Eastioard. 


Seaboard 
rivalry. 


affording  the  shortest  route  possible  from  Chicago  to  the  ocean,  and 
one  which  in  a  few  years  will  be  a  strong  competitor  with    all  the 
-Phiiftdei-   others.     The  Philadelphia  route  has  advantage  next.;  and  so  many 
phiauext.     j,j^(,i.,jiediate  and  nearly  parallel  roads  are  already  constructed,  and 
More  roads,  yet   morc   to  be  constructed,  that  two   or  three  rival  lines  will  be 
opened  to  Philadelphia  and   Baltimore  as  well  as  New  York  and 
Boston ;  which   the  work  of  consolidation  of  short  lines  just  com- 
mencing, will  greatly  expedite. 
Norfolk, Ta.,     Norfolk,  also,  is  about  equi-distant  with  New  York  ;  and,  with  the 
toiiuprove.  ^j^j^^jg^  ^hat  wiU  be  made  in  Virginia  by  the  removal  of  slavery,  that 
city  may  yet  be  made  to  equal  the  expectations  of  Washington  and 
Jefferson.     One  of  tlie  first  movements  in   that  direction  Avill  be  a 
railroad  connection  with  the  chief  city  of  the  lakes  and  of  the  inte- 
rior, if  there  be  such  an  one. 

The  same  reasons  which  have  influenced  the  caj^ital  of  New  York 
and  north  in  favor  of  Chicago,  have  hitherto  operated  upon  Philadel- 
phia and  south  to  favor  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis.  With  no  outspo- 
ken declaration  of  antagonism,  a  deep,  irresistible  under-curt-ent  of 
interest  has  led  each  section  on  the  seaboard  to  extend  its  lines  to 
draw  western  business.  This  for  yeai-s  has  been  perfectly  understood, 
and  a  St.  Louisian  writing  from  New  York  to  the  Missouri  Republican^ 
about  the  Omaha  and  St.  Louis  Road,  says  : 

If  a  shorter  and  better  road  can  be  bad  from  (Jmaha  to  St.  Louis,  than  can  be 
found  between  Omaha  and  Chicago,  then  St.  Louis  will,  with  equal  means,  and 
equal  capacity,  command  the  trade.  With  a  crooked,  badly  graded,  and  poorly 
built  road,  St.  Louis  will  stand  but  a  poor  chance  to  win  in  the  lively  competition 
which  Chicago  will  wage  for  the  trade  which  will  concentrate  at  Omaha.  The 
best  road  or  none.  A  poor  road  will  be  but  an  aggravation  ;  it  will  excite  hopes 
only  to  disappoint  them. 

A.  few  words  as  to  who  should  take  the  laboring  oar.  And  here  I  fear  to  offend. 
No  matter  what  interest  is  suggested,  other  interests  will  feel  slighted. 

But  when  lighting,  not  for  profit  but  for  life,  a  community  must  put  in  the  lead 
those  who  have  it  in  their  power  to  command  success. 

The  ]Missouri  Pacific  Railroad  Company  possesses  that  power.  St.  Louis  is  the 
natural  terminus,  on  the  Mississippi  river,  of  the  Philadelphia,  Pittsburg,  Colum- 
bus, and  Terre  Haute  line  of  railroads;  also  of  the  Baltimore  and  Cincinnati  line 
of  roads.  A  road  from  Omaha  to  St.  Louis  brings  business  to  a  point  from  which 
it  cannot  easily  be  taken  away  from  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore.  But  if  the  busi- 
ness of  Omalia  is  taken  to  Chicago,  then  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia  will  be 
brouglit  into  a  direct  comiietition,  of  the  severest  kind,  with  the  New  York  and 
Boston  roads  to  obtain  that  business. 

I  know  of  no  other  interest  than  the  Pacific  Company,  and  its  potential  Eastern 
connections,  which  has  the  financial  capacity  and  the  pecuniary  inducement  to 
build  that  road  in  a  short  period  of  time.  That  Company  and  its  Eastern  connec- 
tions have  large  engagements,  and  may  be  loth  to  undertake  a  new  enterprise. 
But  tlieir  directories  have  men  of  large  comprehension,  and  they  thoroughly  com- 
pndicnd  tlie  greatness  of  the  stakes  involved.  I  think  if  the  people  of  St.  Louis 
strongly  urge  the  enterprise  upon  them,  they  will  respond  as  men  like  them  have 
always  resjionded — generoudy.     If  they  undertake  it  they  will  build  it. 

The  road  would  have  a  superb  "local  business ;  it  would  be  of  the  very  first  order 
in  amount  and  value,  the  lands  being  fertile  and  well  watered. 

To  St.  Louis  it  is  of  extreme  importance,  for  by  its  means  St.  Louis  would  be 
made  the  nearest  and  most  accessible  large  city  to  the  eastern  terminus  of  the  main 
road  to  California,  and  the  intermediate  States  and  Territories. 


Writer  in 
Mo.  Hep. 

St.  Louis 
wants 
straight 
road  to 
Omalia. 


Who  to 
build. 


Mo.  Pacific 
Co. 

Phila.  and 
Bnltimore 
iuterest. 


That  Co. 
able — 


— perhaps 
loth. 


Good  local 
trade. 


St.  L. 
uvareat. 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  66 

Who  Avill  move  first  in  this  matter?     Not  to  build  it  is  to  surrender  tiie  Califor-  Hiuipcr 
nia  and  Mountain  business  to  Chicago  without  a  slruirirle.  '''■'""  ^'''• 

Tlic  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  Pittsbur-r,  CinoinnalT,'and  tiieir  connecting  roads,  Cmtmi 
as  I  said  in  my  former  article,  will  be  benefited  if  the  trade  of  Omaha  is  brought  Hii.-«  with 
to  St.  Louis,  and  injured  if  it  is  carried  to  Chicago ;  for  tiie  New  York  and  lio.slon  **'•''• ''K'il"Ht 
roads  cannot  successfully  compete  in  St.  Louis  with  those  of  Pliiladelpliia  and  ^''''^"B"- 
Baltimore,  but  can  in  a  place  so   far  north  as  Chicago.     A  barrel  of  Hour  fmm 
Chicago  to  New  York  would  not  be  likely  to  be  carried  by  the  way  of  Haltimorc  ; 
from  St.   Louis  the  Baltimore  road  can  carry  the  barrel  t()   New   York  for  less 
money  than   can  the  Erie  road.     Therefore,  IJaltimore,  Piiiladdphia,  l-'ittsburgh  _,,,„,  .„  j 
and  most  especially  Cincinnati,  and  every  railroad  in  Soulheni  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  to  Omaha.' 
Illinois,  are  deeply  interested  in  the  construction  of  a  railroad  ix'tween  St.  Louis 
and  Omaha,  that  will  have  better  grades  and  curvature,  and  be  100  mif-ksshoutku 
than  the  best  and  shortest  road  between  Omaha  and  C!liicago.     And  if  properly 
appealed  to,  they  will  certainly  aid  in  building  such  a  railroad.     The  slxjrtest  line 
is  as  important  to  them  as  it  is  to  St.  Louis. 

Nor  will  these  railroad  companies  care  anymore  than  I  do  icho  l)uilds  it.     What  no  matter 
they  want,  is  to  have  the  trade  brought  to  St.  Louis,  where  they  can  successfully  who  builds, 
compete  for  it.    Unless  the   Omaha  trade  comes  to  St.   Louis,  Cincinnati  roails 
cannot  obtain  one  ounce  of  that  freight,   other  than  "chance"  lots  sent  to  fill 
some  special  order. 

Let  St.  Louis  concentrate  her  strength  on  the  St.  Louis  and  Omaha  railroad  ;  gt.  L.'g  vital 
and  see  to  it  that  it  is  not  made  to  run  to  the  right  nor  to  the  left,  to  accommodate  poiut- 
some  influential  officer  or  some  flourishing  village,  but  make  it  as  short  and  level, 
and  as  curveless  as  possible — guard  this  point,  for  in  competition  it  is  vital. 

But,  iu  order  to  whip  out  Chicago  thoroughly,  at  least  in  Missouri,  let  the  ]\Iis-  t„  ^-h,- 
souri  Pacific  company  make  an  arrangement  with  the  railroad  company   now  Chicago—" 
building  a  railroad  from  St.  Joseph  to  Omaha,  by  which,  forever,  close  connections 
of  trains,  and  exchanges  of  freights  and  passengers  will  be  secured  to  both  parties  _a  new 
on  mutually  advantageous  terms.     This  done,  let  the  Pacific  Railroad  proceed  to  road  from 
organize  a   company  to  build  from   St.  Joseph,  through  Plattsburg,   Richmond,  ^t-  Joe- 
Lexington,  and  Boouville,  a  branch  to  its  railroad  at  a  point  not  distant  from 
Jefferson  City. 

Such  a  branch  road  will  not  interfere  with  the  Brunswick  and  Omaha  road,  but  _nii,g  u^ 
would  thoroughly  dispose  of  the  Chicago  road,  now  running  from  St.  Joseph  by  n„d'st.  Joe°' 
the  way  of  Quiucy  to  Chicago.  Chi.  road. 

The  greatness  of  the  trade  of  the  roads  running  east  from  St.  Louis  will  also  be 
assured  if  the  aforenamed  Missouri  roads  are  finished  before  trade  has  been  shifted,  ant'i-st."L.*" 
and  been  moulded  and  ^^toZ  to  ply  in  large,  strong,  and  smooth  anti-St.  Louis  grooves, 
grooves;  once  diverted  to  deep  adverse  channels,  St.  Louis  will  find  it  nearly  or 
quite  impossible  to  recover  her  trade.    Those  Eastern  roads,  those  cities  of  Phila- 
delphia, Baltimore,  Cincinnati,  have  as  deep  an  interest,  and  their  destinies  will  be  East  equally 
proporlionably  as  much  influenced,  in  the  making  or  not  making  of  a  successful '-"""cwued. 
connection  with  Omaha,  as  St.  Louis  itself     Clearly,  St.  Louis  interests  are  their 
interests.     But  do  they  clearly  understand  this?    Have  they,  in  the  turmoil  of  ig  this  un- 
business,  studied  this  connection  of  their  interests  with  ours?    Have  our  writers lierstood? 
and  speakers  and  railroad  directors  and  business  men  and  lot  owners  improved 
opportunities  to  explain  these  interests  to  Eastern  friends  ? 

Observe  how  this  writer  incidentally  adniits  the  significant  fact  ^''^jj^. 
of  the  severe  competition  from  Chicago  which  St.  Louis  has  to  meet^gj,\2ed'!"' 
right  in  her  own  State,  and  the  defection  of  the  Hannibal  and  St. 
Joseph  road.     But  the  time  is  rapidly  passing  away  w^hen  such  con- 
siderations are  to  aifect  even  Baltimore,  much  less    Philadelphia.  ""^,1? 


Such  narrow 


s  to 


end. 


The  last  annual  report  of  the   Pittsburgh  and  Fort  Wayne  Railroad' 

c„,  „  .  Pitts,  and 

says : —  Ft.  w.  Rep. 

The  extension  of  the  line  of  road  across  Iowa  to  the  IMissouri  river  at  Council  T^ade  thro' 
Bluffs,  opposite  Omaha,  has  just  been  accomplished,  and   will   this   spring  be  Chi.  from 
worked  in  connection  with  the  Northwestern  Railway  Company,  of  Illinois,  as  a  Pacific, 
single  line  from  Chicago  to  the  eastern  terminus  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  a 
length  of  four  hundred  and  ninety-six  miles.     The  opening  of  this  line  cannot  be 
regarded  in  any  other  light  than  that  of  a  marked  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  city 
of  Chicago,  and  must  have  great  influence  iu  assisting  to  make  that  city  one  of  the 


56  Five  Rival  Railioays  Eastward. 

Build  np       largest  inland  on  the  continent.     As  your  road  is  one  of  the  great  arteries  of  that 
Chicago.       gjj^,^  jjg  quickened  Ufe-blood  must  give  new  strength  and  growth  to  your  interests. 

Acquiesce  in     It  was  one  thing  to  labor  to  mould  a  system  in  their  own  interest; 
settled.        but  it  is  quite  another  to  work  against  a  system  tlioroughly  estab- 
lished.    Without  a  doubt,  they  would  like  to  draw  the  trade  of  the 
Take  trade    ^^.^.gj  through  cities  in  their  interest;  but  as  we  shall  see,  p.  76,  the 

in  its  iiHtu-  '-'  ...-,, 

raichauueis.  one  nearest  retires  from  the  contest,  and  it  is  quite  evident  the  other 
Avill  also.  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  will  not  work  against  the 
current.  As  the  St.  Louis  editor  says,  p.  27,  "Trade,  like  water, 
runs  in  the  direction  of  the  least  resistance.     Nobody  ever  succeeded 

lUeobjTjt^.'  in  making  it  run  up  hill."  The  business  of  Cincinnati  and  of  St. 
Louis,  however,  is  not  the  object,  but  that  of  the  Great  West;  and 
as  that  shall  centre  more  and  more  at  Chicago,  they  will  extend  more 
and  more  facilities,  and  the  advantage  they  have  in  distance  will  be 

Ati.  ports     iiiore   and  more  felt.     So  that  without  doubt  competition  between 

compete  to  _  ^  '■ 

reach  Chi.    ^he  Atlantic  ports,  will  insure  increase  of  facilities  eastward,  keeping 
N.Y.  andN.  pf^ce  with  increase  westward.     Strength  of  capital  having  lain  with 

liiiu;.  made      ^  .010^ 

Cbi.  focal      New  York  and  NewEno-land,  and  the  stronsr  natural  current  of  busi- 

point.  . 

ness  lake-ward  having  favored  them,  they  have  made  the  focal  point 
as  advantageous  to  themselves  as  2^ossible  ;  and  now  they  have  still 
the  strong  competition  of  shorter  lines  to  encounter  against  Phila- 

ftruug.'"'°°  delphia  and  Baltimore  and  Norfolk.  Nor  is  the  competition  to  be 
slight,  did  it  rest  on  merely  the  present  roads.  The  lines  to  New 
York  may  for  a  time  be  consolidated,  though  the  State  Legislators 
will  doubtless  discover  the  public  interest,  and  with  the  aid  of  courts 

State  rights  prevent  an  operation  so  preiudicial  to  the  public  good.     But   Penn- 

ourdeleuder^  .  ^  .,,     ,  ,  ,      .       . 

sylvania  and  Maryland  will  look  out  lor  their  interests,  as  the  doc- 
trine of  State  rights  comes  to  be  rightly  understood  and  practiced  ; 
and  they  will  never  become  permanently  subservient  to  New  York 
control.  National  Union  upon  the  basis  of  State  Sovereignty,  is  our 
solid  foundation ;  and  rival  gigantic  corporations,  with  the  interests 
and  rights  of  State  Sovereignty  to  back  them,  will  prevent  the 
Great  West  from  being  subjected  to  the  power  of  New  York  money. 
New  York  Siucc  tliis  jiapcr  was  completed,  or  nearly  so,  the  following  article 
World.        mthiiJSFew  York  TFoWcHias  come  to  hand,  dated  Jan.  1st,  1868: — 

takTnfro'nr      Edit  (uul  West— The  PoH  of  New  York. — Mr.  Cunard,  in  his  recent  letter  to  a 

Bu.stou—       Boston  merchant  said  : 

—reasons—  "  During  this  last  autumn,  when  we  have  been  sending  an  average  of  2500  tons 
of  freiglit  every  week,  or  10,000  tons  per  month  in  our  ships  from  this  port,  we 
have  been  unable  to  get  500  or  600  tons  once  a  fortnight  iu  Boston  at  one  half  of 
tlie  freight  we  were  getting  here,  and  that  was  not  considered  sufficient  induce- 
ment, as  shippers  in  Boston  complain  at  paying  203  per  ton,  wlien  we  were  asking 
40s  or  50s." 

N.  Y.  chief       This  is  the  whole  case  in  a  nut-shell.  New  York  has  become  the  great  exporting 

exporter,  as  well  as  importing  port  of  tlie  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America.  Our  pre- 
eminence as  an  exporter  is  maintained  not  only  by  the  shipment  of  merchandise 

BuBinegs  ag- that  naturally  seeks  a  market  here,  but  by  shipments  to  us  from  all  directions— 

gregatea.  fp^n^  Canada,  from  the  Southern  States,  fi-om  the  West  Indies,  and  from  Mexico- 
fur  the  sole  purpose  of  shipments  hence  to  markets  with  which  they  have  no 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  5  7 

direct  communication.  Being  so  thoroughly  established,  we  apprehend  that  Bos- 
ton, as  well  as  other  ports  which  have  sullcred  an  eclipse,  wUl  liud  u  stem  chase 
a  very  lon^^  and  unpromising  one. 

The  foundation  of  the  commercial  greatness  of  New  York  was  laid  when  the  j;ri«  cnnai 
Erie  Canal  was  built.     Her  progress  has  been  j^romoted  by  the  neglect  of  Boston  mado  N.  Y. 
to  complete  her  railroad  communications  with   the   West.     Having  allowed  her 
opportunity  to  depart  from  her,  Boston  must  be  content  to  pass  into  coiu|)arative 
insignlticance,  to  become  to  New  York  what  Hull  or  Uristol  is  to  Liverpool. 

The  fact  that  ISew  York  maintains  almost  entirely  tlic  foremost  position  in  the  N.  Y.tobac- 
tobacco  trade,  which  the  late  war  gave  her,  is  signitieant  of  the  dilllculty  of  turn- comurket. 
ing  trade  from  its  accustomed  channels  .so  long  as  suitable  facilities  are  ailbrdcd  for 
its  transaction.     New  Orleans,  once  pre-eminent  as  a  tobacco  market,  now  ranks —n.  Orlouug 
as  such  below  Richmond,  and  the  intiuence  of  New  York  in  the  cotton  market  is 
greater  than  that  of  New  Orleans. 

But  New  York  stands  in  great  need  of  improving  her  railroad    communica-  N.  y.  noeda 
tions  with  the  Great  West.     We  can  no  longer  depend  upon  the  Erie  Canal  to  ■""''"■"""I* 
bring  our  supplies  of  breadstuils.     Heretofore  the  railroads  having  a  terminus  at  ^""'' 
the  seaboard  have  not  attempted  to   bring  much  beside  Hour  in   barrels.     Lust 
spring  the  Erieroad  brought  us  some  corn, and  is  now  doing  something  in  that  line  ^^^^^  '^'■°- 
But  the  aggregate  is  far  below  the  requirements  of  the  market  or  the  capacity  of 
the  road.     It  has  been  demonstrated  at  Chicago  and  IMihvaukee,   what  railroads 
can  do  in  the  transportation  of  grain  in  bulk.     What  the  Kock  Island  liailrnad, 
and  the  Northwestern  Bailroad  can  do  at  Chicago,  the  Erie  Kailroatl  and  the  Hud- 
son River  Railroad  can  do  at  New  York;  and  what  they  can  do,  they  should  do  at  no  freight 
once.     The  usual  amount  of  shipping  could  not  now  tind  remunerative  employ-  for  ships, 
ment  here,  because  of  the  deticient  supply  of  western  products,  with  which  the  ^ 
West  is  overflowing.    New  York  has  a  formidable  rival  in  Baltimore.     She  drew  a  strong  ri^ai 
good  deal  of  business  from  us  last  winter  by  her  supplj'  of  corn  received  by  rail,  to  N.  Y. 
And  should  the  James  River  be  brought  in  direct  connection  with  the  Ohio,  Nor- 
folk may  assume  great  importance  as  a  shipping  port. 

What  railroads  can  do  in  the  transportation  of  merchandise  is  demonstrated  also  Cotton  by 
by  the  arrangement  to  ship  cotton  to  New  York  from  Cairo  by  rail,  [and  vin  """*'• 
Chicago]  instead  of  by  the  usual  route  of  the  Mississippi  River  and  the  sea.  With 
a  close  money  market,  and  rapid  fluctuations  in  prices,  a  few  day's  gain  in  time 
may  be  of  paramount  importance  to  an  operator  in  cotton.  We  are  receiving  a 
few  hundred  bushels  of  corn  daily  from  Tennessee  over  the  Hudson  River  Road. 
Why  not  thousands  instead  of  hundreds  ? 

To  return  to  Boston.     The  letter  to  Mr.  Cunard  details  at  some  length  the  com-  Boston  in- 
pletion  of  numerous  railroad  connections  with  the  West,  and  the  establishment  of  ^y^"^^"B 
rates  for  through  freight  over  them,  which  promise  to  be  very  advantageous  to  her,  uncs— ° 
although  a  little  too  late  for  the  preservation  of  her  steamer  communication  with 
Europe,  they  have  already  brought  many  advantages.    They  have  made  Boston  a 
great  flour  market,  partly  at  the  expense  of  New  York.    In  this  branch  of  business 
we  have  remained  nearly  stationary,  while  Boston  has  doubled  in  a  lew  years.  — advanta- 
The  rate  of  freight  from  Chicago  is  but  a  trifle  more  than  to  New  York — in  fact  ges  over 
scarcely  more  than  frorc  New  York  to  Boston ;  while  in  storage,  insurance,   and  ^" 
cost  of  handling,  she  has  us  at  a  disadvantage.     The  same  is  true,  to  some  extent, 
of  the  provision  trade.     The  West  and  New  England  Imve  been  benefited  by  the 
system  ot  through  freights  at  the  expense  of  New  York,  and  the  fact  demands 
attention. 

The  admission  of  the  severe  competition  New  Yoi-k  must  meet  from  Competition 

,         ,,  ,  .       .      ,.     .  T      •        p    11  1  1  T  niuat  be  met 

ports  south  ot  her,  is  judicious.  It  is  lolly  to  shut  one  s  eyes  ana 
rest  content  with  narrow  superficial  views,  in  this  broad  laud,  where 
estimates  of  the  futm-e,  and  plans  to  control  the  business,  sliould  be 
made  upon  the  same  scale  of  grandeur  which  laid  out  the  rivers^ 
lakes,  prairies,  and  mountains,  with  their  natural  products,  mineral 
and  agricultural.  By  rail,  Baltimore  always  has,  and  always  must  Advantage 
have  the  advantage,  for  distance  gives  it.  The  Chicago  Times,  pre-°*^*^*- 
seuts  the  current  rates :— 


58 


Five  nival  Hallways  Eastward. 


Railroad 
rates. 


New  York . . 

Boston 

Philadelphia. 

Albany 

Montreal . . . . 
Buflalo 


2d 

4th 

class 

class 

$1.50 

85 

1.60 

90 

1.40 

80 

1.40 

80 

1.54 

84 

80 

45 

Flour 
per  bbl. 


$1.70 
1.80 
l.GU 
l.O'j 
1.68 
90 


Providence. 
Worcester.. 
Cleveland. . 
Baltimore. . 
Cincinnati.. 
Pittsburgh. 


2d 

4th 

class 

class 

$1.60 

90 

1.60 

90 

61 

30 

1.40 

80 

60 

30 

85 

45 

Flour 
per  bbl. 

14.80 

1.80 

60 

1.60 

60 

90 


Improve- 
meut  iu 
niilwtiy 
trausporta- 
tioa. 


N.  Y.canal- 


Another 
route — 


— the  lakes. 

Lake  Mich- 
drew  the 
railways. 


Improvements,  too,  in  railway  transportation,  will  steadily  increase 
the  advantage  even  to  Norfolk  ;  and  this  must  be  an  influential  con- 
sideration in  calculating  the  future.  Had  New  York  only  railways, 
her  chances  would  be  slender,  for  "  the  foundation  of  the  commercial 
greatness  of  New  York  was  laid  when  the  Erie  canal  was  built ;"  and 
if  her  statesmen  are  wise,  they  will  deepen  that  solid  foundation  by 
— should  be  deepening  and  widening  her  canals,  corresponding  to  the  increase 
of  the  business  of  the  West.  It  is  indispensable  to  her;  and  even 
with  it  she  will  not  long  control  the  foreign  trade  Irom  the  West. 
For  we  are  yet  to  have  another  and  main  outlet  for  western  produce. 
Far  better  than  more  railroad  competition,  we  have  an  independent 
route,  the  powerful  regulator  of  even  all  these  railways,  and  by 
which  more  business  is  transacted,  and  will  always  be  transacted, 
than  by  all  six  of  the  roads,  that  is — 

The  Lake  Route  to  the  East  akd  Europe. 
Michigan's  billowy  bosom  drew  to  her  all  these  iron-handed 
wooers.  Because  Chicago  was  the  western  extremity  of  this  chain 
of  inland  seas,  which  afford  ample  room  for  the  commerce  of  the 
world,  and  which  have  such  a  powerful  stretch  into  the  very  Jieart 
of  the  continent,  and  reaching  far  enough  south  to  supply  a  port  in 
about  the  middle  of  the  temperate  zone,  and  in  its  very  richest 
.region, — because  it  is  at  the  point  of  natural  connection  of  the  Valley 
of  the  Great  Lakes  with  the  Valley  of  the  Great  Rivers, — did 
Chicago  receive  her  first  impetus.  As  long  as  the  rivers  run  and  the 
billows  roll,  must  these  moving  and  yet  immovable  causes  be  poten- 
tial in  her  advancement.  The  lakes  drew  hither  the  railroads,  and 
the  railroads  abundantly  reciprocate,  pouring  upon  their  consorts  a 
stream  of  commerce  "which  has  already  reached  fabulous  figures, 
although  the  land  tributary  is  yet  in  the  infancy  of  settlement.  Says 
Mr.  Parton  iu  the  Atlantic  Monthly:* —  ">.:.  %  •- ;    ,%  i\  -\,-..  ir»'»-'^ 

*Mr.  Parton's  article  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly  for  March,  1867,  is  eminently  worthy  of  consideration, 
especially  in  connection  with  his  other  articles  upon  inland  cities.  That  upon  Chicago  is  fair,  judicious 
and  moderate,  and  exhibits  such  careful  investigation  of  the  subject,  and  accuracy  of  statement,  that  no 
doubt  those  of  the  other  cities  are  equally  so.  They  have  not  been  read  for  lack  of  time,  and  have  n^t 
even  been  seen,  but  judging  from  this,  I  am  fully  confident  they  will  confirm  this  argument.  At  all 
events,  they  bring  togeth«ra  vast  amount  of  information,  practical  and  important,  throwing  much  light 
upon  this  subject.  It  is  very  necessary  for  this  whole  nation  to  understand  whether  there  be  the  central 
city  which  Chicago  is  affirmed  to  be  ;  and  our  capitalists  and  Wise  men  should  examine  carefully  such 
articles  as  Mr.  Parton's.    Uaving  no  acquaintance  with  him,  the  opinion  is  not  given  for  his  benefit,  but 


Natural  con- 
nection of 
lakes  and 
rivers. 


Lakes  and 
railways  re- 
ciprocate. 


Mr.  Parton. 


Importance 
of  Mr.  Par- 
ton's  arti- 
cles. 


I^ast,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investmeyits.  69 

In  some  parts  of  the  country  railroads  have  temporarily  diminished  the  impor-  Kniironds 
t;ince  of  water  communication.     This  is  not  the  case  with  the  (treat  Lakes,  nor 'I'l'i/J^-*"^^  '"^ 
with   Chicago's  lion's  share  of  their  commerce.     It  is  hut  yesterday  that  Astor'sciiicugo. 
single  schooner  of  forty  tons,  was  the  only  vessel  known  "to  the  Chicago  Kiver 
except  Indian  canoes.     Chicago  is  now  more  than  the  Marseilles  of  our  Mediterra- 
nean, though  Marseilles  was  a  place  of  note  twenty-four  hundred  years  ago. 

Water  and  railway  carriers,  and    theii-  ensineer.s,  liave   ardently  R-'iiwiynnd 

•'  '  o  >  J    vviit.r  both 

contended  that  each  was  superior  to  the  other.     Their  jnistake  lies  in  '"'li-peuHu- 
not  admitting  that  each  has  its  advantages  for  some  uses,  and  disad- 
vantages for  others.     Both  are  required  as  neither  ever  could  have 
been  before  ;  for  wdiat  was  ancient  commerce  compared  with  modern, 
and  how  great  and  rapid  are  the  chancres  even  in  these  our  years'?^'"""'"''® 
Only  35  years  ago,  upon  first  visiting  New  York,  ray  father  showed  ="■""«"■<=«• 
nie  the  enormous  ship  Henry  Clay,  of  some  800  or  900  tons  burthen  ! 
We   are  yet  only    in  the    infancy  of  improvements  in  commercial 
intercourse;  and  he  Avho  supposes  they  will  be  confined  to  railways,  wator  not  to 
expects  a  supplanting  of  Nature's  highways,  and  of  their  union  Ijy  puuu'd. 
canals,  in  Avhich  he  will  pi-obably  be  disappointed.      The  Buffalo  nuff.  Oom. 
Commercial  Advertiser^  a  trustworthy  authority  upon  such  subjects,^''"' 
remarks  : — 

Railroads  are  a  great  boon  to  the  country.    An  exclusive  freight  railway,  with  Railways 
double  tracks,  can  doubtless  do  much  more  than  one  of  mixed  passenger  and'freight  important- 
traffic  ;  but  we  think  no  sane  man  would  for  a  moment  claim  that  it  would  have 
more  practical  capacity  for  through  traffic  than  all  the  five  great  through  railway 
lines  now  in  operation,  and  the  Erie  Canal.     There  is  no  method  of  transportation  —water 
yet  known  so  cheap  as  that  by  water.    The  average  price  of  lake  freights  on  wheat  more  so. 
from  Chicago  to  Butfalo,  (distance  1,000  miles,)  for  the  ten  years  from  1857  to  18G7, 
inclusive,  has  been  only  8  99-lOOth  cents  per  bushel,  which  is  a  fraction  less  than  cost  com-"  • 
$3  per  ton.    This  includes  the  profit  of  the  carrier,  and  is  three  mills  per  ton  per  pared— 
mile.    The  average  cost  of  freight  on  wheat  from  Buffalo  to  New  York,  by  the 
Erie  Canal  and  the  Hudson  River,  including  State  tolls  and  profit  of  carrier,  has 
been  only  15  55-lOOth  cents  per  bushel,  equal  to  $4.62i^  per  ton,  making  the  aver- 
age freight  per  ton,  from  Chicago  to  New  York,  for  a  period  often  years,  ^T.OfjJ/^. 
The  verified  reports  of  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  from  1853  to  1859,  a  period  ~'""^ '■''''■ 
of  six  years — before  we  had  a  depreciated  currency — show  the  actual  average  cost  *''^' 
to  that  company  to  be  one  cent  four  mills  and  49-lOOths  of  a  mill  per  ton  \)cv  mile. 
Since  that  period  the  cost  has  been  much  greater.    The  distance  from  New  York 
to  Chicago  by  rail  via  the  Hudson  River  Railroad,  New  York  Central  and  South 
Shore  Railroads,  is  988  miles.    At  the  above  average  cost  of  rail  transportation  per  prom  q^\_  t<, 
ton  per  mile  on  the  Central,  the  cost  per  ton  from  Chicago  to  New  York  would  N.  Y. 
be  $14.31  6-lOths,  or  $6.65  1-lOth  more  per  ton  than  the  average  cost  by  the  lakes, 
canal  and  the  Hudson  River,  including  profits  of  carrier  and  State  tolls.    This  dif-  saviDgby 
ference  on  the  present  annual  eastward  through  movement  of  about  5,000,000  tons  water, 
would  make  a  saving  of  $36,580,500,  taking  the  rail  freiglits  at  actual  cost,  and  with 
the  profits  of  the  railway  companies  added,  more  than  $60,000,000  annually. 

In  December  last  the  ship  David  Crockett  arrived  at  Philadelphia  in  ninety-four  g.^^  Yran.  u. 
days  from  San  Francisco,  with  a  cargo  of  wheat  on  which  the  freight  was  fifty-  puiia. 
eight  cents  per  bushel.    At  the  same  time  the  tariti"  rate  on  wheat  from  Chicago 
to  Philadelphia  by  rail,  was  fifty-one  cents  per  bushel.     The  ship  sailed  17,000 
miles,  and  the  rairdistance  is  less  than  1,000  miles.    This  result  shows  the  superior 
advantage  in  cheapness  of  water  transportation  over  tliat  of  rail. 

for  that  of  the  reader.    The  articles  would  be  largely  quoted,  were  they  not  so  thoroughly  digested  that  Need  to 
they  need  to  be  read  entire  ;  and  the  hiass  of  information  gathered  from  various  sources,  in  only  these  know  if 
few  days,  precludes  these  long  articles.    The  reader  misjudges  my  views  anfl  arguments  if  because  Chicago  ^g^t^li" 
is  to  be  the  greatest  city,  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  Pittsburg,  Buffalo,  Cleveland,  Detroit,  Milwaukee,  St. 
Paul,  Omaha,  and  Kansas  City,  etc.,  are  not  to  be  great  cities.    This  Valley  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  Other  cities 
Valley  of  the  Lakes,  must  make  many  large  cities,  all  of  which  will  be  more  or  less  tributary  to  Chicago,  ^isoiogrow. 
for  she  is  their  centre.    We  therefore  would  not  decry   other  cities,  while  giving  CJiicago  its  due 
prominence 


00 


The  Lake  Route  to  the  East  and  Europe. 


Vessels 
large. 


Canal  en- 
largement. 


Water  car- 
riage never 
to  be  super- 
seded. 


Lake  trade. 


The  vessels  now  being  built  for  the  grain  trade  on  the  lakes  are  nearly  all  of 
larire  class,  carrying  from  40,000  to  88,000  bushels  of  grain.  It  was  only  last  week 
thai  one  of  our  "large-class  lake  steamers  arrived  at  this  port  from  Chicago  with  ;i 
cargo  of  8,000  bushels  of  grain  and  300  barrels  of  flour.  These  large-class  vessils 
wilfsoou  take  the  place  of  the  smaller  ones  now  in  use,  when  the  lake  freight  will 
be  diminished.  The  enlargement  of  the  locks  on  the  Erie  Canal  to  a  capacity  in 
pass  boats  of  six  hundred  tons,  in  connection  with  the  large-class  vessels  on  tlie 
lakes,  v.-ould  diminish  the  cost  of  transportation  from  Chicago  to  New  York  to  an 
average  of  about  $5  per  ton  !  This  would  save  to  the  producer  and  consumer 
^100,000.000  annually,  in  tlie  item  of  transportation  alone,  being  the  difll-reuce 
between  cost  of  water  and  all-rail  transportation. 

These  facts  should  convince  every  reflecting  mind  that  a  large  bulkof  the  com- 
modities moving  from  the  interior  to  the  seaboard  market  will  for  all  time  to  come 
go  by  the  great  chain  of  lakes  and  inland  river  in  connection  with  artificial  chan- 
nels ;  and  it  should  also  satisfy  every  one  that  the  canals  will  have  a  longer  day  in 
the  future  than  in  the  past,  and  that  water  transportation  can  never  be  superseded 
by  that  of  rail  for  heavy  commodities. 

To  give  some  idea  of  the  "business  already  done  by  the  hakes,  the 
following  statements  are  compiled  from  the  Board  of  Trade  reports 
of— 

Sliipiiients  of  Chief  Articles  from  CMcatjO  by  Lake  for  6  years. 


Sliipnients, 
lS6J-'b7. 


Articles. 

1862. 

1863. 

1864. 

1665. 

1866. 

1867. 

Wheat,  bushels.. . 

13,466,325 

10,646,052 

9,983,567 

6,502,575 

5,827,846 

8,490,187 

Corn,        " 

30,345,425 

24,749,400 

11,993,475 

24,321,600 

31,257,855 

19,940,173 

Barley,     " 

341,450 

617,595 

173,425 

114,300 

988,240 

2,171,176 

Oats,         "■ 

2,470,745 

5,696,875 

12,098,000 

8,719,900 

7,395,113 

9,745,205 

Eye, 

849,650 

572,850 

774,950 

780,500 

1,029,629 

863,318 

Flour,  barrels 

1,146,118 

1,207,343 

1,034,793 

646,356 

481,491 

630,367 

Beef,        "      

22,345 

80,613 

91,131 

24,874 

12,923 

30,893 

Pork,       "       

111,892 

202,630 

106,835 

60,852 

26,661 

35,337 

Green  Hides,  No. 

60,649 

75,992 

186,066 

129,338 

63,839 

86,453 

Dry  Hides, 

50,017 

31,918 

7,798 

Receipts  of  Gldef  Articles  at  Chicago  by  Lake  for  6  yea/rs. 


Receipts, 

lb(ii-'67. 


Articles. 


Fignres  not 
realized. 


BaJlway 

amounts. 


Lumber,  m  ft 

Shingles,  m 

Lath,  m 

Coal,  tons 

Hardware,  pkgs. 

Nails,  kegs 

Fish,  bbls 

Salt,  bbls 

Salt,  bags 

Salt,  tons 


1861. 


335,668 
79,296 
33,567 

168,879 


390,475 


1803. 


295,270 

131,255 

23,880 

195,099 


604,916 

278,789 
13,047 


1863. 


393,800 

153,435 

41,665 

244,624 


100,241 
56,729 

775,057 

179,183 

7,017 


1864. 


479,335 
131,320 

63,795 
251,038 
102,162 

49,426 

85,611 
675,649 

30,404 
78" 


1865. 

1866. 

614,030 

676,336 

193,330 

197,169 

63,555 

118,405 

388,771 

378,731 

188,904 

196,693 

31,766 

30,042 

94,809 

101,206 

609,884 

493,409 

133,933 

2,381 

5,558 

2,915 

1867, 


807,635 

234,818 

145,615 

390,438 

157,653 

53,441 

86,741 

460,943 

15,000 

2,230 


Of  such  figures  we  get  very  inadequate  conceptions  in  a  table. 
What  number  of  railroads  would  be  requisite  to  bring  in  eight  hun- 
dred and  seven  niillions,  six  hundred  and  thirty -Jive  thousand  feet 
of  Inmber ;  and  shingles,  lath,  timber,  etc.,  to  match?  Of  grain, 
too,  the  dependence  for  transit  east,  corn  especially,  is  mainly  on  the 
lakes.  Of  wheat,  against  above  figures,  tlie  railways  carried,  in 
1866,  4,218,599  bu.;  and  of  corn,  1,570,120  bu.  Their  accounts  being 
made  up  for  the  Board  of  Trade  to  Marcli  31,  statements  for  1867, 


Past,  Present  mid  Future  of  Chicago  Investments. 

— '68,  are  not  yet  to  be  had.     To  do  this  bushiess,  the  Cliicago  Tri- 
^we  presents  the  following  statements  of — 

Arrivals  and  Tonnage  of  Vessels  and  Steamboats  at  Chicago  foi-  6  years. 


61 


Am.  vessels  from  Am.  ports. 

Am.  vessels  fr. 
foreign  ports. 

Foreign  vessels  fr. 
foreign  ports. 

Aggregate  of 
arrivals. 

o 

o 
o 

<1 
o 

CO 

<1 

a 

B 

B 
P 
0=5 

o 

1802. . . . 
1863. . , . 
1864. . . . 
1865.... 
1866. . . . 
1867.... 

6,805 
8,215 
8,611 
9,743 
10,767 
12,074 

1,697,688 
1,988,680 
2,021,418 
1,934,674 
2,116,511 
2,541,416 

393 
255 

187 

185 

102 

46 

169,358 
116,346 
104,620 
103,172 
77,049 
14,887 

319 
228 
140 
184 
215 
110 

61,646 
67,585 
46,822 
69,013 
64,967 
29,269 

7,417 

8,678 

8,938 

10,112 

11,081 

12,283 

1,931.692 
2,172,611 
2,172S(i6 
2,10(),s.-)0 
2,258.527 
2,588,572 

Tonnage  ar- 
rived 
1802-'07. 


That  table  gives  the  totals  of  arrivals  and  tonnage  arrived.     The 
following  pi'esents  the — 

Number  of  Lake  Vessels  and  Tonnage  engaged  in  Chicago  trade  for  10  years. 


Years. 

No. vessels. 

Tonnage. 

Years. 

No.vessels. 

Tonnage. 

1858 

1,548 
1,511 
1,576 
1,585 
1,730 

400,301 
892,783 
391,220 
389,611 
454,893 

1863 

1,869 
648 
964 
991 

1,09, 

470,034 
202,304 

228  215 

1859 

1864 

I860 

1865 

1861 

1866 

51,077 
■  69  981 

1862 

1867 

No.  vessels 

arrived 

18oS-'67. 


Hon.  W.  B.  Scates,  Collector  of  the  Port  gives  this  statement  of — 
Number,  Classes  and  Oioners  of  Vessels  entered  in  tlie  Port  of  Chicago  during  1867. 


Class  of  vessels. 


Steamers..    . 
Propellers . . 

Tugs 

Barks 

Barges 

Brigs 

Schooners  . . 

Scows 

Sloops  

Canal  boats. 


Total 637 


Owned  in 
Cliicago. 


No.  Ton'age 


13 
33 
41 

4 
15 

257 

37 

2 

227 


3,181 

6,020 

977 

13,899 
1,934 
3,500 

43,908 

2,934 

16 

19,784 


96,153 


Owned  in 
other  distri'ts 
of  the  U.  S 


No.  Ton'age 


74 
14 
90 
1 
2i 
395 
31 


628 


2,190 

51,05'; 

910 

28,155 

314 

5,504 

85,648 

2,748 


176,521 


Foreign 
vessels. 


No.  Ton'age 


26 


22 


58 


2,859 
"8,308 


574 
5,350J 


17,091  13: 


Aggregate. 


Class  of  ves- 
sels arrivtii 
1867. 


No. 


10 
95 
47 

157 

5 

38 

674 
68 

0 

227 


Tonnage. 


5,371 
59,931 

1,887 

50,362 

2,248 

9,578 

134,906 

5,682 

16 

19,784 

289,765 


Space  could  be  profitably  occupied  with  extracts  from  reports  of  ^*'P"^*^  <>*" 
the  Topographical  Bureau  to  Congress,  relative  to  harbor  improve- valuable. 
ments,  which  are  prepared  with   great  Dare,    and  should   be    well 
studied  to  obtain    adequate  conception  of  the  commerce   of  these 
inland  seas.     But  this  document  is  swelling  to  undue  proportions, 
and  very  much  material  important  to  the  subject  must  be  omitted. 


62  The  Lake  Route  to  the  East  and  Europe. 

Lake  com-    Eveii  before  our  war,  the  lake  commerce  largely  exceeded  in  value  the 
ceecu'foreign  total  of  foreign.     Nor  is  that  foreign  commerce  to  be  restricted  to 
the  seaboard.     Direct  trade  with   Euroj^e,  already  begun  from  the 
Ocean  trade  lakcs  in  a  Small  way,  will  assume  giant  proportions  when  vessels  can 
m^ZT'      pass  of  1,000  to  1,500  tons.     With  propellers  of  that  size,  exporting 
and  importing  between  all  foreign  countries  and  the  lakes  will  be 
St. Lawrence  profitable.     Nor  will  the  requisite  improvements  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
J.ro''v"ed""      be  long  delayed;  for  Great  Britain  has  too  direct  and  important  an 
interest  in  promoting  intercourse  with  the  West,  which  consumes  so 
largely  of  her  productions,  and  will  pay  her  with  the  cheapest  food 
she  can  buy.     Severance  from  the  chief  provision  and  grain  market 
of  the  world,  the  port  she  most  wants  to  reach  advantageously,  will 
Tt  Niagarl  not  long  be  continued.     Nor  will  the  United  States  much  longer  de- 
lay the  construction  of  the  canal  around  Niagara  Falls. 
Distance  Distance  too,  is  to  be  shortened  by  a  steamboat  canal  from  Geor- 

c^ada.       gian  Bay  to  Lake  Simcoe  and  Lake  Ontario,  saving  some  500  miles 
around  through  Lake  Erie.     The  Ottawa  River  also  is  to  be  improved, 
shortening  still  more.     A  Canadian,  who  has  the  latter  in  charge,  in- 
formed me  last  winter,  at  Boston,  that  the  capital  was  provided  and 
Boston  in-    that  the  improvement  would  at  oucc  be  prosecuted.     Whatever  lack 
of  capital  there  may  be.  New  England,  especially  Boston,  will  supply. 
Had  she  these  improved  connections  with  the  West,  the  Cunard  line 
would  not  have  been  lost  for  want  of  flour  and  grain. 
Pro  oilers        Propellcrs  also  are  rapidly  superseding  sail  vessels  ;  and  when  the 
superseding  gimple  invention  shall  be  made,  as  it  will  be,  to  save  caloric  for 

sails.  i  ' 

Steam,    instead  of  wasting  the  larger  half  of  it  by  the   draft  from 

furnace   to   atmosphere,   the  saving,   not  only  in  cost  of  fuel,  but  in 

Shipments    Storage  room  for  freight,  will  be  very  great.     But  with  present  ma- 

toTur*i)pe     chinery,  when  propellers  of  1,000  to  1,500  tons  can  load  at  Chicago, 

^^^''^'         and  carry  to  Europe  for  a  trifle  more  than  from  New  York,  saving  at 

least  three-fourths  of  the  cost  to  the    latter — a  project  which  the 

interests  of  Europe  and  America  combine  to  accomjilish — how  long 

will  New  York  hold  the  position  she  now  does   as  the  exporter  of 

l^roduce  and  the  importer  for  the  Mississippi  and  Lake  Valleys  ? 

Conjunction      The  main  currents  of  business,  especially  of  the  cereal  producing 

of  rivers  and  i  • 

lakes.  States,  are  West  to  East.     For  this  the  lakes  and  rivers  are  chiefly 

valuable,  and  for  this  they  are  to  be  used  conjointly.  Their  natural 
City'sand  aiid  artificial  poiut  of  conjunctioii  is  Chicago.  What  this  city  wants 
in"o'rS''  ^^  precisely  what  the  country  about  her  wants, — that  lakes  and  rivers 
should  be  able  to  counteract  the  monopolizing  tendency  of  railways. 
These  soulless  corporations,  left  to  themselves,  would  combine  to  the 
oppression  of  the  public.  It  would,  therefore,  be  desirable  for  both 
city  and  country,  that  the  rivers  should  be  equal  to  the  lakes  ;  for 
the  Great  West  demands  every  possible  facility  for  its  transactions. 


identical. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  63 

Yet  with  no   disparagement  to  the   immense  highways  with  which  ^'''''■»f"  1*0 
Nature's  God  has  blessed  the  West,  and  which  are  to  be  one  of  the  ""''"■^i'"- 
strongest  means  of  its   development  and   progress,   their   use  in  the 
main   is  evidently   to   be   in   conjunction   with  railways  bringing  to 
them  grain  from  the  interior,  to  be  borne  by  river  and  canal  to  the 
lakes. 

And  who   can  estimate  the   extent  of  that  commerce   which  the  River  corn- 
Father  of  Waters   and  its    tributaries  will   liither   bear?     His  feet menBo.""" 
planted  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  his  head  reaching  far  into  the  North, 
—though  not  quite  above  these  lakes,— his  right  avm  taking  hold  of 
the  Alleghanies,  his  left  of  tlie  Rocky  Mountains  ;  what  will  be  the 
limits  of  the   agricultural  products  which  he  is   annually   to    bear 
onward  to  their  markets?     When  these  millions  upon  millions  of 
acres  in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  which  the  plow  has  never  touched,  chieOy  to 
shall  yield   their  abundant  crops,   what  three  points  will  receive  as"'"'"''® 
much   as  that  one   with   which  he  most  easily   connects  upon  the 
lakes?* 


♦Since  the  above  was  in  type,  the  report  of  Maj.  Gen.  J.  H.  Wilson,  and  Mr.  William  Gooding,  Civil  Qovt.  report 
Engineer,  of  a  survey  pursuant  to  a  law  of  Congress  "  to  prepare  plans  and  estimates  for  a   system  of  upon  enl.arg- 
navigation,  by  way  of  the  Illinois  River,  between  the  Mississippi  and   Lake  Michigan,  adapted  to  mili-  '"6  canal, 
tary,  naval,  and  commercial  purposes,"  has  come  to  hand.    By  a  thorough  examination  by  three  sur- 
veying parties  of  the  Kankakee,  Illinois  and  Des  Plaines,  and  Fox  River  routes, — 

"  The  question  of  a  connection  through  this  channel  with  Lake  Michigan,  for  an  improvement  of  Question 
large  capacity,  has  been  definitely  settled.  *  *  *  settled. 

"  No  fact  can  be  better  established  than  that  the  system  of  navigation  between  the  Mississippi  and  „ 
Lake  Michigan,  by  the  way  of  the  Illinois  River,  should  be  adapted  to  the  steamboats  and  barges  em  g,ijt  river 
ployed  in  the  navigatior  of  the  Mississippi  and  its   principal  tributaries,  and  not  to  ocean   and  lake  boats. 
vessels,  except  such  as  are  required  for  the  defence  of  our  lake  commerce  and  cities.     In  other  words,  tp,       <•       ». 
the  produce  of  the  West,  on  its  way  to  Eastern  markets,  must  be  transferred  to  a  different  class  of  ves-  Chicago. 
eels  as  soon  as  it  reaches  the  lakes  ;  and  hence,  in  determining  the  dimensions  of  the  canal,  it  will  be 
amply  sufficient  for  all  practicable  purposes  to  arrange  it  lor  the  navigation  of  the  largest  class  of 
river  steamboats.  *  *  * 

"  For  a  canal  and  river  improvement  of  a  capacity  sufficient  to  pass  such  gunboats  as  required,  and 

river  steamers  of  800  to  1,000  tons  burden,  from  the  Mississippi  to  Lake  Michigan,  no   other  route,  in  i,gg* 

our  judgment,  can  be  compared  with  that  by  the  Illinois  River,  and  the  Illinois  and   Michigan  Canal. 
It  follows  the  course  of  what  was  unquestionably  once  the  great  outlet  of  the  lakes  toward  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  and  through  which  it  is  only  now  practicable  to  again  turn  their  waters  in  that  direction,  natural  con- 
On  all  other  routes  proposed  there  is  a  considerable  ascent  from  the  lakes  to  the  summit,  involving  the  nection — 
necessity  of  an  additional  amount  of  lockage,  and  of  providing  an  additional  amount  of  water  from 
sources  much  less  reliable  than  that  inexhaustible  reservoir,  Lake  Michigan. 

"The  Desplaiues  River  rises  in  the  State  of  Wisconsin,  and  runs  nearly   due  south  parallel  with  the Tr-n+pr 

lake  shore,  and  generally  not  more  than  eight  or  ten  miles  from  it,  until  it  reaches  a  point  about  thir-  channel 
teen  miles,  in  a  southwest  direction,  from  the  mouth  of  Chicago  River.     Here  is  a  slight  depression,  a  thro'  from 

BQile  or  more  in  width,  extending  across  from  the  Desplaines  to  the  South  Branch  of  Chicago  River,  riyer 

through  which  a  part  of  the  waters  of  the  former  river,  in  time  of  floods,  flows  into  the  lake.    In  this 

depression  is  what  was  once  known  as  Portage  Lake  (as  designated  on  the  old  maps  of  the   country), 

but  now  better  known  as  Mud  Lake,  a  succession  of  shallow  ponds  on  the  same  level,  connected  with 

each  other  and  with  the  Desplaines  River,  and  extending  about  six  miles  towards  Chicago  River.    This 

was  the  portage,  or  carrying  place,  between  the  waters  of  the  lakes  and  the  Mississippi  made  memor-  ^^^^{J^ 

able  by  the  early  French  voyageurs,  and  so  well  known  to  fur  traders.    But  Portage,  or  Mud  Lake,  has  ageura. 

ceased  to  exist,  the  shallow  ponds  having  been  drained,  and  the  impassable  swamps  rendered  valuable 

land. 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  through  this  depression  there  was  once  an  outlet  from  the  lakes  to  the 
Mississippi,  which  was  closed  by  the  recession  of  the  waters  of  the  lakes.    Even  now,  at  the  present  i^t  of  tho 
stage  of  Lake  Michigan,  its  surface  is  only  between  eight  and  nine  feet  below  tnis  summit.    The  Des-  lakes, 
plaines  River,  from  the  depression  described,  changes  its  course  and  runs  in  nearly  a  southwest  direc- 
tion until  it  forms  a  junction  with  the  Kankakee.    Tho  river  itself,  except  in  floods,  ia  very  shallow, 


64  The  Lake  Route  to  the  East  and  Europe. 

Rivera  not  Therefore  we  have  no  occasion  to  detract  from  the  importance  of 
the  rivers.  Yet  while  they,  with  their  canals,  must  bring  to  this 
port  iintold  amounts  of  all  the  chief  staples,  the  railways  will  doubt- 

Reifttiveiy    ,       briiio"  as  much  more.     So  that  it  becomes  an  important  truth  in 

deteriorate — i-^^^  i^mi^   "^  i 

considering  whether  the  Queen  City  of  the  West  is  to  be  upon  lake 
or  river,  that  while  lake  navigation  has  this  positive  certainty  of  in- 
crease, that  of  the  rivers  relatively  deteriorates.  Not  that  commerce 
is  to  forsake   them,   especially  down  the   streams.     It  is  to  be  im- 


beiiig  often  reduced  in  dry  seasons  to  a  mere  brook,  discharging  less  than  1,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per 

minute.    But  tlie  valley  averages  a  mile  wide,  and  is  terminated  on  both  sides  by  well  marked  terraoea 

which  become  higher  and  higher  as  they  approacli  the  Illinois. 
"  Evidence  at  every  step  presents  itself  that  the  water,  when  this  was  the  great  outlet  of  the  lakes, 

extended  from  blutf  to  bluff.  «  *  * 

7  feet  depth       "  It  has  been  asserted  that  it  is  nnnecessary  to  provide  for  a  navigable  depth  of  seven  feet  in  the  lUi- 
required.        nois  River,  when  the  Mississippi  River  itself  below  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois,  has  at  times  a   less  depth 

than  this.    Wo  have  fully  considered  this  objection,  urged  mainly  against  the  improvement  by  locks  and 

dams,  and  for  the  following  reasons  think  it  should  be  disregarded: 

1.  Miss,  has    .ij     There  is  usually  but  a  short  period  during  the  season  of  navigation  when  there  is  not  a  depth  of 
"■  water  of  six  or  seven  feet  in  the  Mississippi  below  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois,  and  frequently  the  Missis- 
sippi, being  high  from  melting  snows  about  its  source,  or  that  of  the  Missouri,  affords  good  navigation 
for  the  largest  boats  when  the  Illinois  is  scarcely  navigable  at  all. 

2.  5Iiss.  to       "2.    We  entertain  no  doubt  that  the  depth  of  water  in  the  Mississippi,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois 
be  improved.  ^^  ^^^^^  ^^  ^^^^  0\\w^  can  be  materially  increased  during  the  dry  season  by  a  judicious  sj-stem  of  improve 

ment.  The  interests  of  commerce  and  navigation  now  require  and  must  necessarily  compel  the  com- 
mencement of  such  an  improvement  before  the  lapse  of  many  years. 
Military  ne-  "  S.  It  is  manifestly  necessary  to  secure  a  depth  of  at  least  seven  feet,  which  shall  be  always  availabJe-, 
wssities—  j^-  (.j^j^  artificial  navigation  should  ever  be  required  for  "  military  and  naval  purposes,"  and  we  deem  it 
— commer-  sound  policy  to  secure  this  depth  of  water  for  commercial  purposes,  if  it  can  be  done  without  a  dispro 
cial.  portionate  increase  of  cost.    It  is  a  well-known  fact  that,  vessels  of  every  class  are  propelled  at  much 

greater  speed  and  economy  in  deep,  than  is  possible  in  shallow  water. 
4   7  ft  cost      "'^-    The  depth  of  seven  feet  through  three  hundred  and  twenty-two  miles  of  navigation,  traversing 
but  little        one  of  the  most  productive  countries  in  the  world,  can  be  secured  beyond  any  contingency  by  the  plan 
more  than  4  proposed,  at  a  cost  slightly,  if  any.  In  excess  of  what  it  must  cost  to  make  an  open  channel  navigation 
only  four  feet  deep.    When  it  is  considered  that  it  is  by  no  means  certain  that  the  latter  is  practicable 
at  any  cost,  and  that  the  former  would  be  at  least  three  times  is  valuable  for  all  purposes,  there  remains 
but  little  room  to  doubt  which  plan  should  be  adopted.  «  «  » 

"There  is  probably  no  river  in  the  United  States  of  a  length  equal  to  the  Illinois  from  La  Salle  to  ita 
f  T n  * '"''     mouth — 222  miles — which  would  have  its  width  and  current  so  little  affected  by   a  succession  of  dams 
to  the  which  would  deepen  the  water  for  the  whole  distance  on  this  river.     The  aggregate  fall  is  only  28  62-100 

^ork —  feet,  or  an  average  of  about  one  and  a  half  inches  to  the  mile.    The  river  is,  in  fact,  a  natural  canal, 

— ft  natural  tut  the  depth  of  the  water  is  not  quite  sufficient  for  a  good  navigation  without  checking  the  current  by 
placing  barriers  across  it.  These  barriers  or  dams  will  not  make  dead-water  anywhere  in  the  channel 
of  the  river,  but  merely  diminish  the  velocity  of  the  current,  and  that  to  such  a  moderate  extent  as  to 
be  hardly  perceptible  to  the  casual  observer.  *  *  * 

p       ,  .  "  Canal  Connecting  Rock  and  Illinois  Rivers. — The  importance  of  the  improvement  which  we  have  sur- 

ilock  Island,  veyed  and  estimated  is  greatly  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  surveys  have  demonstrated  the  entire  practi- 
cability of  a  canal  from  the  Illinois  River  at  or  near  the  mouth  of  the  Bureau,   to  the  Mississippi  at  or 
near  Rock  Island.    The  length  of  the  canal  would  be  about  sixty-four  miles,  and  it  would  be  supplied 
Cost  with  water  by  a  navigable  feeder,  thirty-eight  miles  in  length,  from  Rock  River  at  Dixon.    For  a  canal 

$4,600,000.      gixty  feet  wide  and  six  feet  deep,  the  cost  together  with  that  of  the  feeder,  has  been  estimated  at 
54,000,000,  and  it  would  probably  exceed  that  sum,  whilst  it  would  secure  a  cheap  and  direct  navigation 
Cnoico  of        jq  jjje  jakes,  and  a  choice  of  markets  to  all  the  country   drained  by  the  Upper  Mississippi  and  its 
tributaries." 
The  above  exhibits  with  due  authority  the  point  urged,  that  this  is  the  natural  route  to  connect  lako 

former  and  river  navigation.    The  cost  to  pass  vessels  of  seven  feet  draft  and  of  1,000  tons  is  estimated  at 

views  COD-      A 

firmed.  $18,217,242.    When  we  consider  the  importance  of  such  a  communication  between  the  lakes  and  gulf  in 

the   event  of  a  foreign  war,  and  the  advantages  to  commerce  in  time  of  peace,  who  can  doubt  that 

ere  long  the  work  will  bo  done,  together  with  the  canal  to  Rock  Island  f    And  as  the  Engineers  observe, 

the  river  and  canal  boats  will  not  navigate  the  lakes.    There  must  be  transhipment  at  Chicago.    And 

Rcsalts.  when  a  like  improvement  shall  bo  made  to  the  ocean,  who  can  estimate  the  commerce  at  this  junction 

of  mighty  rivers  and  great  lakes,  and  long  railways  1 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chioago  Investments.  65 

mensely  greater  than  anytliing  now  known  ;  and  only  relatively  will— ^'i"!'_'^_c88 
they  diminish,  because  that  of  the  railways  must  be  so  multiplied  by'"'="«e- 
part  of  the   agricultural  products   and  by  most  of  the  other  trade. 
Easily  and  cheaj^ly  can  steamers  tow  down  barges  laden  with  theconrseof 
bulky,  heavy  articles  of  agriculture.     Some  barges  go  to  the  extreme  *"'^"' 
South,  for  ere  long  the  old  system  of  cotton  and  sugar  raising  will  be  somo  goes 
restored,  without  slavery,  and  the  Upper  Mississippi  States  will  supply^""    ~ 
them  with  food.     Some   also  goes  there  for  export,   and  the  more  _to benefit 
thus  marketed  the  better  for  Chicago;  for  it  will  be  to  the  gain  of  ^''''^*^°' 
the  farmers  upon  whose  prosperity  her  own  is  securely  based.     The 
freights  thus  lost  will  hardly  be  missed  by  her  in  the  vastly  greater 
amount  of  produce  borne  to  her  by  the  barges.     From  the  Upper  misu.  to 

T.T-      •      .        •       T  •,,  T  1  1      ,  .T     ,  Rock  Island. 

Mississippi  they  will  come  down  to  the  canal  tliat  will  be  cotistructed 
at  Rock  Island,  and  thence  to  the  lakes.  Till  then  they  will  go,  Avith 
others  from  the  Missouri,  to  the  Illinois  River,  and  thence  to  Chi-Mo.  viaiiis. 
cago.  As  we  shall  see,  this  has  been  and  must  continue  to  be  the 
course  of  trade.  So  that  we  have  no  occasion  for  jealousy  of  river 
commerce.     Chicago  depends   not  upon  mere  carrying  or  tranship-ciiicagode- 

11  1  <m  1  T  n  n    T  •     ppndB  not  on 

ment,  whether  more  or  less.     She  must  always  have  tar  more  of  this  mere  car- 
than  any  several  other  cities.     Yet,  valuable  as  it  is,  her  main  depen- 
dence is  upon  the  general  business  of  the  Great  West.     Therefore, 
as  she  has  always  done,  she  will  seek  to  make  the  greatest  possible 
saving  to  the  farmer  in  the  cost  of  transit ;  and  when  any  other  bet* —interest 
ter  outlet  can  be  found  for  a  part,  she  will  profit  with  the  farmers  inmers.""^" 
its  employment.     Queen  of  these  fresh  water  seas,  as  well  as  of  these 
western  railways,   and  her  traffic   sought  by  thousands  of  miles  of 
river  navigation,  the  whole  country,  east  and  west,  must  for  its  own 
convenience  pay  her  tribute.     Nor  needs  she  more  than  a  little  pit- gmaii  com- 
tance;  for  while  fulfilling  her  commissions  at  a  charge  which  a  city  ^^kes'her 
less  employed  could  not  afi"ord,  she  will  have  princely  revenues.  "°'*- 

It  cannot  be  denied,  that  there  is  no  one  spot  upon  which  a  far- Her advan- 

.,,  ,  ,11  ••iM  11  tages  fore- 

Sighted  man,   who  could   have  anticipated  railway  progress,   would  seen. 

have  so  centred  his  calculations  as  upon  Chicago.     He  must  have 

anticipated  that  at  the   end  of  a  thousand  miles  of  lake  navigation, 

especially  bending  off  so  far  to  the  south,  and  into  the  heart  of  such 

a  country,  the  railroads  must  there  converge.     What  he  should  have 

•  n  1-       T        mi  •  —expect* 

foreseen,  at  all  events  is  what  is  actually  realized,     ihere  is  no  suchtioua 
position  on  the  globe,  uniting  railway  and  water  communication;  nor 


can  there  be  another.     Many  places  can  now  be  named  which  are— no  city 
certain  to  become  large  cities  ;  but  who  expects  any  one  of  them  to**^"*' 
equal  Chicago?    And  here  we  come  to  consider — 


66  The  Difference  between  Chicago  and  other  Western  Centres. 


The  Dipfekence  between  Chicago  and  other  "WESTERisr  Cbntkes. 

That  there  is  a  difference  is  very  apparent.  Chicago's  growth  is 
observed  throughout  the  world.  Ten  years  since,  April  27,  1857,  the 
English  Mark  Lane  Express^  in  a  long  editorial,  remarked  : — 

We  must  take  the  credit  of  being  the  first  paper  in  this  country  that  brought 
the  vast  capabiUties  of  the  port  of  Chicago  as  a  grain  depot,  before  the  notice  of 
our  niercliants.  We  have  liad  for  the  last  five  years  an  inteUigent  and  influential 
sliipper  as  our  correspondent  there,  wlio  has  periodically — indeed,  with  almost 
every  mail — sent  us  a  market  note  from  that  city.  In  the  month  of  January, 
1855,  he  forwarded  a  communication  in  which  he  gave  proofs  that  went  far 
towards  establishing  his  opinion,  that  "  Chicago  was  the  greatest  grain  port  in 
the  world."  On  the  29th  last  September  we  announced  the  arrival  at  Liverpool, 
of  the  "  Dean  Richmond,"  a  vessel  of  387  tons  burden,  direct  from  Chicago  and 
Milwaukee,  through  the  Welland  Canal,  which,  were  it  but  enlarged  to  the  re- 
quirements of  the  trade  between  that  city  and  this  country,  would  go  far  towards 
enriching  the  merchants  and  shippers  of  that  locality.  The  Welland  Canal  is  the 
passage  from  Lake  Erie  to  Lake  Ontario,  and  thence  into  the  St.  Lawrence  the 
navigation  to  the  Pftcifie  Ocean  is  free.      c\\  ,, , .    ■  - 

That  such  improvement  must  be  ultimately  effected  in  that  canal  from  the  result 
of  the  trade  springing  up  in  the  prairie  city  of  Chicago  is  as  clear  a  deduction  as 
fiicts  and  figures  can  give  us.  Ten  [?]  years  ago  there  were  not  ten  thousand  people 
in  the  whole  territory  of  Illinois.  Twenty  years  since  Chicago  was  a  small  village 
at  the  southern  end  of  Lake  Michigan,  where  at  night  the  howl  of  the  prairie  wolf 
might  be  heard  from  all  parts  of  its  dwellings.  In  1857  it  is  a  city  of  more  than 
one  hundred  thousand  inhabitants.  Then,  the  little  village  that  bore  the  germ  of 
a  large  city  in  its  bosom,  imported  her  beef,  her  butter  and  her  flour,  although 
growing  corn  more  than  enough  for  her  wants.  Now,  the  city  though  only  bud- 
ding into  life,  gives  forth  for  exportation  twenty  million  bushels  of  grain  ;  while 
her  beef,  in  the  markets  of  the  world  can  compare  in  weight,  and  bears  in  price  as 
high  a  value  as  that  of  any  other  nation.  At  the  former  period  railways  were 
unheard  of,  and  even  five  years  since  there  was  but  one  (about  forty  miles  in 
length)  connected  with  the  town.  In  1857,  ten  trunks  and  a  great  number  of 
branch  lines,  counting  more  than  three  thousand  miles  of  railway  are  centred  in 
that  vast  grain  emporium.  Who  then  can  pronounce  the  extent  to  which  such  a 
city  may  spread  ?  The  agricultural  resources  of  the  country  in  connection  with 
it  are  exhaustless  and  wonderful ;  the  climate  is  well  suited  to  our  hardy  Saxon 
race  ;  its  mineral  deposits  of  lead,  iron,  copper,  and  coal  are  reputed  to  be  unsur- 
passed in  richness  and  extent,  and  all  are  well  qualified  to  call  forth  the  energies 
of  an  enterprising  and  greatly  increasing  population.  If,  then,  we  look  at  the 
advance  made  by  the  city  of  Chicago  in  twenty  years,  it  shows  clearly  the  im- 
mense progression  which  is  going  on  in  the  Western  World. 

Our  correspondent  has  now  forwarded  us  a  review  of  the  commerce  of  Chicago 
tor  the  year  1856,  but  its  great  length  precludes  the  possibility  of  its  insertion. 
Yet  so  marvellous  is  its  history ,^that  we  cannot  pass  it  over  in  silence.        *  * 

Mr.Parion.      Mr.  PavtOH  thus  opcHS  his  paper  upon    Chicago  in  the  Atlantic 

Monthly: —  ■  '•      '  '  '"'  '■  •  '  ':' 

Mr  Cob-  When  Professor  Goldwin  Smith  was  preparing  for  his  voyage  to  America,  Mr. 

deli's  opin-    Richard  Cobden  said  to  him,  "  See  two  things  in  the  United  States,  if  nothing  else, 
ion  of  Niag- — Niagara  and  Chicago."      Professor   Smith  acted  upon  this  advice,  and,  while 

' " '        visiting  Chicago,  acknowledged  that  the  two  objects  named  by  his  friend  were 

indeed  the  wonders  of  North  America. 


ifarlc  Lane 
Eip.,  1S57. 

First  caUed 
Kiig.  atteu- 
tiuu  to  Chi. 


First  yeesel 
from  Clii.  to 
Eng.,  1866. 

WeUand  ca- 
nal to  be  en- 
larged. 


Trade  re- 
quires it. 

Rapid 
growth  of 
Chicago. 


Large  ex- 
ports. 


Kailwaj'a 
increased. 


Resonrces 
exhaustless. 


Commerce 
marvellous 
in  1856. 


ara  and 
Chicago. 


* 


Volumes  could  be  filled  with   similar  views  ah-eady  published. 

*The  most  philosophical  view  of  the  past-^equal  to  that  of  Mr.  Scott,  of  the  future,  in  Hunt's  Mer- 
chant's Ma<jazin&, — hjjs  appeared  since  these'  pages  were  mostly  in  type,  in  the  January  number  of  the 
North  American,  signed  Charles  Francis  Adams,  Jr.,  headed  "Boston,"  and  comparing  it  with  Chicago. 
But  Boston  may  and  should  have  much  satisfaction  in  the  results  which  its  capital  and  efforts  have 
Boston  gntig-  wrought  at  Chicago.  They  should  now  profit  themselves  more  directly  by  facilitating  intercourse  with 
fled  in  Chi.  the  groat  centre  of  the  West,  which  they  have  so  largely  aided  to  establish,  and  invest  some  of  their 
Burplos  capital  here  in  real  estate  and  in  manufactures. 


Mr.  C.  F. 

Adams  in 
NforUi  Am, 
Meview. 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  67 

Nor  can  any  one  say  when  they  will  cease,  for  wonder  Avill  i'lcrease  ^J;j|j;^^e_of^ 

instead  of  diminishing,  that  less  than  5,000  j)oi)ulati(>n  in  1840  should  >j;^'^^|j'"<» 

in   1880   require   seven   figures  for  its   enumeration.     Nor   shall   we 

doubt  this  as  we  study  the  causes  operating  in  the  ]»ast,  and  ascertain  No  doubt. 

the  certainty  of  their  multiplying  power  in  the  future. 

Nor  is  the  difference  perceptible  only  to  disinterested  foreign  ob-  fftrtios  near 

servers;  for  the  most  powerful  rivals  are  conscious  of  the  irresistible  »<•'« causes. 

influences  working  against  them.     The  direct  admissions  of  the  solid 

men  of  St.   Louis  against  themselves,  of  which  we  have  had  some 

specimens,  cannot  be  countervailed.     At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of 

Trade,  held  on  the   1st  of  November  last,  at  which  the  Detnocrat ^oXii^mQu. 

says  "  there  was  a  good   attendance  of  the  solid  business  men   of 

the  city,"  Mr.   Fagin   spoke,  and  with  more  honesty  than  Avisdom,  Mr. Fngin'a 

presented  jjoints  of  difierence  so  fairly  that  the  whole  is  quoted,  to-'''"'''''  ' 

gether  with  responsible  endorsement: — 

Mr.  Fagin  said  there  were  gentlemen  present  much  more  competent  to  discuss  North  wharf 
this  matter  than  himself,  but  he  was  prepared  to  say  that  it  was  a  matter  of  vital  ""proye- 
importauee  to  St.  Louis  that  such  a  measure  should  be  adopted,     lie  felt  it  was  }"J^"'  '"'P"''" 
one  of  the  most  important  subjects  that  had  come  before  the  City  Council  in  the 
history  of  St.  Louis.    I  look  (continued  Sir.  Fagin)  on  the  commerce  of  St.  Louis  Commerce 
as  being  in  a  languishing  condition — perishing  for  the  want  of  a  more  vigorous  languiBhes— 
prosecution  of  the  railroad  system  which  will  connect  us  with  the  great  Northwest-  _connect 
ern  country.     Really,  in  regard  to  this  matter,  I  have  seen  nothing  of  very  late  witUN.w. 
occuirence  that  has  struck  my  mind  so  forcibly  as  being  of  so  much  importance  to 
St.  Louisas  the  condemnation  of   the  North  wharf— connected  as  it  is  with  the  ^^.'|^'."|,^1'"° 
extension  of  the  North  Missouri  railroad  and  the  erection  of  elevators.     I  am  not 
in  the  habit,  as  this  community  know,  of  making  public  speeches  in  reference  to 
these  matters.     I  can  only  say  that  I  am  interested,  in  common  with  every  man  in  „    ,    , 
St.  Louis,  in  seeing  the  commerce  of  St.  Louis  increased.    I  know  very  well  that  cr'e'ishig^or 
from  the  want  of  more  intimate  relations  and  the  completion  of  a  railroad  system  waut  of  rail 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  our  trade  has  decreased  for  years.  ^^i'^- 

Fifteen  years  ago  most  of  the  cereals  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  were  shipped  to  grain  trade 
this  point,  and  the  receipts  were  vastly  larger  than  they  are  now,  and  unless  we  lost, 
immediately  connect  with  the  northwestern  country  by  means  of  the  North  Mis- 
souri railroad,  this  trade  will  be  permanently  diverted  from  us.     I  look  upon  that  jj^^th  Mo. 
road  as  being  more  vitally  important  to  the  immediate  prosperity  of  St.  Louis  than  road  of 
any  other  railroad.     By  the  extension  of  that  road  we  are  put  in  connection  with  chief  impor- 
a  highly  cultivated  country.     By  the  extension  of  this  road  into  Iowa  we  connect,  '"'"='*• 
as  you  are  aw^are,  with  every  road  running  from  Chicago  to  the  w'est,  and  it  is  connect 
vitally  important  that  we  connect  with  those  roads,  with  a  view  of  drawing  the  with  Chi. 
trade  in  this  direction,  and  at  the  same  time  inaugurate  a  system  of  railroaJs  on  ''*^'"^'*' 
this  side  of  the  river,  which  will  make  us  independent  of  the  railroad  system  on  Roads  west 
the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi.    It  is  of  vital  importance  to  St.  Louis  that  this  of  Miss. 
connection  be  made  at  the  earliest  day.    The  money  expended  on  the  eastern  side  Louif-i ^'" 
of  the  river  was  not  expended  to  promote  the  interests  of  St.  Louis,  but  rather  to 
detract  trade  from  St.  Louis,  as  may  be  seen  by  an  examination  into  the  tarifl"  rates  —east  side 
from  the  East  to  the  West.  '"j"""*^  ^«'^- 

Chicago  has  decidedly  the  advantage  in  this  matter  of  discrimination  because  of  chi.advan- 
her  raikoad  influence.     Groceries,  and  such  articles,  demanded  by  the  Western  tages  in  rail- 
country,  can  be  brought  to  Chicago,  and  sold  and  delivered  over  local  roads,  at  a  ^'O'  Juflu- 
less  rate  than  you  can  bring  them  here. 

Unless  we  awake  to  a  realizing  sense  of  our  positioD,  we  shall  very  soon  be  en-  chi.  circum- 
tirely  circumvented  by  these  railroads  running  in  the  interest  of  Chicago,  and  we  vents  her. 
shall  have  but  a  very  small  portion  of  country  tributary  to  St.  Louis.    We  are  now 
inaugurating  a  state  of  things,  which,  if  properly  carried  out,  will  result  to  our  St.  L.'s 
benefit— such  as  the  bridge  across  the  river,  the  "^improvement  of  the  rapids,  etc.  Pg"°pe°ate 
But  these  enterprises  must  be  vigorously  prosecuted.    Some  of  you  gentlemen  will 
perhaps  remember  the  condition  of  Louisville  many  years  ago,  when  she  came  to  a  p^uge  fatal 
dead  stand-still ;  and  you  must  remember  that  a  pause  in  the  progress  of  a  city  like  to  St.  L. 


6  8  The  Difference  hetv;een  Chicago  and  other  Western  Centres. 


Men  to  take 
rare  of 
tUemselTCS. 


Wait  no 
longer  for 
Mis8.  river. 

East,  capital 
hflpa  Clii. 

2  railways  to 
help  St.  L. 


Pride  In  St. 
Louia. 

Receipts  of 

grain 

3,000,000— 

— 15  years 
ago  8  000,000 

Wharf  most 
important 
thing  of  20 
years. 

One  eleva- 
tor! to  com- 
pete with 
Chicago. 

Tip  hats  to 
Chicago. 

St.  L.  to  do 

something — 

— not  regain 
in  25  yeara. 

Hrm.  Eras- 

tus  Wells 
endorses 
speech. 


Former  ad- 
vantages of 
St.  Louis — 


— ^present  of 
Chicago. 


Inqnirv  as 
to  cauHes  in 
Mo.  1/em, 


St.  Louis  is  almost  fatal.  In  twenty-five  years  of  time  untold  millions  may  be  di- 
verted, wliieli  it  will  be  impossible  to  recover.  We  must  either  move  onwaras  or 
decline.  If  you  are  prepared  to  see  St.  Louis  decline,  and  the  trade  of  St.  Louis 
langui-sh,  the  sooner  you  make  it  known  the  better,  so  that  some  of  us  can  take 
care  of  ourselves.  Twenty-five  years  ago  Louisville  was  in  a  condition  similar  to 
St.  Louis  to-day.  She  had  magnificent  ideas  about  her  resources,  but  by  the  aid  of 
the  river  alone  she  has  failed  to  prosper.  As  soon,  liowever,  as  she  went  to  work 
and  instituted  an  artificial  system  of  communication  by  means  of  railroads,  she  be- 
came a  prosperous  city.  We  have  sat  here  year  after  year  waiting  for  the  Missis- 
sippi to  rtoat  the  wealth  of  this  valley  to  our  doors.    It  is  useless  to  wait  longer. 

You  must  remember  that  Eastern  capital,  combined  Aiith  Chicago  enterprise,  is 
stretching  railroads  across  the  country,  bridging  the  river  at  various  points,  and 
drawing  the  trade  from  us. 

AVith  the  immediate  extension  of  the  North  Missouri  railroad,  and  the  pushing 
of  tlie  Iron  Mountain  railroad,  we  have  faith  to  believe  that  the  interests  of  this 
cit}'  may  be  materially  advanced. 

i  am  interested  in  the  prosperity  of  St.  Louis.  I  take  great  pride  in  being  a  cit- 
izen of  St.  Louis,  and  I  desire  her  future  welfare,  but  I  cannot  conceal  the  fact  that 
we  are  on  the  decline. 

Our  receipts  of  grain  to-day  do  not  exceed  three  million  bushels.  Fifteen  years 
ago  they  were  eight  millions.  You  cannot  expect  to  sell  goods,  gentlemen,  unless 
you  furnish  the  means  of  bringing  produce  to  this  city.  I  insist  that  this  measure 
now  before  the  Common  Council  is  of  more  importance  to  St.  Louis  than  anything 
that  has  been  before  them  for  twentj^  years.  If  they  fail  to  confirm  the  award  of 
the  jury  in  the  condemnation  of  the  North  wharf,  the  completion  of  the  North 
Missouri  railroad  will  be  of  no  practical  benefit.  It  will  hardly  come  within  five 
miles  of  the  required  point,  and  you  cannot  aflbrd  to  dray  produce  that  distance. 
We  have  expended  a  large  amount  of  money  in  the  erection  of  an  elevator,  so  that 
we  can  compete  with  Chicago  in  handling  grain  by  sacks.  The  old  system  of 
handling  grain  is  fatal  to  the  trade — at  least  fifteen  to  twenty  cents  against  this 
town.  Every  day  that  we  go  on  'Change  we  tip  our  hats  to  Chicago.  "  What  is 
the  price  of  grain  in  Chicago  to-day  ?"  If  we  do  not  get  ten  cents  more  here  we  do 
not  get  the  full  value. 

I  feel  that  I  am  not  competent  to  discuss  this  subject  properly,  and  I  would  pre- 
fer to  leave  it  with  gentlemen  who  are  more  conversant  with  it.  I  say  there  is  a 
necessity  for  St.  Louis  to  do  something.  If  you  do  not,  rely  upon  it  that  trade  will 
be  taken  away  from  you  which  will  not  be  regained  in  twenty-five  years. 

Hon.  Erastus  Wells,  of  the  City  Council,  was  next  called  upon.    He  said : 

Mr.  President:  Being  the  only  member  of  the  Council  present,  it  is  proper  that 
I  should  rise  to  say  a  few  words. 

I  indorse  pretty  much  all  the  gentleman  has  said.  I  can  appreciate  somewhat 
the  zeal  which  he  manifests  on  a  subject  of  this  character,  a  matter  in  which  the 
people  of  St.  Louis  should  feel  a  deep  interest.  *  *  *  * 

The  difference  between  the  cities  is  tnily  considerable,  both  as  to 
Avhfit  each  had  and  has.  St.  Louis  had  wealth,  as  all  these  writers 
acknowledge  ;  Chicago  was  poor,  dependent  wholly  upon  capital 
from  abroad.  St.  Louis  had  tlie  entire  business  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  most  of  it  east.  Thousands  of  miles  of  river  navigation 
paid  her  tribute  ;  Chicago  had  only  the  lakes  and  her  canal.  But  the 
business  that  was  hers,  is  now  Chicago's  ;  and  our  railroads  and 
lakes  are  proved  far  more  powerful  than  her  rivers.  Though  yet 
small  in  capital  compared  with  that  wealthy  city,  profits  are  f:ast 
accumulating  upon  the  trade  taken  from  her;  and  confidence  in  the 
position,  makes  our  credit  fully  equal  to  St.  Louis'  cash.  Under 
these  circimistances  it  might  be  expected  of  keen  St.  Louisiana  to 
examine  causes,  and  another  writer  in  the  Democrat  of  Nov.  29th, 
(the  article  referred  to  is  quoted  p.  82,)  prosecutes  the  investi- 
gation : — 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicarjo  Investments.  69 

The  Needs  of  St.  Louis. — An  article  in  your  issue  of  the  2.^d  instant,  lieaded -'^'"''■' "/ <». 
"  What  St.  Louis  lias,  Wluit  She  has  Lost,  and  What  She  N('cds,"  lias  attraetcd  ^"""~~ 
my  attention,  as  it  nuist  the  attention  of  all  -who  iiave  tiie  interest  of  the  city  at 
heart;  and  while  I  a,ij;ree  with  the  writer  in  many  tliiiiLrs  lie  has  stated,  1  believe— to knpw 
be  has  not  touched  the  main  causes  whicii  have  led  to  llie  general  de[)ression  now  sty  <^'""'«."''  "^o- 
universally  felt,  so  little  understood  and  so  seldom  discussed  by  liie  ])e<iple ;  and '"^""'''""' 
with  your  permission  I  will  proceed  to  state  what  I  believe  to  be  some  of  the  prin- 
cipal ca.uses  that  underlie  our  present  troubles. 

The  natural  and  yeouraitliical  advuntaues  of  St,  Louis  are  not  disputed.     That  Niitural  nd- 
Ler  commercial  prosperity  larj;ely  depends  upon  the  completion  of  the  j^reat  trunk  *'""'"'^"''' 
and  branch  roads  is  admitted  ;  that  energy  and  a  more  liberal  enter|)rise  are  de- ^^,,.^4^,,^, 
manded  of  our   merchants  and  business  men   will   not   be  denietl;   tliat  greater  wttiiu!  "* 
inducements  should  be  offered  to  capital  is  apparent  to  the  most  casual  observer. 

How  stand  those  great  auxiliaries  of  prosperity  to-day?    Is  it  not  true  tiiat  the  ^., 
greatest  enterprises  connected  with  the  commercial  and  manufacturing  interests  „ytuffe"uvo. 
of  our  city  go  begging  to  tlie  world — otlering  bonds,  tlie  best  secured  in  the  coun- 
try, at  a  ruinous  depreciation,  and  Hud  it  difficult  even  then  to  negotiate?    There 
is  a  cause  for  this?    What  is  it? 

It  will  not  suffice  to  say  that  Chicago  or  Cincinnati  has  outrun  us  in  the  race  of  Chicago  and 
progress.     True,  those  cities  have  shown  more  energy  and  enterprise — tlie  former^'";'""" 
in  her  great  system  of  railroads  and  commercial  facilities,  offering  every  induce- '^°^'^*^^' 
ment  to  enterprise  and  capital,  and  the  latter  in  fostering  and  developing  her  great 
mauvifacturing  interests.     It  will  not  suffice  to  saj'  that  the  State  has  not  been  State  liberal 
liberal,  even  to  extravagance,  in  her  aid  to  public  imi)rovements ;  nor  to  say  that 
many  of  our  citizens  have  not  been  earnestly  alive  and  devoted  to  those  great 
measures.     They  have  been,  but  with  what  result?     On  tlieir  part,  disappointed  still  imd 
hopes  and  broken  fortunes.     Look  around  among  those  lil)eral-minded  men  who"^*^""'"- 
for  years  have  devoted  their  talent,  energy  and  capital  to  public  iini)rovements, 
and  is  it  not  a  fact  that  most  of  them  have  been  made  beggars?    Is  it  not  true  Jion,  beg-      ■■ 
that  many  of  the  most  enterprising  men,  during  the  last  ten  years,  have  left  St.  gara  and 
Louis  to  iind  homes  elsewhere,  and  is  it  not  painfully  true  that  while  nature  has'*"""^'"^"        .> 
surrounded  us  with  every  facility  of  becoming  the  great  manufacturing  cit}'  of  the  i 

country,  capital  and  genius  in  that  line  shun  our  city  and  seek  investment  else-  '' 

where?  The  facts  stated  here  cannot  be  denied.  Why  do  they  exist?  What  is  wiiat  the 
the  remedy?  I  know  that  iu  the  points  I  now  touch,  there  are  many  opinions '^'|"''«*"<i 
worthy  of  consideration.  *  *  *  '^''""-'  y- 

The   causes    are    "a  short-sic-hteJ  city   government;"  net^lect  to  Summarj- of 

^  ,  .  cauues. 

"  improve  our  river  navigation  ;"  "  the  wharf  to  be  opened,  straight- 
ened and  improved  immediately;"  "  steamboats  to  be  relieved  from 
State  and  County  tax;"  '"'high  rents  and  liigh  taxation" — why,  that  f 

is  exactly  our  difficulty; — "a  lot  of  old  fogies  and  speculators;"  and  ^ 

others  similar.  Very  possibly  these  are  influential  reasons  Avhy  St. 
Louis  does  nut  progress,  for  they  would  hardly  be  iterated  and  reiter- 
ated as  they  are,  did  they  not  exist.     Still,  would  the  removal  of  the  would  their 

-  .  ,  .  ^-^,  .  rnmoval 

whole  of  them,  or  even  attaching  the  entire  category  to  Chicago,  save  st.  l.   , 
restore  the  broken  equilibrium,  and  St.  Louis'  supremacy  ?     The  des- 
perate condition  of  the   case  is  evident  from  the  free  use  of  such 
palliatives  to  soothe  the  patient  in  his  rapid  decline. 

Time  was  when  we,  too,  were  very  sensitive,  although  not  in  a  de-chi.  former- 
cline,  and  so  little  understood  the  power  of  our  position   upon  Laketiv^""'" 
Michigan,  that  we  were  jealous    of  connection   Avith   eastern    roads 
near  to  us.     I  recollect  berating  Mr.  Schuyler,  President  of  the  Illi-_feared 
nois  Central,  for  his  project  of  deflecting  that  road,  to  connect  with'^"'''"^^' 
the  Michigan  Central,  fearing  it  would  take  through  business  to  the 
east  south  of  us  ;  and  St.  Louis  counted  upon  another  connection  of 
the  same  sort,  as  a  means  of  weakening  us  to  her  beneflt.     For  I 


70 


The  Difference  between  Chicago  and  other  Western  Centres. 


St.LouU 
Int..  1853. 


Alton  rail- 
road 11  n- 
isbed — 


— also,  "  Jol- 
iet  cut-ofif." 


No  matter 
now. 


PitU.  Com. 


Chi.  pros- 
pers on 
account  of 
unauimiti'- 


— stretches 
out  long 
arms. 

St.  Louis 
complains. 


Chicago 
united — 


-but  poor. 


Position  fa- 
vorable. 


Nature  and 
art  conjoin. 


Lake  Mich, 
essential. 


Connection 
of  lakes  and 
rivers. 


happen  to  have  a   St.    Louis  Intelligencer,   Oct.   18th,  1853,  which 

says : — 

Still  Fnftter—The  Northern  Route. — We  were  surprised  last  evening  to  receive 
the  Cliicairo  papers  of  the  day  before.  The  Alton  Telegraph  explains  the  phenom- 
enon by  saylns;  :  "  The  cars  are  now,  we  understand,  running  to  within  five 
miles  of  Blboimngton.  In  the  course  of  the  present  week  this  remaining  gap  will 
be  closed,  and  tlie  cars  from  this  city  connect  immediately  with  those  of  the  Cen- 
tral Road  to  La  Salle." 

•  The  7\'lef/rnph  goes  on  to  add  some  comforting  words  to  Chicago,  as  follows: 
"The  link  between  .Joliet  and  Wilmington  will  likewise  be  in  runiling  order  in  a 
few  days.  This  will  leave  only  the  line  from  Wilmington  to  Bloomington  to  be 
laid,  to  give  us  an  air  line  road  to  the  .Joliet  "cut  ofl"."  When  the  Joliet  and  La- 
porte  Road  is  finished,  which  will  speedily  be,  passengers  will  be  put  through  to 
the  East,  without  being  compelled  to  go  round  by  Chicago." 

The  centripetal  power  of  commerce  was  too  little  appreciated. 
Who  now  hears  of  the  "  Joliet  cut-oiF?"  I  know  not  whether  its 
trains  still  run,  and  it  is  not  of  the  slightest  consequence  if  they  do. 

In  all  our  vicissitudes  and  encounters,  however,  Chicago  has 
always  been  true  to  her  interests,  and  the  Pittsburgh  Commercial 
kindly  observes  : — 

The  prosperity  of  Chicago  is  mainly  due  to  the  fiict  that  her  citizens,  recogni- 
zing the  advantages  she  possesses,  steadily  act  on  the  determination  that  she  shall 
enjoy  the  full  Iienefit  of  them.  Such  public  spirit  would  make  almost  any  place 
grow  and  prosper.  Place  another  community  there,  and  Chicago  would  be  a  dif- 
ferent city.  They  believe  in  themselves,  strike  out  boldly — and  win.  We  wish 
we  might  have  some  of  their  spirit  in  Pittsburgh,  which  has  as  many  advantages 
— but  of  another  kind — as  Chicago.  We  have  more  wealth,  and,  consolidated,  a 
population  nearly  as  large.  Chicago  permits  nobody  to  run  around  her,  but, 
stretching  out  a  long  and  strong  arm,  clutches  the  trade  and  commerce  of  vast 
regions.  Hence  we  hear  St.  Louis  expressing  dissatisfliction  and  alarm  at  the  loss 
of  trade  i'.  has  heretofore  shared.  Though  not  a  bright  example  in  every  respect, 
Chicago  certainly  is  in  this. 

The  unanimity  of  Chicago  has  ever  been  a  gratifying,  weighty 
influence  in  its  progress.  Though  divided  by  a  river  and  branches 
at  nearly  right  angles  into  three  sections,  which  usually  generates 
contention,  the  several  divisions  have  had  no  jealousy.  That  public 
spirit  and  energy  are  distinguisliing  characteristics,  is  generally 
admitted.  Yet,  as  before  observed,  we  have  had  neither  means  nor 
influence  to  create  the  works  which  have  Avrought  their  effects.  The 
position  ratlier  than  character  of  citizens  has  made  us  what  we  are. 
If  with  a  dift'erent  population  "  Chicago  would  be  a  different  city;" 
so,  too,  ten  times  the  same  population  elsewhere,  could  never  make 
a  second  Chicago.  Nor  is  her  progress  attributable  to  any  one  cause, 
but  to  an  unexampled  combination.  Nature  and  art  have  conjoined 
to  produce  results  unparalleled,  and  that  always  will  be  unparalleled, 
in  the  growth  of  cities.  Without  Lake  Michigan,  Chicago  would 
not  be  hdre  ;  nor  would  its  harbor  be  used  as  it  is,  but  that  it  best 
accommodates  the  immense  plain  between  the  Alleghanies  and  the 
Ilocky  iMountains,  whose  vastness  is  only  equaled  by  its  unsurpassed 
fertility  of  soil,  and  its  richness  in  mineral  wealth.  Then,  too,  the 
ease  of  connecting  at  this  point  the  rivers  and  lakes, Js  anotlier  of 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  *ll 

nature's  gifts  ;  and  tlie  conjunction  of  these  tlnx-e  no  other  city  has 
or  can  have. 

Of  these  art  would  naturally  and  wisely  avail  itself  But  it  hap- Artavaiu  of 
pens  further  in  conjunction,  that  the  surplus  wealth  of  the  country 
and  the  chief  commercial  city,  were  interested  in  drawing  the  trade 
and  travel  of  the  South  and  Southwest  to  Cliicago;  and  this  con- 
joining of  interest  was  so  manifest  and  natural  and  reasonable,  that_^^^^^^^ii . 
twenty  years  ago  it  was  made  the  main  basis  of  argument,  as  we  have 
seen,  to  induce  capitalists  to  do  precisely  what  in  their  better  judg- 
ment they  have  actually  done. 

Besides,  nature  having  made  an  end  to  Lake  Micliigan,  and  a  little  Lnko  Mirh. 
river  for  a  harbor  quite  near  that  end,  Chicago  is  there  located,  hav- 
ing been  sought  out  by  the  Jesuits  two   centuries  ago.     The  lake 
stretching  north  and  south  some  350  miles,  and  Lake  Superior  nearly 
as  much  more,  comj^els  the  whole  country  to  the  west  to  pay  more 
or  less  tribute  to  this  port.     This  is  the  occasion  for  the  concentra-  concentrates 
tion  of  the  numerous  railways  from  the  north  around  to  due  west.  ™'"'''y«- 
Bridging  Lake  Michigan  has  not  yet  been  attempted.     So  that  not 
like  every  other  city  on  ocean,  river,  or  chain  of  lakes,  Chicago  has  ciji_i,agno 
no  rival,  and  can  have  none,  for  Lake  Superior  is  too  far  north,  and'""'"'" 
there  is  no  other  chain  of  lakes  to  have  an  end.     Other  lake  cities  other  cities 
rival  each  other,  and  still  stronger  is  the  rivalry  between  river  cities.  "^"^' 
Had    steamboats    continued   in  control  of   the  business,  St.    Louis 
would   doubtless  have  held  her  relative  position.     But  with  their  stj^.^ad- 
large  supersedure  by  the  car  and  locomotive,  her  supremacy  van-  J„"t'''^'^ 
ished,  and  she   has  now  no   advantage  over  many  other  river  towns 
above  and  below  her,  except  wealth  and  already  established  influence. 
These  it  has  been  proved  are  of  no  account  against  Chicago,  because  ^j^.  ^^^^^ 
of  her  superior  focal  position  for  railways  :  and  as  they  shall  be  in-po'itof 

A  i  J      '  ''  _  railways. 

troduced  west  of  the  Mississippi,  these  present  advantages  will  not 
hold  trade  against  energetic  enterprise,  and  more  direct  routes  to  the  j,^^^^^^ 
east,  and  especially  to  the   lakes.     Kansas,  at  the  Big  Bend  of  the  S"od site. 
Missouri,  is  a  more  natural  point  for  converging  railroads  than  St. 
Louis,  and  may  yet  outgrow  her.     Except  that  city  and  Omaha, 
there  are  now  no  prominent  places  in  the  West;  yet  without  doubt 
several  will  arise  as  the  railway  system  shall  be  developed.     East  of  Railroads 
the  Mississippi  the  system  will  be  perfected  by  numerous  short  roads  ;  Missis- 
but  the  chief  part  of  railway  building  for  twenty  years  will  be  west-  *'pp'— 
ward  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  over  them.     And  as  before  shown, 
it  is  beyond  the  power  of  man  to  create  west  of  Chicago  another -but  no 

,  ,  T  ,  Jill  centre. 

railway  centre  of  half — not  a  quarter— ttie  roads  we  have  and  shall 
have.  Should  there  be  such  an  one,  its  business  will  be  as  in  Indian- 
apolis, to  trundle  cars  from  one  road  to  another. 

The  competition  and  jealousy  between  a  dozen  cities  to  the  west  pj^^,^  ^^ 
will  be  intense,  with  nothing  of  the  feeling  towards  Chicago,  lor  her^'.^^^^™ 


12  Difference  beticeen   Chicago  and  other  Western  Centres. 

-to  re<«-h    supremacy  Avill  be  admitted  ;  and  one  of  the   chief  objects  of  ambi- 
tion among  tliem  will  be,  to  create  the  greatest  facilities    for  reach- 
ing the  Queen  of  the  Lakes.     This  is  one  of  the  chief  advantages  of 
Omaha;  and  this  will  in  a  few  years  build  several  other  long  lines  to 
the  northwest  and  southwest,  present  lines  being  insufficient. 
Views  not         These  views  may  be  thouglit  too  strong  a  draught  upon  the  future 
overwrought^^  aifect  the  immediate  present.     Perhaps ;  yet  they  are  a  thousand- 
fold  more  certain  of  realization  than  were  views  and  arguments 
offered  upon  this  same   subject  twenty  years   ago.     Then  I  had  to 
speak  of  twenty  and  fifteen  years  ahead,  because  of  uncertainty  as 
Basis,  what  to  what  Eastcm  capitalists  might  do.    Now  the  argument  rests  upon 
j=i  rt-iUised.    ^ii-^t  t]jey  have  actually  done,  and  their  wisdom  in  continued  action. 
Are  not  their  profits  sufficient  to  make  them  follow  the  same  line  of 
investments,  where  extensions  shall   yield    equal  revenues,    besides 
10  years  to    doubling  them  on  old  roads?     And  now  only  ten  years  will  be  ample 
prove  them.  ^^  j.(.n(jei.  equally  sure  present  predictions,  as  twenty  have  the  past. 
Is  that  too  long  a  period  to  consider  such  important  causes  affecting 
real   estate    investments  ?      Are    these    considerations     chimerical, 
either,  or  eminently  practical,  deeply  affecting  the  subject  presented  ? 
Are  they  not  fairly  deducible  from  previous  considerations?     The 
entire  argument  may  be  fallacious,  but   this  additional  point,  that 
Chicago  has  Chicago  is  without  a  real  rival,  wili    surely  prove  sound  unless  the 
no  rival—     .^,JJQl^3  ^g  g^  fraud  or  misconception.     But  the  question  of  rivalry  is  to 
have  immediate  consideration.     These  in  general  are  the  Differences 
—when can  between  Chicago  and  other  Western  Centres.     When  this  wonderful 
have  one.      conjunction  of  nature  and  of  art  can  be  dissevered,  or  the  equal  be 
found  in  any  other  city,   a  rival  to  Chicago  will   arise;  not   before. 
Other  special  advantages  will  be  hereafter  considered.     In  conclud- 
View8,i86i.  ing  this  topic,  the  summary  of  1861  is  now  still  more  relevant: — 
Other  cities      It  may  be  said,  too  much  is  claimed  for  Chicago — that  railroads  all  connect 
ccutrai.         together,  carrying  hnsine^s  through  to  other  points, — that  Indianapolis,  Columbus, 
Dayton,  Toledo,  Cleveland  and  other  cities,  are   also  great  railway  centres ;  and 
that  the  larger  and  more  iiowerf'ul  cities,  Cincinnati  and   St.   Louis,  are  not  only 
accessible  by  railroad  from  all  sections  equally  with  Chicago,  but  are  more  central 
in  the  Uuicm. 
The  past  To  this  it  might  be  sufficient  answer  to  point  to  past  progress,  and  claim  its  sure 

conclusive,    continuance,  wliich  it  would  be  diffic-ult  to  give  sound  reasons  for  doubting.  When 
Chicago  was  only  known  as  an  Inilian  trading  post,  each  of  the  above  places  was 
a  considerable  town,  but  she  has  passed  them  all  save  two,  and  follows  close  upon 
Present  rear  them.     But  good  reasons  can  be  given   for  attainments  hitherto,  some  of  wliich 
sons.  apply  more  cogently  to  the  future  : 

1st.  No  one  of  the  above  towns  has  so  extensive  and  rich  a  country  dependent 
200mUM  upon  it.  A  circuit  of  fifty  to  a  hundred  miles  is  the  largest  area  that  any  other 
could  fairly  claim,  though  most  of  them  do  more  or  less  business  farther  off.  But 
before  the  day  of  railroads,  farmers  for  100  to  200  miles  around,  came  here  to  sell 
their  produce  and  obtain  supplies,  and  the  business  of  that  whole  region,  and  be- 
yond, is  still  more  effectually  centred  here  by  railroads.*  No  one  of  the  above 
cities,  or  any  other,  has  hijlf  as  large  an  area  so  completely  identified  with  it. 

Farmers  at         *lu  1843  or  '44,  three  Prairie  Farmer  friends  mot  in  its  ofBce,  one  from  Vigo  county,  Ind.,  one  from 
in  low    Clarke  county,  Ills.,  and  a  third  from  Scott  county,  Iowa,  describing  nearly  a  third  of  a  circle  of  some 
200  miles  radius.    After  introduction  to  each  other,  I  told  them  the  gathering  correctly  indicated  the 
area  then  naturally  tributary  to  Chicago,  and  which  Vailrouds  would  iu  time  secure  to  ua. 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  73 

2d.  Beinp  able  to  control  the  business  of  this  larsce  rccjion,  it  is  an  object  for  tlie  Kifrpy  of 
best  men  in  all  departments  of  industry  to  locate  liere  ;  and  ("liic:i!X<>  lias  ever  hail  '^'"""'*- 
a  good  name  for  energy  and  enterprise.  The  competition  that  tliis  creates  extends 
onr  area,  enabling  us  to  draw  fnmi  other  central  points  that  have  less  dependent 
territory,  and  less  business  facilities ;  and  as  we  outstrip  town  after  town  in  tiie 
race  of  progress,  we  shall  compete  more  and  more  successfully  with  our  oldest, 
most  powerful  rivals,  right  in  their  own  regions. 

3d.     No  one  of  the  towns  named  has  half  the  railroad  facilities  with  the  interior  Superior 
possessed  by  this  ;  and  tliough  Ixisiuess  does  not  necessarily  stop  at  the  end  of  one  ";''i|»'"y 
railroad,  but  can  be  transferred  from  car  to  car  and  fn^m  road  io  road,  yet  it  is  au  '"*^''''"-''»- 
important  advantage  to  a  city,  and  to  all  trading  with  it,  to  be  able  to  receive  and 
forward  in  all  directions,  and  hundreds  of  miles  without  a  change. 

4th.     The  canal  to  the  Illinois  river  unites  the  lake  navigation  with  that  of  the  Canal, 
whole  Mississippi  Valley,  and  by  the  shortest  and  best  route. 

5th.    No  other  city  at  all  equals  this  in  railroad  facilities  ea.stward,  four  [now  Roads  eaat. 
five]    independent    and    through    routes    starting    from    here,    creating    strong 
competition. 

0th.     Chicago  is  the  western  extremity  of  these  inland  seas,  the  navigation  of  noadof 
■which  is  far  more  valuable  than  the  whole  railway  system  eastward — ^^thau  the  i^keB. 
thousands  of  miles  of  river  navigation  of  the  Great  Valley. 

7th.     The  conjunction  here  of  all  these  means  of  intercommunication  —  of  rail-  Conjunction 
roads  from  the  interior  —  of  river  and  canal  navigation  —  of  railroails  eastward —  oi  causco— 
of  the  lakes  and  St.  Lawrence — is  much  more  powerful  to  concentrate  business  and 
build  up  a  city,  than  can  be  brought  to  bear  at  any  other  two  or  three  points  in  the 
West,  and  have  centered  here  the  produce  trade  to  such  a  degree,  that  Chicago  is— results, 
already  "the  first  primary  grain  exporting  city  in  the  world,"  and  most  other 
branches  of  business  naturally  follow  the  channels  of  produce. 

8th.     In  manufacturing,  which  must  be  the  main  reliance  for  the  growth  of  any  Mannfao- 
city  to  a  large  size,  no  western  town  excels  Chicago  in  any  important  respect,  and  '"^es. 
tew  equal  it,  and  in  the  chief  essentials  it  far  surpasses  them  all,  of  which  further 
hereafter. 

9tb.     Health — climate — topography — pure  water — are  all  favorable.  Climate,  etc. 

Having  no  considerable  point  of  inferiority  that  I  can  discover,  as  compared  with  -^^^  xni^T'- 
any  other  western  city,  these  evident  and  infiuential  causes  sufficiently  account  forority. 
the  past,  and  give  ample  promise  of  future  progress,  and  some  of  them  will  be 
more  elaborated  as  we  proceed. 

It  is  not  superiority  in  one  respect,  however  important,  or  even  in  several  of  Combina- 
much  consequence,  but  the  largest  combination  of  the  most  powerful  influences,'''^"*:''':* 
that  ensures  supremacy  in  a  city.    No  means  of  advancement  can  be  named,  I  ''"i"^'''"''"y- 
think,  exceeding  in  importance  any  of  the  above ;  and  because  Chicago  has  not 
her  superior  in  the  West  in  a  single  one  of  them — because  she  combines  them  all 
in  an  eminent  degree,  and  fully  equal  to  any  other  two  or  three  western  cities 
united — has  she  made  the  unexampled  progress  of  the  past,  and  must  make  that 
of  the  future. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  growth  of  cities  accords  with  the  Bible  maxim  :  Bii.ieniie, 
"Whosoever  hath,  to  him  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall  have  more  abundance,  hwt  Meat.  yz:i-2. 
from  him  that  hath  not  shall  be  taken  away  even  that  he  hath,"  or — "  seemeth  ^  ,    ,.  . 

.     ,  ,,  •'  '  Luke,  18:8. 

to  have.  ' 

The  latter   rendering,  from  Luke,  the  more  learned  and   precise  Rivals 
wiiter,  is  here  most  applicable:    for  our   rivals   have    '■'■seemed  toifa^ 
have"  a   good   deal  of   business   that    somehow  has   been  "taken 
away  "  and  actually  "given"  to  another  that  has  considerable  "  "loi'c —have not. 
abundance."     We   propose  to    exhibit  a  literal  fulfilhneut   of  that 
Scripture  rule,  by  comparing  the  three  cities  that  have  been  gen- 
erally considered : — 

The  Rivals  of  the  West,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago,      "vypstern 

'  '  rivals. 

That  Chicago  would  lead  every  city  of  the  West,  has  not  been  superiority 
considered  probable  by  me,  scarcely  possible,  until  within  15  years.  pij^f^^^lli°* 
The  above  rivals  standing  at  three  corners  of  a  triangle,  the  sides 
about  280  miles,  had  each  an  abundant  area  to  build  up  the  three 


74         The  Rivals  of  the  West,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 

largest  inland  cities.  Philadelphia  is  but  eighty-two  miles  from 
-nor to  j^etv  York,  and  Baltimore  but  98  from  Philadelphia.  At  first,  supe- 
riority  was  not  claim.ed  over  Cincinnati,  even  :  not  because  it  wag 
doubtful,  but  that  friends  should  not  think  me  more  insane  than  was 
necessary  concerning  the  future  of  Chicago.  Hence,  in  the  adver- 
tisement of  1847,  p.  8,  and  in  the  following  from  the  circular  of  1848, 
Cincinnati  was  only  referred  to  as  an  example  of  what  Chicago  was 
to  become  : — 

CMcngo  Compared  icith  Cincinnati. — We  may  also  discern  the  growth  of  Chicago, 
from  the  past  history  of  other  Western  cities.  Cincinnati,  for  instance,  is  regarded 
as  the  pnxligy  of  rapid  growth ;  and  so,  indeed,  it  may  be,  having  risen  in  population 
from  10,000  to  100,000,  in  only  23  years.  This,  too,  has  been  accomplished  without 
any  particular  advantage  of  position,  the  Miami  canal  having  been  finished  only 
three  years;  and  after  getting  out  of  range  of  that,  there  is  no  reason  why  a  pre- 
ference should  be  given  to  Cincinnati  over  other  river  towns,  except  that  she  has 
the  start. 

But  take  Chicago  as  a  centre,  and  you  may  describe  a  quarter  circle  of  180  to 
200  miles  radius,  which  must  be  tributary  to  this  market.  Goods  not  actually 
1)1  night  here,  and  produce  not  sold  here,  must  chiefly  pass  through  this  place  to  or 
from  market.  If  Chicago  were  to  receive  not  one  dollar's  worth  of  business  from 
out  of  Illinois,  it  would  still  have  more  to  depend  upon  than  Cincinnati.  But  our 
business  from  beyond  that  quarter  circle,  and  from  the  eastward,  will  nearly  or 
quite  equal  that  within  it. 

In  manufacturing,  Cincinnati  has  no  advantage  over  Chicago.  Steam  is  now 
considered  equal  to  water  power,  and  bituminous  coal,  of  excellent  quality,  and  in 
inexhaustible  quantity,  will  be  delivered  at  Chicago,  from  along  the  canal,  at  about 
§2.50  per  ton.  Cotton  will  be  brought  via  the  Illinois  river  and  canal  at  a  trifling 
cost ;  and  this  will  be  one  of  the  most  important  wool  markets  in  the  country. 
Pig  iron  is  brought  by  vessels  as  ballast,  for  little  or  nothing,  from  the  manufactur- 
ers in  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio ;  lead  will  be  brought  by  railroad,  at  cheap  rates, 
directly  from  the  mines;  and  copper  from  Lake  Superior,  without  trans-shipment. 
We  have  excellent  ship  timber  in  this  vicinity,  and  pine  lumber  costs  by  the  cargo 
S7  to  $8  per  M.  Provisions  of  all  kinds  will  always  be  got  here  at  cheap  rates, 
and  labor  will  be  as  cheap  as  will  be  for  the  advantage  of  the  country.  We  are 
not  always  to  transport  the  raw  material  to  the  eastern  manufactories,  and  pro- 
visions to  feed  the  hands,  and  then  bring  back  the  manufactured  goods  for  con- 
sumption. A  cheaper  and  better  plan  will  be  to  make  one  transportation  answer, 
by  bringing  machinery  and  hands  here ;  and  I  can  see  no  good  reason  why  manu- 
facturing of  all  kinds  may  not  be  depended  upon  as  an  important  element  in  our 
prosperity. 

One  more  comparison,  and  I  have  done  with  Cincinnati.  The  total  population 
of  Ohio,  even  as  late  as  1830,  was  but  937,903,  of  which  a  small  portion  only  was 
tributary  to  Cincinnati.  That  city  then  contained  24,831,  having  no  railroads  or 
canals  connecting  it  with  the  interior,  few  steam  boats,  no  connection  with  the 
East,  no  exports  to  speak  of,  and  emigration  westward  was  comparatively  small 
and  difficult.  Yet,  under  all  these  disadvantages,  the  Ohio  metropolis  has  grown 
\f)  its  present  gigantic  size,  having,  in  1840,  a  population  of  40,338,  which  is  now 
supposed  to  be  doubled,  and  it  has  become  the  sixth  city  in  the  Union. 

Illinois  has  now  a  population  of  over  800,000,  of  which  more  tfuin  half  must  pay 
more  or  less  tribute  to  Chicago.  Railroads,  and  steamboats,  and  canals,  which  are 
now  just  beginning  to  be  felt  in  their  power  upon  important  commercial  points, 
have  placed  us  practically  nearer  to  New  York  City,  the  great  market  of  our  coun- 
try, than  even  Utica  was  twenty-three  years  since.  We  have  a  prairie  country  of 
the  easiest  tillage  and  greatest  fertili^^^y,  with  a  wefl  established  business  and  large 
exports.  Immigration  never  was  so  great,  and  never  brought  as  much  capital. 
The  canal  and  railroads  terminating  at  Chicago,  which  will  speedily  be  construct- 
ed, will  command,  within  five  years,  more  business  than  is  even  now  done  at  Cin- 
cinnati. 

Now  if  in  connection  with  these  important  advantages,  we  consider  still  farther, 
the  general  advancement  of  the  whole  country  in  growth  and  power,  which  has 
been  made  xince  Cincinnati  became  so  prosperous,  with  the  increased  facilities  of 
the  present  day  for    doing  business   of  all  kinds,  and  the  greater  ability  that 


Opinions 
l!>47-'8. 


Chi.  com- 
pni-ed  with 
Ciuciuuiiti. 


Centre  of 
200  miles. 


Business  be- 
yond. 

Mannfac- 
tures. 

Raw  mate- 
rials gath- 
ered. 


Provisions. 


One  trans- 
portation to 
answer. 


Population 
of  Ohio, 
900,000— 


— made  Cin. 
6th  city. 

IMinois, 
800,000— 

— improve- 
ments — 

— natural 
advan- 
tages— 


— growth  of 
■whole 
coiintry — 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Cldcarjo  Investments. 


75 


Illinois  posse?SGi3  from  this  timo  to  push  forward  its  cliiof  commercial  emporium — — l5yenrsto 
considering  all  tliese  points,  witli  tlie  start  we  alrcad}'  have,  and  is  it  not  reasonable  2o"for'c'*'  ^ 
to  expect  that  tif*;een  years  to  come  will  accomplish  as  much  for  Chicago,  as  the 
past  twenty  have  done  for  Cincinnati? 

But  in  1861  the  relative  chan2:e  had  become  so  marked,  that  con-Ci">ngo8by 

IbOl. 

test  with  Cincinnati  Avas  passed,  and  even  St.  Louis  Avas  soon  to  bo 
outstripped,  and  the  following  tal)le  and  remarks  Avere  })resented  : — 


Rank  in 
1800. 


Cities. 


New  York 

Philadelphia. . 

Brooklyn 

Baltimore 

Boston 

New  Orleans. 

St.  Louis 

Cincinnati. . . . 
Chica£i;o 


Population 
in  1860. 


814,277 
5(i8,0;J4 
278,425 
214,037 
177,003 
170,766 
162,179 
160,060 
109,420 


Population 
in  1850. 


515,647 

40S,,S()2 

96,s;{8 

169,054 

l;i6,SSl 

115,375 

77,860 

115,435 

29,963 


Increase. 


298,730 
159,272 
176,587 
44,9S3 
41,021 
54,391 
84,319 
44,625 
79,457 


Increase 
per  cent. 


58 
84 

182 
27 
30 
47 

108 
39 

265 


liank  m  Chief  cities 
1850.     oftlieU.S.— 


1 

2 

7 
3 
4 
6 
8 
5 
18 


— chanpos  in 
10  vfiirn. 
1850  to  '60. 


The  eight  largest  cities  in  1850,  are  still  the  same,  though  relative  rank  is 
changed ;  but  Chicago  has  jumped  from  being  eigliteentli  to  be  tlie  nintli.  In  1870 
she  will  not  be  lower  than  fifth,  probably  fourth,  having  passed  Baltimore,  and 
possibly  third,  having  passed  Brooklyn.  Philadelphia  has  in  so  full  operation  the 
means  relied  upon  for  our  prosperity — manufacturing — that  it  may  take  till  the 
third  or  fourth  decade-  to  outstrip  her,  should  no  great  national  changes  affect  the 
manufacturing  interests  of  the  East ;  but  before  1900  it  will  be  accomplished.  Our 
rate  of  increase  has  been  more  than  double  that  of  any  of  tlie  thirty  fm  larcjeM  citien 
in  the  Union,  Jersey  City  and  Brooklyn  alone  excepted,  and  the  latter  owes  much 
of  its  apparent  increase  to  the  annexation  of  Williamsburg. 

In  1848  I  compai-ed  the  advantages  of  Chicago  with  Cincinnati,  and  from  the 
then  wonderful  progress  of  the  latter,  argued  that  of  the  former.  The  comparison, 
then  considered  extravagant,  is  tame  now.  Though  in  1850  she  Avas  nearly  four 
times  the  size  of  Chicago,  yet  her  numerical  increase  is  only  a  little  over  one-half 
as  much.    She  is  next  to  be  passed,  and  it  will  soon  be  done. 

I  then  said  nothing  about  St.  Louis,  it  being  considered  visionary  by  even  most 
of  our  own  people  to  suppose  we  coukl  rival  her,  and  it  being  perliaps  doubtful 
which  would  take  the  lead ;  and  being  300  miles  apart,  aflorded  ample  room  for 
two  great  cities.  Between  the  rival  centres  of  the  East,  New  York  and  Philadel- 
phia, is  only  ninety  miles,  Baltimore  only  ninety  miles  more. 

Not  till  within  the  last  six  or  eight  years  have  I  claimed  certain  superioritv  for 
Chicago.  The  powerful  advantages  of  St.  Louis  in  greater  population,  immense 
wealth,  established  business,  and  river  navigation  of  thousands  of  miles  of  Avhich 
she  is  the  centre,' precluded,  in  the  minds  of  most,  the  possibility  of  our  excelling. 
But  impossibility,  and  even  improbability,  has  been  removed.  Tlie  railroad  has 
mcanAvhile  been  opened  all  over  this  region,  and  river  navigation  on  the  uncertain, 
changing  Avaters  of  the  Missouri  and  tipper  Mississippi,  has  seen  its  best  days. 
Tlie  loaomotive,  not  the  steamboat,  is  to  be  the  carrier  of  produce,  passengers  and 
merchandise,  as  well  west  as  east  of  the  Mississippi ;  and  in  tliis  Chicago  has  and 
must  have  large  and  increasing  pre-eminence.  And  besides  drawing  on  her  terri- 
tory west  of  the  Father  of  waters,  we  are  also  fast  increasing  trade  with  central 
Illinois,  upon  which  she  has  fattened. 

Her  river  navigation  is  henceforth  far  excelled  in  value  by  that  of  the  lakes;  and 
for  her  greater  wealth,  which  is  relatively  fast  diminishing,  we  have  a  full  equiva- 
lent in  health  and  climate,  hereafter  noticed.  In  obtaining  materials  to  manufacture, 
she  has  no  superiority  over  Chicago,  except  a  trifle  on  cotton  and  lead.  We  can 
get  the  best  of  iron  ore  from  Lake  Superior,  as  cheaply  as  she  can  from  her  Iron 
Mountain,  and  in  lumber  and  copper  we  have  the  advantage. 

With  the  influential  aids  of  immense  wealth,  greater  age  and  established  busi- 
ness, particularly  by  steamboats,  all  of  which  have  operated  relatively  far  stronger 
in  her  favor  than  they  can  ever  again,  she  has  increased  since  1850,  on  a  popula- 
tion of  77,680,  only  84,319  ;  while  we  have  increased  79,457,  on  only  29,963.  Not- 
withstanding her  important  superiority  and  ]}rcdiye — the  general  belief  that  she 


Chi.  the 
T<tli  now 
9tU— 

—in  '70  4th 
or  3d. 

Increase 
double 
any  other 
city. 

A'if'ws  of 
'48  tame. 

Cin.  passed 
next. 


Too  visiona- 
ry to  pass 
St.  L.— 


— tiin853-'5 

Her  superi- 
ority. 

Changes 
made. 

Our  advan- 
tages 


Lakes  hotter 
than  rivers, 
etc. 


Onr  rapid 
overtaking. 


16  The  Bivals  of  the  West,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 

Her  i>m%c.  was  to  be  the  great  city  of  the  "West,  she  has  increased  in  ten  years  one  hundred 
and  ei"-ht  per  cent.,  and  Chicago  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  per  cent.     If  within 
the  first  decade  of  railroads,  and  while  they  are  being  constructed,   such  direct 
eflects  as  these  are  visible,  what  is  to  be  expected  of  the  future? 
Sf.  L.  to  be  a     I  have  no  desire  to  disparage  St.  Louis,  and  do  not.     But  if  one  city  in  the  West 
great  city—  jg  certain  to  outstrip  the  rest,  it  is  important  to  know  it,  and  my  reasoning  seems 
lair  and  conclusive.     She  will  surely  grow,  perluips  to  a  great  size,  and  though 
properly  is  higher  there  than  here,  1  doubt  not  in  both  it  will  prove  a  good  invest- 
ment.    But  however  large  she  becomes,  the  chances  are  that  Chicago,  in  only 
^^itor"        twenty  to  thirty  years,  wdl  be  twice  her  size. 

Be-ider'to  St.  Louisians  of  course  deny  the  possibility  of  her  being  excelled.     They  vainly 

coi'iiijure       endeavor  to  account  for  the  inequality   of   growth,   and    the  papers  spur  their 

auvaniuges.  -wealthy  citizeus  to  effort  to  preserve  their  business.     But  the  reader,  with  map  in 

hand  exhibiting  the  railroad  system,  may  judge  for  himself  whether  the  ultimate 

and  speedy  supremacy  of  Chicago  can  b.e  questioned. 

st.L.Dem.  Tliis  view  was  strengthened  with  extracts  from  the  St.  Louis  Dem- 
ocrat,  mserted  p.  Ill;  and  is  coimrmed  by  recent  abundant  admis- 
sions.    Let  us  fii'st  consider  Cincinnati.     The  JVeio    York  Evening 

j'ost.  Post,  a  month  or  two  since  remarked: — 

Ciii.  losing        In  the  triangular  fight  for  commercial  supremacy  between  Chicago,  St.  Louis, 
ground.        ^^^  Cincinnati,  the  latter  seems  to  be  losing  ground.     The  Cincinnati  O azette  ^ives 
one  good  reason  for  this.     It  is  believed,  in  imitation  of  the  little  burgh  of  Erie,  of 
peanut  notoriety,  the  city  has  i)ursiied  the  foolish  policy  of  refusing  to  allow  the 
pi'I'nut  ^"°  wtiion  of  the  railroad  lines  passing  through  its  limits.     With  this  self-imposed  bar- 
policy,  rier  to  the  free  passage  of  through  freight  and  travel,  it  is  not  strange  that  both 
seek  the  more  direct  east  and  west  lines  further  north,  or  that  Cincinnati  begins  to 
find  herself  in  au  eddy  of  the  vast  traffic  which  follows    the  less  obstructed 
channels. 
EaUroitds  The  tendency  is  towards  a  practical,  if  not  a  nominal,  consolidation  of  the  great 
consoiiiia-     east  and  west  railroad  lines  north  of  the  Potomac  and  tlie  Ohio,  into  two  immense 
tiug.             combinations  ;  one  line,  including  the  New  York  Central  and  the  Erie,  the  Har- 
lem, and  the  Hudson  River  railroads,  extending  on  each  side  of  Lake  Erie,  across 
Jlichigan  to  Chicago,  and  tlience  to  the  great  routes  west,  northwest  and  south. 
The  other  line,  led  by  the  Pennsylvania  Central  railroad,  extends  from  Central 
.  .,  p.       Ohio,  through  Indiana  and  Illinois,  and  competes  for  the  same  Western  trade.     By 
^vl(    in.    ]j^^^i^  tliese  lines  Cincinnati  is  practically  avoided.     Instead  of  continuing  the  fool- 
ish obstructive  policy,  she  ought,  by  ail  means,  to  encourage  the  through  traffic, 
and  lend  her  aid  to  the  development  of  railroad  facilities  to  the  States  south  of  her. 

Tiiisan  im-       The  Post  prcscuts  the  excuse  Cincinnatians  srive  for  their  relative 

a^imiry  ex-  ^  ^ 

cuse.  decline.     The  city  grows,  and  rapidly  ;    but  they  see   other  cities 

growing  faster,  and  imagine  their  own  short-sighted  policy  is  the 

otherrea-     cause  of  their  decline.     Tlio'  Ciiicago  certainly  has  done  quite  diifer- 

^""**  ently,  yet  were  this  the  only  difference,  relative  acquirements  and 

Cin.  Gazette,  pi'ospects  would  not  be  so  altered.     A  correspondent  of  the  Cincinnati 

Gazette,  December  4th,  presents  facts  and  reasons  most  truthfully  : — 

Northwest        Business  between  Cincinnati,   Ghicaqo,  and  tlie  Northwest. — There  seems  to  be 
biisiiuss  un-much  misapprehension  in  tlie  minds  of  our  community  in  reference  to  the  impor- 
itupurtaut.    \^.^Y[CQ  of  the  busincss  between  our  city,  Chicago,  and  tlie  Northwest,  and  at  the 
same  time  too  little  appreci:ition  of  that  of  the  immediate  West,  South,  and  South- 
west.    From  the  tenor  of  anieles  which  have  recently  appeared  in  our  daily  news- 
papers, the  community  might  be  led  to  suppose  that  our  business  connecticms  with 
the  Northwest  were  of  vital  importance  to  the  growth  of  Cincinnati.     The  writer 
is  quite  familiar  witli  the  amount  of  traffic  which  reaches  Cincinnati  from  all 
points,  and  which  is  sent  from  Cincinnati  in  every  direction.     He  therefore  speaks 
knowingly  when  he  says  the  business  between  Cincinnati,  Chicago,  and  the  North- 
west is  very  much  over-estimated  by  our  community.     The  sum  total  of  the  whole 
is  not  half  ecjual  to  the  amount  received  from  and  shipped  to  Louisville  alone. 
No  difference     The  products  of  the  regions  of  Chicago  and  the  Northwest  are,  in  the  main,  the 
of  lirodacis.  same  as  those  of  our  latitude,  and  their  great  market  is  found  at  the  East,  and 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  77 

their  channels  to  reach  their  markets  are  found  thronnh  the  chain  of  great  lakes,  i^ineff  trade 
and  over  their  numerous  east  and  west  lines  of  railroads.  11ie  country  in  ^'''it  J^-'j','^^|'jj,'|'|^jj 
direction  has  been  mainly  settled  by  Eastern  people,  and  all  their  alliuities  are  with 
them;  and  their  trade  and  travel  naturally  How  east  and  west  on  lines  of  comnui- 
nication  far  north  of  Cincinnati.  Ninety-hundredths  of  their  merchandise  and 
manufactures  are  purchased  in  our  Eastern  markets,  and  the  remainder  is  divided 
between  Cleveland,  Pittsburgh,  Louisville,  Cincinnati,  etc.,  both  Cdeveland  and 
Pittsburgh  having  the  decided  advantage  of  Cincinnati  and  Louisville,  on  account 
of  a  longdistance  of  cheap  water  rates. 

During  the  late  rebellion  there  was  quite  a  large  business  done,  from  Chicago  to  Trade  dur- 
Cincinnati,  in  tlie  way  of  provisions  for  our  army  of  the  Southwest.     The  small- »°g  "'»'■• 
ness  of  crops  in  our  regions  very  much  increased  tlie  demand  at  that  period.    Since 
the  war  closed  this  traffic  has  dwindlid  down  to  a  mere  moiety  of  what  it  was,  and 
Ave  may  hereafter  only  expect  it  to  be  of  small  consequence  when  our  crops  in  this 
region  fliil  us. 

Formerly  Cincinnati  was  the  market  for  buying  and  selling  by  the  merchants  North  trade 
of  most  of  the  towns  as  far  north  as  Logansport,  Fort  Wayne,  etc.;  but  since  the  '"^'• 
opening  of  the  Indiana  Central,  the  Bellefontaine,  the  Wabash  Valley,  the  Pitts- 
burgh, Fort  Wayne  and  Chicago,  and  other  east  and  west  lines,  their  business  is 
mostly  done  with  Eastern  cities.     We  can  now  only  hope  to  cominiind  a  full  share  xry  to  keep 
from  the  region  lying  from  seventy  to  one  hundred  miles  north  of  (Cincinnati.    By  To'miics. 
way  of  illustration,  we  may  safely  say  that  three-fourths,  if  not  more,  of  the  busi- 
ness of  the  Chicago  and  Great  Eastern  Road  now  goes  east  by  way  of  the  Belle- 
tontame  and  Columbus  &  Piqua  Roads,  and  via  the  Atlantic  &  Great  Western, 
Pennsylvania  Central,  and  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroads. 

In  view  of  the  facts  already  stated,  it  behooves  the  business  men  of  our  city  to  g^pj^  g.  and 
cultivate  and  improve  our  connections  to  the  South,  West,  and  Southwest.     Nos.  w.  busi- 
time  should  be  lost  in  pushing  forward  to  completion  the  direct  road  through  "«^S8. 
Kentucky  to  Louisville,  the  road  to  Kuoxville  and  Chattanooga,  and  of  extending 
the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  broad  guage  both  to  Louisville  and  Evansville.    *      * 

Tlie  "  Queen  City  of  the  West"  is  quite  modest  in  her  clsiims  of  Cin.  quite 

tribute;  though  no  doubt  she  can  "only  hope  to  command   a  full 

shave" — and  only  a  share — "from  the  region  lying  froni  70  to  100 

miles  north  of  Cincinnati."     A  subsequent  statement  of  the  nobbing     .  . 

^  _     _  JO  Opinion  con- 

traile  of  the  two  cities  confirms  this  opinion.  firmed. 

The  above  also  sustains  previous  claims  for  Chicago  to  railway  Chi.  trade 
business,  and  would  justify  claims  still  farther  east  than  Indianapolis. 

Time   was  when  the  business  of  the  Northwest  "was  the  g^^^^^^n '^j^'^j^Cin^ 

apple  in  the  eye  of  Cincinnati.*     They  do  well,  however,  henceforth  trade. 

to  devote  attention  to  the  South  and  Southwest.     Nor  are  pi'ospects  g  ^  ^^^^ 

there  as  encouraging  as  they  might  be,  were  it  less  up-stream  work  pr^n^i^'us- 

to  draw  off  what  legitimately  belongs  to   Chicago.     The  Missouri 

Rejnihlican,  of  December  19th,  thus  laughs  at  Cincinnati,  and  slaps  j/o.  J?ep. 

its  own  citizens  : — 

The  Southern  Illinois  Bailrond. — We  announced,  two  days  ago,  a  call  of  the  cin.  meeting 
merchants  and  capitalists  of  Cincinnati,  to  meet  on  Mondsiy,  to  insure  the  com- 'ii"jut  Cairo 
pletion  of  the  railroad  from  Vincennes  to  Cairo,- and  thus  transfer  to  Cincinnati''"''  • 
the  trade  of  a  large  section  of  Southern  Illinois.     The  call  was  numerously  signed. 
W^e  see  by  the  CommercM  and  the  Gazette  of  Tuesday  that  the  meeting  w^as  a 
"  failure."     "  Just  eight  persons  were  in  attendance."    A  writer  in  the  Gazette  8  attended. 

*Visiting  Hon.  John  0.  Wright  many  years  ago,  I  assured  Iiiin  that  Chicago  was  not  opposed  to  his  j^^^„p 
road  to  St.  Louis;  that  a  road  across  Illinois  must  of  course  be  built,  and  that  it  was  for  our  interest  to  Wright's 
have  it  direct  to  Cincinnati,  rather  than  on  the  diagonal  to  Toledo.     After  considerable  conversation,  opinion, 
he  said,  that  as  president,  he  of  course  had  great  interest  in  that  road,  yet,  he  "  cared  very  little  for  it 
compared  with  one  direct  to  Chicago.  The  trade  of  the  great  Northwest  is  what  we  want."  I  inquired, 
"  Why,  Judge,  do  you  expect  to  draw  it  right  straight  through  Chicago?"    "We  will  try  for  it,"  said  ^^^        j^ 
he.    I  replied,  "  and  we  will  take  a  strong   pull  Cincinnati-ward,  and  see  which  can  pull  hardest."  hardest. 
Above  is  the  result  candidly,  and  so  soon,  acknowledged  in  the  paper  he  so  ably  conducted. 


78  The  Hlvals  of  the  West,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 

savs  •  "  such  a  show,  after  the  publicity  of  the  call,  was  to  say  the  least,  a  joke  on 
our  i)o:isted  Queeu  City.    A  prize-fight  or  a  foot  race  would  have  been  better 

Adrantages.      ^lic  s:une  Writer,  after  showing  that  the  new  route  proposed  shortens  the  distance 

from  Cairo  to  Cincinnati  one  hundred  miles,  reraarlis  : 

Cut  off  St         "  Besides,  it  enables  us  to  reacli  the  JMississippi  river  at  a  point  where  it  is  always 

L.  ana  Chi',    navigable,  and  to  "tap"  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Road  at  its  very  starting  point, 

cuttin"-  oil',  to  a  great  extent,  our  present  competition  with  St.  Louis  and  Chicago, 

for  the  trade  of  the  Lower  Mississippi  river,  and  such  as  does  now,  or  may  hereafter, 

reach  Cairo,  by  means  of  railroads  from  the  South,  and  centering  at  that  point. 

New  route      ''Let  the  solid  men  of  this  city  see  to  it,  that  the  necessary  amount  of  money  is 

south.  forthcoming,  and  thus  secure  to  us  another  mighty  feeder — a  new  route  to  the 

South." 
Same  argu-  Every  argument  which  the  journals  of  Cincinnati  can  use  to  stir  up  the  merchants 
meiits  apply  ^f  that  city  to  aid  such  an  enterprise  is  appropriate  to  ourselves.  We  need  a  road 
to  St.  L.  leading  from  here,  in  a  southeast  direction,  to  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  to  Cairo 
and  ttTPaducah.  We  have  been  invited  by  citizens  of  Illinois  and  Kentucky  to 
aid  in  building  such  railroad  connections  with  districts  of  country  which  have 
St.  L.  apa-  manifested  the  strongest  predilection  to  trade  with  St.  Louis.  We  are  sorry  to  say, 
tiiy.  however,  that  the  following  remarks  of  the  Cincinnati  Commercial,  in  speaking  of 

the  apathy  of  Cicinnati  merchants  and  capitalists,  are  not  without  application 
here : 
No  ffforts  to     "  That  the  road  will  be  an  exceedingly  important  one  to  Cincinnati,  there  can 
get  roads.     ^^  ^^  doubt,  but  our  capitalists  and  business  men  virtually  say  by  their  cold,  un- 
civil treatment  of  every  project  of  the  sort,  that  they  want  no  more  roads,  and  will 
make  no  eftbrt  to  secure  the  construction  of  any  more  that  may  be  controlled  in  the 
Business       interests  of  this  place.    Practically  this  apathy  also  says  to  those  merchants  who 
mvu  may  go  ij^ye  all  their  small  means  invested  in  business,  that  they  must  go  to  some  other 
elsewhere.    ^,1,^^^,  jf  they  desire  to  extend  the  area  of  their  trade,  and  at  this  word  it  is  reasonable 
to  expect  that  many  will  take  up  their  treasures  and  go  elsewhere." 

Chi. takes         TliGse  citles  need  not  trouble  themselves  about  Southeastern  lUi- 

ilTiuo°is.  '   'nois.     The  road  from  Shawneetown  to  the  Illinois  Central,  giving  us 

that  trade  and  much  from  Kentucky,  will  be  built  while  other  cities 

study  about  their  projects  to  reach  that  important  region. 

Triangular        Cincinnati,    evidently  impressed   with    that  notable    example  of 

doned.'^'^'^'    Midshipman  Easy,   abandons    a   triangular   contest ;    and    although 

St.  Louis  refuses  to  acknowledge   that  she,   too,  is  distanced  ;  yet 

evidence    of  the   fact   is   quite   conclusive   from  admissions  against 

g^  j^,g^j^j.  herself  already   quoted.      Her    vantage-ground    having   been   lost, 

diiiicuit.      ^YiQ  conflict  for  supremacy,  and  to  recover  control  of  the  immense 

area  north  and  west  of  her,  which  she  perfectly  monopolised,  is  a 

^     „        very  difficult  task.     A  speech  delivered  in  St.  Louis,  21st  October, 

Gfn.  nam-  j  i  ^  ' 

numd's        ijy  Gen.  J.  H.  Hammond,  President  of  the  St.  Louis,  Chillicothe  and 

Bpeech.  *' 

Omaha  Railroad,  before  the  Mayor,  Board  of  Trade  and  Union  Mer- 
chants' Exchange,  so  completely  presents  the  case  that  space  must 
Omaha         ^^  taken  for  it  entire.      Of  course,  the  counties  traversed,  and  Omaha 
wauts  roads,  j^jjj  t^],^  '^yiiole  territory  west,  would  favor  a  diagonal  line  like  this  to 
.„,.„  ,         St.  Louis.     Who  doubts  it?     But  when  built,  how  much  of  the  traffic 

Will  she  use  '  _ 

them?         from  Omalia  a,nd  west,  except  that  bound  specifically  for  St.  Louis 

and  its  immediate  vicinity,  can  be  drawn  that  far  south  in  preference 

Benefit  Chi.  ^,0  main  lines  east  and  west?     And  if  at  all  correct  in  this  general 

more  thau  _  _  .  . 

St.  L.  view,  will  not  such  a  diagonal  road   give  more  business  to  Chicago 

roads  crossing  it,  than  that  taken   to    St.  Louis?     But  let  us  hear 
Geu.  Hammond : — 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Cldcago  Investments.  79 

Gentlemen  :    I  shall  endeavor  to  show  you  that  the  road  which  I  represent  is,  Omaimroad 
if  not  the  most  important  claimintr  the  attention  of  the  citizens  of  St.  Louis,  i^' 'i'',',7t' to^s't'^" 
least  eciual  to  any  other.     In  doinjr  this,  it  is  not  necessarj^  to  decry  any  oilier  luuIb. 
enterprise,  and  I  confine  my  comparisons  to  distances  and  availability. 

The  great  ellbrt  of  the  present  day,  commercially  speaking,  is  western  connec-  puc.  connec- 
tions tind  routes  to  the  Pacific  ocean.     Tlie  j\lis.sissi]ii)i  lias  been  crossed,  the  west- tii>iiH  Uie 
ern  boundaries  of  Iowa  and  ^Missouri  reached  ;  hcnc  two  routes  jircscnt  tliemselvcs.  "''J'^'-''- 

The  one  toward  New  IMexico  and  Southern  CaHlornia  jjresents  a  I'avorable 
climate  and  few  physical  disadvantages.     A  vigorous  company  has  this  route  in  Kansas 
hand  and  St.  Louis  has  connection  with  it  over  the  Missouri  Pacific  to  Kansas '"'""-'^■ 
City.     The  other  route  starts  from  Omaha,  Nebraska,  and  pursuing  tiic  valley  of  oniiiha 
the  Platte  to-day  is  in  use  and  carries  freight  and  jiassengers  to  tlie  foot  of  the  ruute. 
Rocky  Mountains,  a  distance  of  402  miles  west  of  tlie  IMissouri  river.     Tiiis  road 
opens  a  country  which  is  fast  filling  up  with  active  people  and  it  carries  all  tiie  ['rlj'verbcd 
ti"ade  of  Nebraska,  Colorado,  Montana  and  Dacotah.     Its  trade  is  already  immense 
— being  mining  and  other  supplies  for  the  Territories  and  government  freights — 
and  the  road  pays  even  now.    It   receives  a  bounty  from  the  government  of '^"'""^  P^^'^" 
$10,000  per  mile  with  a  grant  of  land — tor  the  road  already  constructed— and  has 
now  reached  the  point  where  this  bounty  becomes  $:i2,000  per  mile. 

From  the  other  side  of  the  continent  the  Central   Pacific  road  has  pierced  the  Pacific  end 
Sierra  Nevadas,  and  is  already  within  the  Great  Desert  basin,  and  is  about  700 '"  P''^6'"*»- 
miles  from  Salt  Lake  City.     I  know  of  my  own  knowledge,  that  from  ^Vilshoe 
Valley  to  Salt  Lake  City  the  difficulties  are  fewer  than  on  the  route  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Central  and  Baltimore  and  Ohio  roads,  already  overcome. 

The  remainder  of  the  route  has  been  declared  feasible  by  competent  autlioritv,  Finished 
and  I  refer  you  to  the  engineer's  reports.    It  is  declared  that  tiiis  road  will  be  i*"*^- 
finished  to  San  Francisco  in  1870 — only  three  years   hence.     The  success  of  the 
managers  of  this  road  so  far  is  an  earnest  that  they  will  make  good  their  words 
in  the  future,  and  you  may  rely  on  it.    Those  sharp  business  men  would  not  be  Good  men. 
in  it  if  it  was  not  on  the  books  to  win. 

Here  then,  at  Omaha,  is  the  eastern  terminus  of  this  great  route,  and  here  the  strife  with 
strife  of  St.  Louis  and  her  great  rival  commences.    I  pray  you,   citizens  of  St.  Cbi.  at 
Louis,  do  not  shut  your  eyes  to  the  facts.    Do  not  say  peace,  when  there  is  sharp,  O'uaha. 
active  war.     Chicago's  lake  facilities  is  the  comuiercial  equal  of  your  river  navi-  Lake  and 
gation.     Her  railroad  facilities  are  immensely  superior,  and  without  sugar  coating  railway  fa- 
let  me  state  what  you  are  all  aware  of,  Chicago  has  now  the  best  of  it,  and '^''''^'*-'8- 
vtnless  St.  Louis  takes  hold  vigorously  she  will  retain  and  increase  it. 

Two  roads  bridging  the  Mississippi  river  at  Clinton  and  Davenport  cross  the  Trade  now 
State  of  Iowa  and  take  all  the  trade  of  that  State,  of  Nebraska  and  the  territories  ;  «'"'.e  ^ 
a  road  to  LaCrosse,  and  thence  to  St.  Paul,  is  now  completed  and  diverts  from  ci^icago— 
St.  Louis  the  trade  of  Minnesota.     The  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  road,  stretching 
across  North  Missouri,  takes  everj^thing  north  of  the  Missouri  river  and  west  of —from 
Macon,  and  from  North  Kansas  and  South  Nebraska.    A  branch   road  from  ^'"'""'  ^^°^— 
Cameron  to  Kansas  City,  almost  completed,  [it  is  finished — see  p.  27.]  connects 
Chicago  with  the  Fort  Scott  and  Galveston  road  and  absolutely  places  our  enemy  -;-onto 
in  our  rear.     [So  thought  the  editor  of  the  St.  Louis  Democrat.    See  p.  26.]    Mer-  "^^^^i- 
chants  of  St.  Louis  will  you  not  take  the  alarm  and  'prepare  to  compete  for  this  Regain  it  to 
territory  which  is  now  utterly  lost  to  you,  and  will  so  remain  until  you  place  your-  St.  Louis. 
selves  in  reliable  communication  with  it  ? 

St.  Louis  is  by  way  of  the  St.  Louis,  Chillicothe  and  Omaha  railroad  377  miles  Diet,  to  St. 
from  Omaha,  157  miles  less  than  by  any  other  road.  Louis- 

Chicago  is  494  miles  from  Omaha  by  way  of  the  Chicago,  Iowa  and  Nebraska  _t(,  ciji_ 
railroad,  which  is  her  nearest  route ;  via  Davenport,  the  distance  is  510  miles. 

Thus  you  see  St.  Louis  is  by  way  of  the  West  Branch  of  the  North  Missouri  to  st.  L.  117 
Brunswick,  and  thence  up  the  Grand  River  Valley,  one  hundred  and  seventeen  '""''s  "«arer. 
miles  nearer  to  Omaha,  and  consequently  to  the  Pacific,  than   Chicago  is  by  her 
nearest  route.     Some  gentlemen  may  ask.  How  about  the  relative  distance  from  jj^^  j^  jj  Y? 
Omaha  to  New  York,  via  Chicago  and  via  St.  Louis  ?    I  will  reach  that  also,  and 
you  will  find  that  while  by  any  other  route  Chicago  has  the  advantage  of  one 
hundred  miles  or  over,  by  this  road,  and  the  Terre  Haute  and  Alton  and  Indian- 
apolis connections,  St.  Louis  is  in  a  position  at  least  equal  to  her  rival,  while  for  St.  L.'s  ad- 
the  trade  from  the  territories  and  the  Pacific  seeking  Cincinnati,  Baltimore  and  vantage  to 
all  the  South,  St.  Louis  by  this  route  has  it  all  her  own  way.  ^'°' '^^°' 

The  facts  already  stated  and  the  advantages  in  distance,  are  sufficient  reason  Local  trade 
why  St.  Louis  shoidd  give  her  energies  and  money  to  this  enterprise.    But  in  good. 


80 


The  Rivals  of  the  West,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 


Country 
rich,  etc. 


Good  for 
railroad. 


Snbscrip- 
tidiis  on 
line. 


Iowa  ear- 
nest. 


Cost  of  bed. 


People  paj- 
ball— 


— St.  Louis 
half. 


Roads  now 
"out-and-out 
Chi.  routes." 


St.  L.  first 
to  be  served. 

Cong,  to  aid. 


N.  Mo.  di- 
rector in 
Pac.  road. 
Kans.  Pac. 
not  to  op- 


Settle  Indi- 
an diihcul- 
tio8. 

Join  forces. 


DiRtanco  to 
N.  Y 


Chi.  less  162 
miles. 


St.  L.  pains 
117  niilea. 


More  roduo- 
tiou. 


addition  to  this  the  local  trade  of  the  country  through  which  it  runs  is  well  worth 
the  attention  of  St.  Louis  business  men. 

j>fo  ])ortion  of  ]\Iissouri  is  more  highly  favored  than  the  Grand  river  valley. 
The  land  is  all  good,  it  is  well  timbered,  coal  is  alnuidant  ;the  climate  is  whole- 
some, the  latitude  being  that  of  Columbus,  in  Ohio,  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  and 
Springfield,  Illinois ;  and  a  very  superior  class  of  emigrants  are  coming  in. 

Indeed,  I  do  not  know  of  any  portion  of  the  State  capable  of  supporting  so 
dense  a  population.  The  country  from  tlie  Iowa  line  to  Council  Bluffs  is  equally 
attractive,  and  the  whole  presents  an  easy — very  easy  route  for  a  railroad.  Indeed 
the  first  fifty  miles  is  practically  level  and  presents  no  obstacles  at  all.  The  people 
are  willing  and  ready  to  do  their  best.  Livingston  county  may  be  relied  on  for 
about  $300,000,  Daviess  $100,000,  Gentry  $150,000,  Chariton  perhaps  $100,000  in 
city,  county  and  private  subscriptions.  Unless  the  St.  Joseph  people  are  sharp 
enoutrh  to  prevent,  Nodaway  county  will  give  $150,000.  In  Iowa,  Page  county 
has  pledged  already  $100,000. 

The  other  counties  have  not  named  their  sums,  but  in  Iowa  they  are  far  more 
earnest  than  in  Missouri,  and  will  do  quite  as  much.  Wlien  the  North  Missouri 
West  Branch  reaches  Bi'unswick,  there  will  remain,  as  the  road  is  now  located  to 
suit  counties,  one  hundred  ami  ninety  miles  to  build.  I  have  been  in  the  habit  of 
estimating  the  cost  of  grading  and  tieing  at  $10,000  per  mile.  I  am  now  persuaded 
that  this  is  the  maximum  cost,  and  that  it  can  be  done  for  much  less ;  but  say 
$10,000.  The  cost  of  grading  is  $1,900,000.  The  people  think  they  can  do  this. 
I  do  not  believe  anything  of  the  kind.  I  do,  however,  believe  that  such  is  their 
indignation  towards  the  monopoly  wiiich  now  oppresses  them,  that  they  can  raise 
in  the  city,  county  and  private  subscriptions,  about  one  half  of  this  amount. 
This  will  leave  nearly  a  million  of  dollars  to  complete  the  grading,  bridging  and 
tieing  of  the  road.  The  means  to  obtain  this  are,  first,  the  city  of  St.  Louis, 
which  can  better  aifcu'd  to  give,  donate  clear  and  clean  two  million  dollars  than  to 
do  without  the  road.  When  St.  Louis  has  done  this  she  can  with  good  counte- 
nance ask  the  government  to  extend  its  aid.  The  Chicago,  Iowa  and  Nebraska 
road  and  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  railroad,  both  out  and  out  Chicago  routes  to 
the  Pacific,  were  built  by  means  of  government  aid  in  land  grants.  I  know  this, 
because  I  contributed  money  and  was  among  the  first  in  the  Chicago,  Iowa  and 
Nebraska  road.    The  Pacific  road  from  Omaha  is  being  built  by  the  same  means. 

The  St.  Louis,  Chillicothe  and  Omaha  road  is  the  Pacific  railroad  itself,  and  I 
wish  to  know  now,  why,  Chicago  having  been  served,  St.  Louis  is  not  entitled  to 
aid  also.  The  congressional  iniluence  of  Iowa,  and  Nebraska,  and  the  Territories, 
of  Missouri,  of  Southern  Illinois,  Indiana,  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Maryland  and  Penn- 
sylvania must  all  go  for  such  a  movement,  and  the  managers  of  the  Omaha 
Pacific  road  want  the  southern  connection  as  much  as  we  want  them  to  have  it. 

Already  one  of  the  directors  of  the  North  Missouri  railroad  is  a  director  of  the 
Omaha  Pacific — James  Rollins,  I  mean. 

Now  then,  gentlemen  of  the  Kansas  Pacific,  tell  me  why  we  cannot  work 
together  in  this  tiling  ?  What  possible  antagonism  is  there,  that  we  cannot  combine 
to  defeat  our  common  enemy  and  give  commercial  supremacy  to  our  metropolis, 
St.  Louis. 

You,  of  a  right,  ought  to  have  government  assistance  in  your  noble  enterprise. 
The  extension  of  your  road  one  mile,  at  a  cost  to  government  of  $16,000,  does  more 
to  determine  tlie  Indian  question  than  $100,000  spent  on  troops. 

Our  interest  lies  together,  and  combined  we  can  and  will  secure  government  aid 
to  assure  our  success.  Once  graded  and  tied,  a  road  running  through  such  a  coun- 
try as  I  have  described  will  easily  bear  a  first  mortgage  to  supply  iron  stock,  and 
as  it  is  a  link  in  the  Pacific  road,  and  has  its  comiections  already  established,  will 
be  a  paying  road  from  the  start. 

The  distance  from  Chicago  via  Pittsburg  is 914 

To  Philadelphia 824 

Via  Columbus  and  Pittsburg,  from  St.  Louis  to  New  York. 1,074 

From  St.  Louis  to  Philadelphia 998 

This  gives  Chicago  an  advantage  to  New  York  of  163  miles ;  to  Philadelphia 
of  174. 

Via  Grand  River  Valley  you  gain  at  once  on  the  distance  between  New  York  or 
Philadelphia  and  the  Pacific  117  miles,  leaving  only  46  miles  on  the  whole  distance 
from  ocean  to  ocean  against  St.  Louis,  and  to  Baltimore  and  Washington  leaving 
the  advantage  with  St"  Louis. 

^yhen  the  contemplated  changes  are  made  on  the  line  of  the  Terre  Haute  and 
Indianapolis  route,  the  distance  against  St.  Louis  is  reduced  to  about  fi'fteen  miles. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  81 

And  if  you  will  take  hold  of  this  yourselves  tlie  distance  from  Brunswick  to  Omaha 
can  be  reduced  all  of  that — because  you  kciep  your  air  line  and  do  not  swerve  to 
county  seats  for  country  aid;  thus  increasing  the  ditticulties  and  distance.  Here  E.inal dis- 
then,  gentlemen,  I  ofier  to  you  a  route  by  which  you  are  on  equal  terms  as  regards  *""*;"• 
the  distance  between  San  Francisco  and  ISew  York,  and  which  places  you  117 
miles,  sure,  a»d  136  miles  if  you  will  make  it  so,  nearer  to  the  Pacific  than  Chicago 
is.     But  you  must  be  up  and  doing. 

The  Illinois  Central  company,  in  the  interest  of  Chicago,  has  this  very  week  I"*  Cent. 
leased,  for  thirty  years,  the  Cedar  Falls  and  Minnesota  State  Line  road  tlnis  aiming  '"''''  *"'''• 
to  cut  you  off  on  the  North  Missouri  road  to  St.  Paul,  and  divert  by  Dubuque  the 
East  Minnesota  trade  to  Chicago.     You  see  there  is  no  peace — no  compromise.    It  No  peace- 
is  open,  fair,  active  hostility.  war. 

I  will  obtain  every  dollar  I  can  on  the  line  of  the  road  in  county  and  city,  and  gt  r.  must 
private  subscriptions,  in  ties,  in  work,  in  land.     Then,  gentlemen,  St.  Louis  nnist  litip'' 
come  and  help.     You  have  no  alternative ;  under  present  arrangements  Nortliwest 
Missouri  and  Southwest  Iowa  can  not  get  here.    No  more  caii  Nebraska  or  any-  ^,wa  cut-off 
thing  west  of  it. 

Every  effort  is  being  made  in  the  country  to  get  this  great  route  under  Chicago  am  heipChi. 
control.    We  are  in  concert  and  perfect  accord  with  the  directory  of  the  North 
Missouri.     When  you  help  that  road,  you  lielp  us;  and  under  the  management  of  ^'''i'  N- Mo. 
the  able  men  who  have  recently  taken  hold  of  it,  it  will  speedily  be  completed.        '"* 

With  the  North  Missouri  to  eastern  Iowa  and   Minnesota,  the  Branch  from  what  a  fu- 
Chillicothe  to  Des  Moines  to  central  Iowa;  the  West  Branch  up  Grand  River  tnrc  tor 
Valley,  via  Chillicothe  to  Omaha,  reaching  out  still  again  to  Kansas  City,  and^'-^-' 
tapping  the  road  up  to  the  Kaw,  south  to  Galveston ;  another  road  at  Leaven- 
worth; another  at  Atchison,  with  the  Union  Pacific  reaching  through  New  Mexico 
to  the  Gulf  of  California,  what  a  future  there  is  for  St  Louis. 

It  is  for  you  to  say  if  this  glorious  future  shall  be  realized.  To  realize— 

Natural  advantages  have  their  value,  but  to  realize  that  value  work  is  reqivred.  —work. 

Do  not  rely  on  the  Omaha  Pacific  being  unavailable  because  of  snow  or  any 
other  natural  obstacle. 

The  Ohio  and  Mississippi  road  is  far  away  south  of  the  Michigan  Southern  and  euBUion't^ 
Lake  Shore  roads,  and  has  far  less  snow  to  contend  with ;  but  pray  tell  how  do  the  pkv  »» 
stocks  stand  to  day  in  the  markets  of  the  world  ?  northern. 

I  tell  you,  gentlemen,  tliat  to  energy  and  industry  there  is  no  such  word  as  fail-;-?"^'"^'  """^ 
and  you  must,  should  St.  Louis  fulfill  her  mission  and  take  her  place  among  the  ''"'"'*""^'- 
great  cities  of  tlie  earth,  be  the  movers  yourselves. 

Make  your  city,  tlien,  tlis  emporium  of' both  tlie  Pacific  railroads,  and  those  who  do  ^.*'  ^;J;™p<>- 
it  will  not  only  have  a  niche  high  in  the  temple  of  fame,  but  strong  among  the  solid  ""™ 
men  of  the  land.  —fame  high. 

I  thank  you  for  your  kind  attention. 

Gen.  Hammond  is  too  thoroughly  master  of  his  subject,  and  hasoen.H.'a 
too  fairly  presented  tl)e  many  and  important  considerations,  to  render  '=°"^'=*"®^- 
comments  either  necessary  or  decorous.     Instead  of  taking  time  for  Read  it 
them,  let  the  reader  please  peruse  the  speech  again,  and  observe  par-  *^'""' 
ticitlarly  how  well  he  recognizes,  the  importance  of  lake  navigation; 
and  also  makes  it  one  of  his  main  premises,  that  the  Hannibal  and  ^•''"- ''"'' 

-^  '  St.  .Toe  road 

St.  Joseph  road,  which  was  built  by  and  for   St.  Louis,  is   an  "out-  tocuicago. 
and-out  Chicago  road,    and  takes  everything  north  of  the  Missouri 
river  and  west  of  Macon,  from  North  Kansas  and  South  Nebraska." 
Of  course,  then,  it  takes  that  east  of  Macon  ;  and  what  in  the  name  mo.  foiiy. 
of  reason  makes  Missourians  the  simpletons  to  i-un  off  all  the  way 
north  to  Chicago,  and  Nebraskians  so  sharp  as  to  run  off  all  the  way  Nebraska 
south  to  St.  Louis !     A  little  craniology  is  wanted  in  solution.     Very  ""*'^"'"' 
''vigorous"  must  St.  Louis  be,  under  such  circumstances,  to  recover 
what  was  hei-'s  and  is  lost. 

Hon.  H.  T.  Blow,  in  his  inaugnral  before  quoted,  p.  26,  exhibits  ^^^  „  _ 
the  efforts  St.  Louis  has  made,  and  makes,  and  the  results  : —  -^'<'«'- 

—6 


82  The  RlvaU  of  the  West,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 


New  Exch. 
requirid  by 
St.  Louis — 


— Btudy 
hurd — 


— \iise  plans 
Strong  court 


Board  of 
Trade. 


Though  80 
much  is 
done — 


— noco-pner- 
atiou  as  iu 
Chi.  and 
N.Y. 


Economy  in 

Chicago— 

— cheap 
trade. 

5  times  her 
area — 
— must  use 
her  priuci- 
pic.. 

Kooni  for 
both  cities— 


— both  to 
grow. 


Chi.  is  not 
reposing,  St, 
L.  may  be — 


— action 
lively — 


— is  being 
stretched. 


Mo.  Dem. 


The  immense  trade  of  our  city,  fiist  outo^rowing  the  capacity  of  our  dealers,  haa 
comnelled  our  most  active  business  men  to  devote  their  whole  time  to  the  daily 
oDcratious  of  the  Merchants'  and  jSIillers'  Exchange.  In  that  dense  throng,  where 
tlie  unceasing  ring  of  business  speaks  of  vast  and  increasing  operations,  there  is 
now  no  longer  a  place  or  time  for  the  deliberate  consideration  of  those  great 
interests  absolutely  requiring  to  be  advanced  and  adopted— interests  which  must 
drag  along  slowly,  unless  vitalized  with  the  spirit  of  sterling  euterpri.se  and  pushed 
by  cooperation  which  can  only  be  attained  where  our  wisest  and  most  experienced 
business  men  can,  after  examination,  submit  plans  at  once  attractive  to  all  classes 
of  the  community,  and  satisfactory  to  those  who  hold  the  wealth  of  this  and  other 
lands. 

It  was,  therefore,  necessary  to  organize  a  more  deliberate  court,  it  you  please,  to 
some  extent  composed  of  members  of  the  Exchange,  but  embracing  all  the  strong 
intlnences  in  our  midst,  having  more  especially  iu  charge  the  great  interests  to 
which  I  have  briefly  alluded.  Hence  the  St.  Louis  Board  of  Trade  was  established. 
I  cannot  pass  to  the  discussion  of  any  industry  or  enterprise,  however,  whicli  may 
ere  Icing  be  advanced  by  your  wise  action,  without  stating  for  your  encouragement 
the  fact,  that  while  the  Merchant's  Exchange  haa  dignitied  trade,  advanced  the  com- 
mercial position  ot  the  city,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  many  a  princely  fortune,  edu- 
cating our  young  men  up  to  the  highest  business  standard,  and  while  our  commission 
merchants,  millers  and  manufacturers  have  evinced  an  intlividual  enterprise  and 
liberality  that  would  enrich  any  community;  there  has  never  been  that  co-opera- 
tion with  our  wealthiest  citizens  in  our  great  enterprises  which  would  lead  to  a 
general  advancement  of  the  city  and  State,  such  co-operation  as  there  is  in  Chicago 
and  in  New  York,  where  by  the  united  aid  of  all  their  individual  wealth,  enterprise 
and  sagacity,  the  trade  of  whole  sections  of  country  has  been  drawn  to  theu-i  by  the 
most  rapid  and  economical  system  of  transportation  and  travel. 

^        *  *  *  *  * 

It  is  the  economical  principle  now  reigning  supreme  in  our  beautiful  and  energetic 
competitor,  Chicago,  which  enables  her  to  handle  wheat  for  a  cent  per  bushel ; 
lumber  at  the  lowest  possible  rate  ;  receive,  pack  and  distribute  her  pork  and  cattle 
in  every  direction,  and  sell  merchandise  upon  a  margin  which  cannot  be  afforded, 
except  where  the  extreme  of  this  economic  principle  prevails.  This  is  the  true 
secret  of  her  success,  and  this  makes  her  a  splendid  illustration  of  rapid  develop- 
ment ;  and  while  we  have  naturally  five  times  the  area  that  she  has  to  supply,  we 
cau  never  progress  in  the  same  ratio  except  on  the  same  principles. 

]3oth  cities  are  a  necessity  to  the  West,  and  both  will  grow  to  wealth  and  mag- 
niflcence  within  a  few  years  that  will  surprise  the  most  sagacious  men  of  the  day ; 
and  their  wealth,  power,  position  and  advancement  in  everything  which  contributes 
to  the  elevation  and  happiness  of  a  peoj^le,  will  come  from  an  honorable  compe- 
tition. See  to  it  that  we  live  up  to  our  high  privileges,  and  the  result  will  be  that 
we  will  continue  to  increase  in  w^ealth,  and  expand  our  limits  long  after  our  beau- 
tiful rival  will  be  considered  as  finished,  perhaps,  like  Venice,  reposing  grandly 
and  lazily  on  the  bosom  of  her  Adriatic. 

The  statistics  of  trade,  rather  indicate  that  the  Queen  of  the 
Lakes  is  not  yet  "reposing  grandly  and  hizily,"  but  that  the  Queen 
of  the  Rivers  may  be,  her  business  largely  retrograding.  Yet  for 
one  in  repose  there  is  considerable  threshing  and  kicking,  of  which 
the  "beautiful  rival"  comes  in  for  her  full  share.  St.  Louis,  recum- 
bent upon  her  dignity  Avliile  well  employing  her  muscle,  ai)pear8 
quite  well  to  apprehend  that  she  lies  on  no  bed  of  roses.  Being 
found  a  little  short  for  the  tall  work  undertaken  of  grasping  the 
Northwest,  instead  of  dallying  with  a  Delilah,  he — changing  sex  to 
follow  St.  Louis  fancy, — finds  himself  in  the  grasp  of  a  Procrustes 
upon  a  stretcher  of  iron  rails,  Avhich  instead  of  bringing  him  to  the 
required  height,  remorselessly  pulls  off  one  after  another  of  his  limbs 
of  trade.  In  proof  of  this,  the  3fissouri  Democrat  of  23d  Novem- 
ber, presents  the  following: — 


jPast^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  83 

What  St.  Lovis  Has,   What  slie  Jias  Lost,  and  What  nlie  Nce.dx. — That  business  St.  L.  wanta 
in  St.  Louis  is  not  wli.at  every  well-wisher  could  desire,  is  evident  from  tlie  daily  """'^'''""K" 
complaints  heard  on  the,  street  and  in  evi-ry  business  circle,  and  tiie   reasons  for 
the  decline  in  business  are  as  varied  as  the  persons  utterini;-  thfui.     Some  say  it  is— various 
because  we  have  an  old  foii;y  set  of  business  men  and  ca])ilalists,  and  that  in  con- "I"'"'"""— 
sequence  we  have  not  the  railroad  connections  we  should  have,  and  others  charge 
it  entirely  upon  the  merchants,  and  claim  they  do  not  jnit  forth  the  necessary 
eftorts  to  sell  their  wares,  and  that  our  commission  merchants  charge  too  high 
commissions,  etc.,  while  the  merchants  in  turn  throw  the  blame  upon  the  landlords 
for  charging  too  high  rents,  and  so  the  blame  is  shifted  from  one  shoulder  to 
another,  and  nothing  is  done  to  bring  about  a  better  state  of  things;  and  it  is  for  This  trial  to 
this  reason  I  have  chosen  the  above  heading,  viz:   What  tSt.  Louis  has,  what  s/i^ Huct-rtain 
has  lost,  and  what  she  needs.  truiii. 

St.  Louis  has  the  natural  location  to  become  the  largest  city  in  the  "West,  if  not  Nntiir»i 
in  the  United  States  ;  and  by  natural  location  I  mean  her  natural  facilities  for  the  location- 
reception  and  disbursion  of  values  raised  or  manufactured  in  and  around  her,  and 
her  facilities  for  manuflicturing  in  metals  are  superior  to  any  other,  (not  excepting  ^,j^,J„^u- 
Pittsburgh,)  from  tlie  fact  that  the  material  (viz:  the  coal  and  ore,)  are  almost  factmes. 
lying  side  by  side,  and  that  in  inexhaustible  quantities. 

St.  Louis  has  more  real  capital  than  any  city  in  the  West,  and  that  capital  is  in  St.  L.  rich— 
the  hands  of  careful,  far-seeing,  yet  energetic  business  men.  —men  good- 

Now  we  come  to  what  St.  Louis  has  lost.    She  has  lost  to  an  alarming  extent  what  is 
her  grain  trade,  for  instead  of  its  having  increased  from  eight  millions  of^ushels '""t— 
per  year  to  thirty  millions,  which  would  be  no  more  than  her  proportion  of  the  _ 
natural  increase  of  the  country,  in  the  last  ten  years  it  has  fallen  off  from  eight  trfdc— 
millions  to  three  millions ;  and  who  does  not  know  that  where  the  farmer  sells  his 
grain  he  buys  his  goods  ;  hence  if  the  dry  goods,  grocery,  and  other  kinds  of  busi-  — marchan- 
ness  have  not  fallen  off  in  proportion  to  the  grain  trade,  it  is  only  to  be  wondered 
at. 

St.  Louis  has  lost,  and  must  continue  to  lose  until  a  different  national  policy  is  South  to  be 

Sursued  toward  the  South,  an  extensive  lucrative  Southern  trade,  and  outlet  for  ""'^d. 
er  produce  and  manufactures,  and  the  fact  that  she  has  lost  this  Southern  outlet 
has  depressed  her  market  for  grain;  which  taken  together  with  the  fact   that  ci)i.  tnps  all 
Cliicago   has   tapped   at    every  possible  point   north  and   west  of  us  our  grain  arouud— 
supplies,  and  offers  cheaper  facilities  by  handling  the  same  in  bulk  and  by  elevator,  _geiia 
and  by  less  commissions  than  we  offer,  is  telling  heavily  upon  the  commerce  and  cheaper, 
prosperity  of  St.  Louis. 

Now  we  come  to  what  she  needs;  and  here  is  a  wide  field,  for  the  question  could  What  St.  L. 
most  readily  be  answered  by  saying,  what  does  she  not  need  ?     And  yet  what  slie"*'"''®- 
needs  is  all  around  her,  and  only  requires  developing.     With  the  extensive  coal-  Evorything 
fields  and  mountains  of  iron  ore  at  our  door,  it  is  evident  the  future  destiny  and  — mauufac- 
greatness  of  St.  Louis  lies  in  her  becoming  a  nuauifacturing  city,  and  everything  "'^***' 
should  be  done  by  our  capitalists  and  others  to  foster  that  class  of  industry,  and 
if  locations  or  other  facilities  are  wanted  to  cause  them  to  spring  into  existence 
no  barrier  should  be  placed  in  the  way. 

Again,  our  railroads  should  be  pusiied  to  completion,  and  when  we  look  at  the  pugh  rail- 
mapit  would  be  difficult  to  select  which  of  our  railroads  should  be  pushed  with  roads, 
the  greatest  vigor ;  but  there  is  no  contesting  the  fact  that  the  North  Missouri  anu 
Iron  Mountain  railroads  are  pre-eminentlj'  important — the  first,  because  it  passes 
through  a  thickly  settled  and  productive  country,  and  because  it  traverses  across  jj  jjp  g„tg 
every  road  leading  into  Chicago,  and  it  cannot  fail  to  draw  much  of  the  trade  and  off  Chi. 
commerce  of  that  section  of  country  to  St.  Louis ;  while  the  Iron  Mountain  rail- 
road, on  the  other  hand,  should  be  finished  not  only  to  Columbus,  so  as  to  secure  an  ^^^^  Mount, 
outlet  in  the  winter  months,  but  should  have  a  branch  to  Memphis,  for  as  the  case  wanted, 
now  stands,  we  have  lost  a  large  portion  of  the  Arkansas  and  White  river  trade, 
for  the  reason  that  passengers  can  go  from  Memphis  to  Louisville  in  seventeen 
hours,  while  it  takes  ticenty-seven  to  come  to  St.  Louis. 

Again,  everything  should  be  done/ to  cheapen  transportation  by  railroad,  as  well  Prevent  ratl- 
as  river;  and  by  railroad  we  mean  to  see  to  it  that  combinations  are  not  formed  to  wayoinbi- 
the  injury  of  St.  Louis  and   in  favor  of  other  and  rival  cities,  and  which  we  have  °''^"'"* 
reason  to  believe  has  been  done ;  and,  so  as  to  cheapen  rates  by  river,  every  infiu- 
ence  should  be  brought  to  bear  by  the  city  fiithers,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the 
Board  of  Trade,  and  every  other  organization,  upon  the  general  government,  to  _i,„proye 
push  to  an  early  com])letion  the  work  at  the  two  Rapids,  the  Balize,  and  to  remove  river, 
such  other  obstructions  as  impede  or  endanger  navigation.     To  join  without  dis- _^p,jj.,^g 
tiuction  of  party  in  recommending  to  Congress  to  reduce  or  repeal  the  cotton  tax,  cotton  tax- 


84         The  Rivals  of  the  West,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 

and  to  repair  the  levees  on  the  lower  Mississippi,  for  until  these  are  done  the 
plantations  of  the  South  must  remain  a  desert  waste  ;  and  until  the  South  recup- 
erates  St   Louis  must  stagger,  if  she  does  not  foil.     Concert  of  action  is  needed. 
Crimination  and  recrimination  will  do  no  good.     We  are  laboring  under  a  combin- 
ti^no"cir-    ation  of  circumstances  which  it  requires  only  that  we  should  see,  and  which,  by 
cDrastaDcea  united  action,  we  can  remedy;  and  then  St.  Louis  will  attain  that  high  position, 
'^''*™®'        commercially,  which  destiny  points  out  for  her. 

These  views      "  Wliiit  St.  Louis  lias,  what  she  has  lost,  and  what  she  needs,"  are 
important.    ^^^,^j^  topics  it  behooves  her  to  consider,  in  aid  of  which  these  hum- 
ble etforts  may  somewhat  assist.     What  are  her  chances  of  recovery 
of  what   she  has  lost  ?     This    able    advocate,    while   vaunting   her 
Rivers neg-   "natural  location,"  nearly  forgets  the   rivers,  and  judiciously  calls 
lected.         attention  to  railroad  lines  which  St.  Louis  wants,  and  to  those  which 
Chicago   already  has.     Now  this  Avriter  mistakes  his    cue.     If  St. 
They  St.  L.'s  Louis  possess  any  superiority  of  "  natural  location,"  it  is  due  to  the 
babis—        gxQixt  rivers,  a  glorious  work  of  nature,  upon  which  she  is  very  cen- 
trally located.     This  has  ever  been  the  string  harped  upon,  which 
—here  con-  -,^7^8  passcd  ovcr  in  considering  the  Differences  between  Chicago  and 
other  Western  Centres,  having  its  more  appropriate  place  in  compar- 
ing relative  advantages  of  Chicago  with  the  only  city  that  has  the 
least  show  of  rivalry. 
St.  L.  has  no      I  deny  point  blank  that  St.  Louis  has  a  "  natural  location"  entitling 
eat\oii!"'*^    her  to  any  precedence.     The  "  natural  facilities  for  the  disbursion  of 
values,"  to  which  this  sensible  writer  at  once  brings  ttie  high-sound- 
ing phrase  of  "  natural   location"   we  have   already  considered,  in 
comparing  water  and  railway  facilities;  and  that  other   impoi-tant 
point  of  "  facilities  for  manufacturing  in  metals,"  will  have  exaini- 
if  she  had,   nation  hereafter.     If  she  have  this  "natural  location,"  and  it  be  also 
Ta'^pUaiand   true — that  "St.   Louis  has  more  real  capital  than  any  city  in  the 
energy  eflec-  ^ygg^^  j^j^^j  ^hat  Capital  is  in  the  hands   of  careful,  far-seeing,  yet  en- 
ergetic business  men  ;"  how  happens  it,  then,  that  in  the  very  next 
line  the  writer  says  with  italics — "Now  we  come  to  what  St.  Louis 
has  lost  f"*     The  truth  is,  St.  Louis  has  no  "  natural  location  "  supe- 
other  cities  rior  to  a  dozcu  others;  and  I  am  willing  to  stake  my  credit  for  sound 
J"^^o'^^"t  upon  the  prediction,  that  within  thirty  years  there  will  be 
at  least  three  cities  in  the  west  fully  her  equals,  or  certain  soon  to 
pass  her.     Were  it  not  for  the  rivalry  of  Kansas,  Leavenworth  and 
—Kansas,     Lawrcncc,  one  of  these  at  the  Big  Bend  of  tlie  Missouri  would  take 
the    lead,   and   will   as   it  is,    if   it  can   largely   outgrow   its   close 
neighbors. 
Cairo  was       Wliat  was  there  in  the  site  of  St.  Louis  that  a  half  century  ago 
'"'""■'■''"-■" would  have  indicated  her  present  power?     The  confluence  of  the 
Ohio,  from  whence  the  Mississippi  has  its  best  navigation, — highest 
in  summer,  least  ice  in  winter — would  seem  to  have  been  a  far  more 
-also Alton. promising  po.sition.     Next  to  that,  Alton  near  the  Missouri  and  Illi- 
nois  rivers,   possessed    important    advantages.      Besides,   Martin's 
history  of  Louisiana  says  St.  Genevieve  had  949  inhabitants  in  1799, 


Past,  Present  and  J^uture  of  Chicago  Investments.  85 

St.  Louis  925,  and  Cape  Girardeau  521.     "VVlio  could  liave  given  any 

reason  then  for  St.  Louis'  superiority  ?     She  luid  actually  retrograded, 

for  in  1788  she  had  1197.     Never  had  she  the  least  promise  of  great- St.  l.  ha.i 

ness, — until   gradually,  and   with  no   ap[iarent    cause,  the  fur  trade '^'^ '^°*''''' 

there   concentrated,  giving  her  wealth.      JVIaking  money    in    these  Fur  trade 

practical  days  monopolises  the  idea  of  wealth,  and  is  rather  more"" 

one  of  those  inventions  man  has  sought  out,  than  a  gift  of  nature. 

So,  too,  the  animals  which  wore  the  furs,  probably  did  it  according 

to    nature,    unless    they    belonged    to   that   non-descrii)t   "race    of  This  not  nar 

humans"  we  are  soon  to  read  about;  but  would  that  classify  the 

trade   among  natural   sciences?      Then  with  the  rapid  growth  of 

steamboats,  she  marched  on  to  her  prodigious  increase.     Nature,  is 

it?     Had  she  relied  altogether  upon  the  nature  of  her  snorters,  and  AisoBteam- 

never  used  any  of  that  art  in  their  improvement  which  made  them 

famous, — the  equal  of  which  will  never  again  be  seen  on  the  Missis-  nature? 

sippi, — would  she  then  have  achieved  her  greatness,  or  had  it  thrust 

upon  her  by  the  rude  hand  of  nature  ? 

A  St.  Louisian  writing  to  the  Springfield  (Mass.)  Pepublican,  while  st.L.'s ideas 
he  adopts  the  phrase  of   "natural  hub  of  the  continent,"  goes  on  to  (Mass.)  iJ(j>. 
show  conclusively  that  nature  has  nothing  to  do  with  it,  and  that 
railroads  "  are  obviously  the  cause  of  this  new  and  grand  impulse  :" 

There  must  be  some  veritable  centralization  of  forces  at  this  natural  liub  of  the  Natural  hub 
continent,  to  cause  tliis  upheaval  in  value.     Speculation  has  not  done  it.     Tliat  of  the  couti- 
race  of  humans  that  build  paper  cities,  air  houses  and  castles,  and  figure  up  an  °'"'*" 
immense  business  to  astonish  the  commercial  world,  on  fictitious  warehouse  re- _n  race  or 
ceipts,  do  not  live  in  St.  Louis.     It  is  even  true  of  our  people  that  tlicy  proceed  humans— 
entirely  upon  the  old-fashioned  cause  and  efi'ect.     Tliere  is  here  a  confluence  of 
interests  ah'eady  vast,  and  now  wonderfully  accumulating.     Whence  tlie  titie  sets 
in  towards  tliis  gr<'at  center  of  trade,  one  can  liardly  know  williout  following  out 
all  the  avenues  that  lead  to  and  from  the  city.     Tlie  rivers  are  the  same  old  fogies  Riversold 
they  ever  were — perhaps  a  little  older  and  dryer — now  higli,  and  then,  and  just  "^  *** 
now,  in  fact,  incontinently  lower — a  periodical  botheration  to  trade.     Old  Missis- 
sippi is  a  highly  respectable  stream  of  water,  but  after  giving  St.  Louis  a  good  j^'fulns^st'^ 
start,  came  near  ruining  her  with  false  hopes.     As  those  J'oung  F.  F.  V.'s  used  to  Louis, 
rely  upon  their  ancestry  to  carry  tliem  througli  life,  our  people  relied  upon  the 
"  Father  of  Waters  "  till  their  neiglil)ors  liad  laid  rails  all  over  the  West,  tapping 
the  natural  sources  of  tlieir  trade.     But  railroads  have  dragged  tlicir  slow  lengtli  fon,'"^"*^' 
along  in  Missouri,  and  they  are  obviously  the  cause  of  tliis  new  and  grand  impul.se. 

*        *        *        But  railroad  investments  tliey  regard  at  best  as  "  roundabout."  —they  caune 
The  benefits  come  back  not  so  often  in  dividends  on  the  identical  investment  as  in  pr^^'g'fss. 
tlie  enhancement  of  comnn^rce  and  general  values,  and  that  might  not  prove  equal  glow  lo 
to  tliem  to  tlie  amount  they  risk.     Hence,  little  help  is  obtained  at  home,  and  I  build  ihom 
am  told  that  reliance  is  entirely  upon  Eastern  capital.     This  ought  not  to  be,  but 
is  nevertlieless.     Our  sister  city,  Chicago,  is  more  venturesome.     If  their  money  chi.  around, 
comes  back  to  tliem  around  Robin  Hood's  barn,  it  is  all  the  same  to  them,  and 
hence  Chieago  lias  stretched  outlier  iron  arms  in  every  direction,  contributing  {;°.^°"'"-'"* 
largely  of  home  capital,  diverting  much  trade  that  would  naturally  tend  to  St. 
Louis.     But  St.  Louis  lives  and  grows  magnificently,  nathless  Chicago.  St.  L.  grows 


If  the  chivalrous  Mr.  Hood — his  renown  we  have  heard  clear  here,  chi.  respocts 

1  ,  1  f  1  ■  f   c^       -T         •  J.  *^''-  Hood. 

and  now  that  we  learn  ot  his  patronage  or  St.  Louts,  so  near  to  us, 
we  shall  be  duly  respectful — if  the  famous  Mr.  Hood  have  his  barn 
ill  St.  Louis,  as  this  writer  reasonably  implies,  Avhat  else  could  be 
expected  of  a  youthfid   sjirig  like  Chicago,  rendering  due  deference 


86  The  Rivals  of  the  West,  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati  and  Chicago. 

to  antiquated   fame,  than   to   go   around   it?     Would  the  dave-devil 

st.L.shrewd  j^^^^.g  ^^j,  „q  right  through  it !     As  a  St.  Louisian,  lie  knows  the  delight 

it  would  give    Chicago  to   get  around  St.  Louis,  and  this  sagacious 

method  is  adopted  to  inform  us  that  our  movements  are  understood. 

Chi.tiys  to  Precisely  as  he  says,  and  for  the  very  object,  we  have  done  our  best 

thafirni  to  accomplish  our  purpose,   without  even   hearing  about  that  novel 

"  race  of  humans,"  or  that  the  barn  was  there.     Exertions  may  now 

be  increased  that  we  know  their  distinguished  patron  to  be  him  of  the 

-success      J"oad — is  it  not  roads  we  are  after?  and  according  to  present  appear- 

probabie.      auccs,  wc  shall  soon  have  a  strong  cordon  of  iron  bands  completely 

surrounding  her  for  the  protection  of  that  barn,  and  terribly  fierce 

iron  horses  rushing  hither   and   thither  to  keep  out  intruders,  who 

might,  by  mistake  put  Mr.  Hood  himself  in  limbo. 

i8  the  barn  a      '^oY  is  this   writer  Icss   sensible   upon   another   important   point. 

work  ot  ,.  1  1  1      • ,  1  •    •  1 

nature?  Most  assuredly  "that  race  of  humans  that  build  paper  cities  and 
don't  live  in  St.  Louis,"  could  never  have  mustered  courage  to  aid  in 
putting  Mr.  Hood's  barn  there,  or  any  other  such  work  of  art;  and 
it  would  not  be  called  a  work  of  nature,  could  it?  And  then  "  the 
rivers  being  the  same  old  fogies  they  always  were,"  and  "  after  giving 

Rivers  not  St.  Louis  a  eood  start,  [having  come]  near  ruining  her  with  fixlse 
hopes,"  certainly  they  are  not  to  be  counted  upon.  Then  losing  the 
rivers,  which  are  admitted  to  be  nature's  means,  as  the  cause  of  her 

whoproTi-   wonderful  attainments,  it  becomes  a  profound  subject  of  inquii*y  what 

nature?'*  soi't  of  "a  racc  of  humaus"  that  must  be,  which  actually  produces 
works  of  nature.  For  theTe  is  no  mistake  that  she  is  "the  natural 
hub  of  the  continent";  and  removing  rivers,  what  else  of  ordinary 
"natural  location"  remains  to  St.  Louis? 

St.  L.  truBts       One  would  imagine  that  by  this  time  St.  Louis  would  have  learned 

old-fashion-  .  ^  i  i    /.      i   •  i 

e<i  cause  and  th at  it  was  bcst  uot  to  '''■  TpYoceeA  entirely  upon  old-iashioned  cause 
and  effect,"  but  try  somewhat  more  of  those  causes  which  seem  new 
to  her  and  have  run  off  her  business.  But  as  to  dependence  upon 
"eastern  capital"  for  means,  Mr.  Blow's  advice,  p.  28,  to  go  to 
Europe,  seems  based  upon  more  accurate  knowledge  of  circum- 
stances.     Relying  still,    as  they   evidently   do,  upon   the  idea  of  a 

Reliance       "veritable  centralization  of  forces  at  this  hub   of  the   continent"; 

dfui"  '^°"  they  will  in  time,  if  they  have  not  already,  find  it  quite  as  fanciful  as 
anything  they  can  discover  in  that  other  "race  of  humans  that  build 
paper  cities,  air  houses  and  castles."  If  a  more  airy  castle  has  been 
built  than  that  of  St.  Louis'  "central  location,"  sight  of  it  would  be 
difiicult.     St.  Louis  can  well  say  Avith  Prospero  : — 

rrosyern  Yoli  do  look  my  son,  in  a  moved  sort, 

•peak,  fur  As  if  you  were  disniiiyed  :  be  ciieerful,  sir: 

Our  revels  now  are  ended :  these  our  actors, 

As  I  foretold  you,  were  all  spirits,  and 

Ai'e  melted  into  thin  air: 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  87 

And,  like  the  baseless  fabric  of  this  vision, 
The  cloud-capped  towers,  tlie  gor£j;e<>us  palaces, 
The  solemn  temples,  the  great  ghlbe  itself, 
Yea,  all  wliich  it  inherit,  shall  dissolve; 
And,  like  this  insubstantial  pageant  faded, 
Leave  not  a  rack  behind.     We  are  such  stuff 
As  dreams  are  made  of,  and  our  little  life 
Is  rounded  with  a  sleep. 

Nor  is  this  writer's  correctness  questioned  in  attributing  her  con-^^-a'vf 
tinned    and   rapid    increase    to    railways    instead    ol    rivers,      jr^w '""'''' ^'■^" 
railroads    as    she  has  compared  wath  Chicago,  they  are  a  powerful 
adjunct  to  her  wealth,  and  afford  the  only  sound  reason  for  her  present 
rapid  progress.     Are  not  they  a  work  of  some  "  race  of  humans  "Are  they  of 
instead  of  nature?"  ""'""'' 

If  rivers  have  lost  their  powder,  wdiat  then  remains  of  St.  Louis' ^J'lt'RSt 
boasted  claims  to  "  natural  location  "?     That  she  has  a  central  locality  lodtiuu"'* 
in  regard  to  the  immense  business  of  the  gigantic  rivers  of  the  \yest, 
is  certain.     But  is  every  central  position  necessarily  one  of  great 
natural  advantages?  and  for  what  natural  advantages  was  she  chosen 
chief  port  of  the  rivers?     Is  she  more  central  than   Cairo  or  Cape  centraiuy 
Girardeau,  or  St.  Genevieve,  or  Alton  would  be?     For  one  hundred  "''^'''"*''- 
and  fifty  miles,  on  either  side  of  the  Mississippi,  points  at  least  equal 
in  "naturallocation"   and  centrality,   could  have  been  fixed  upon, 
some  superior. 

St.  Louis  has  vaunted  her  central  position,  and  the  unwitting  public  dncMve'th^ 
have  lost  sight  of  the  self-evident  truth,  that  she  is  only  central  geo- ^"'''''^' 
graphically;  and  that,  too,  of  the  entire  Union,  not  of  the  Northwest, 
which,  as  we   shall  see,  is  her  main   dependence,   and   rightly  so. 
Trade  does  not  regard  geographical  lines  or  rules,  except  as  compelled  Geogmphi- 
by  impolitic  exercise  of  power.     When  the  genius  of  our  compound  notwrg^'' 
system  of  governments  shall   be   apprehended,  and   trade   be  left  to 
follow  the  unerring  laws  of  nature,  be  assured  it  as  certainly  rolls  on  feck  its 
to  the  great  central  fountain,  as  that  the  rivers  flow  into  the  sea  ;  and 
that  centre  will  not  be  one  of  mere  geography. 

The  truth  is,  the  Queen  of  the  Rivers  has  obtained  her  ascendancy 
under  false  colors.*     She  has  no   "natural  location,"    or  the  magic  j^*,v,g,.""j'g'^ 

*  Just  in  time,  the  Missouri  Democrat,  of  January  15th,  remarks:—  Mn.  Dan.  N. 

"  The  New  York  Ecaiing  Mail  in  speaking  of  the  three  rival  cities  of  the  West,  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati  Y.  Mail. 
and  Chicago,  says: — 

"  It  is  fair  to  say  tliat  Chi'^ago  is  generally  ahead  in  the  grand  total,  though  she  has  little  enough  to  (ii(.t,„n  _ 
Bpare,  for  her  rivals  are  close  upon  her  heels.     Cliicago  claims  that  in  several  respects  she  has  iliverted 
trade  which  would  uatundly  go  to  St.  Louis.    General  prediction,  however,  favors  St.  Louis  as  the  great 
inland  metropolis  when  the  Pacific  Railroad  peoples  the  far  West." 

Tes;  "  general  prediction"  is  about  the  only  general  St.  Lonis  is  able  to  muster  into  its  service.     One      °"'y  gPne- 
of  their  sensible  citizens  touches  them  (p.  39,)   upon  their  folly  in  being  ''  tickled  witli  the  hair  of  flat- 
tery, while  others  are  realizing  the  marrow  of  profit."    But  what  will  satisfy  such  a  dullard  as  this 
editor  of  the  Mail  f    Is  it  not  enough  "  that  Chicago  is  generally  ahead  in  the  grand  total,"  when  the  Chicago's 
immense  superiority  of  both  the  late  rivals  is  taken  iuto  the  account,  together  with  the  short  period  in  ''"P'*l  g'^*" 
which  they  have  been  outstripped?     "General  prediction     is  the  right  leader  for  such  editors,  but  a, 
sensible  man  of  business  wants  something  of  more  substance  in  his  calculations.    These  wind-bags 
need  pricking,  and  ■popular  notions  correcting,  about  a  question  so  important  to  the  country  as  this, 
whether  there  be  a  gounine  natural  and  artificial  centre  of  trade,  and  where  it  is. 


88 


The  Rivals  of  the  West,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 


wand  of  art  in  its  first  waving  could  not  have  dissipated  her  supplies, 
or  rather  sent  them  in  torrents  to  her  rival.  She  can  be  no  "  natural 
hub  of  the  continent,"  or  her  felloes  could  not  have  so  fallen  from  her 
spokes,  and  become  fastened  by  other  spokes  into  another  hub  where 
they  are  bound  to  stick,  because  it  is  natural. 

To  leave  the  flights  of  fancy  upon  which  she  has  sailed  in  her 
o-lory,  and  come  down  to  homely  but  patent  business  truths,  it  is  un- 
deniable that  the  unimportant  circumstance  of  the  fur  trade  gathering 
thither,  not  nature  in  the  least,  caused  her  remarkable  advancement. 
The  aggregation  of  capital,  and  the  immense  business  of  steamboats, 
have  alone  made  her  Queen  of  the  Rivers.  Sagaciously  she  has 
availed  herself  of  these  adjuncts;  and  while  nature  did  nothing  for  her, 
except  what  has  been  done  for  scores  of  other  places  above  and  below 
her,  art,  and  especially  money,  has  wrought  wonders  in  her  favor. 
Were  not  nature  so  entirely  adverse,  her  energy  and  wealth  would 
make  rivalry  a  hard  task. 

As  Queen  of  the  Rivers  she  attained  her  power ;  and  were  rivers  to 
maintain  their  relative  importance  in  commerce,  her  prospects  would 
brighten.  But  as  before  observed,  the  rivers  have  relatively  seen 
their  best  days;  and  for  a  moment  casting  out  of  sight  the  marvelous 
changes  wrought  by  railways,  let  us  look  at  the  sure  decadence  of 
what  has  been  St.  Louis'  main  dependence. 

The  rivers  have  drawn  their  supplies  from  an  unbroken  wilderness. 
Rain  and  snow  fjxlling  upon  mountain  and  plain,  percolated  the  soil, 
and  in  springs  and  rivulets  and  rivers,  have  aftbrded  a  pretty  constant 
supply  to  the  main  streams;  though  even  in  years  past,  a  hot  sum- 
mer brought  low  water.  But  as  a  country  is  settled,  the  surface  is 
quickly  dried  by  evaporation;  and  surplus  water,  instead  of  gradually 
soaking  into  the  earth,  is  borne  oiF  at  once  by  drainage.  The  eflect 
of  this  is  seen  in  the  Ohio  river,*  and  Cincinnati's  unfortunate  pre- 
dicament, the  Chicago  jT^imes  thus  presents  : — 

The  inhabitants  of  Cincinnati  seem  to  be  in  a  state  of  mind  bordering  on  dis- 
traction, in  consequence  of  a  phenomenon  of  nature  which  is  not  uncommon  in 
that  vicinity. 

Tlie  phenomenon  is  one  that  results  from  the  application  of  heat  to  water.  In 
common  language,  it  is  known  as  evaporation.  The  rapidity  of  the  process 
depends  on  tlie  degree  of  heat.  By  the  application  of  a  high  degree  of  heat,  a 
large  quantity  of  water  may  be  evai»oraled  in  a  short  time.  A  moderate  degree  of 
heat,  continued  for  a  long  time  will  produce  the  same  result. 

The  result  winch  aflflicts  Cincinnati  was  produced  by  the  application  of  a  slow 
heat  to  the  Ohio  river.  The  river  is  dried  up.  Navigation  thereon  has  ceased. 
Cincinnati  is  short  of  coals.  Cold  weather  is  coming.  The  price  of  coals  is 
going  up,  up.     The  river  persistently  declines  to  go  up.     Cincinnati  is  alarmed. 

The  situation  of  Cincinnati  is  one  of  semi-annual  occurrence.  In  winter  the 
Ohio  river  Ireezes  up;  in  summer,  it  dries  up.  The  result  in  either  case  is  the 
same ;  navigation  stops. 

Prediction  at     *  0^"  thirty  years  ago  in  Pittsburgh,  the  natives  were  amazed    to  heer  that  Chicago  was  bound- 
PjVgg"''^'*     '°/""*''''<'^  ''<■'■•    These  same  reasons  among  others,  I  then  gave;  and  they  are  more  certain  of  realiz. 
alien  npon  the  JMibbiSBippi  for  reasons  given  in  the  text. 


Felloes  do 
not  stick. 


For  Tradt 
started  St.  L. 


— and  capital 
and  oteam- 
tx*at<i- 


Nature  ad- 
verse. 


Rivers  her 

support — 


— their   sure 
decay. 


Tillage  ruins 
them. 


Chi.  Times. 


Cincinnati 
distracted— 


— about  heat 
and  water. 


River  down, 
— coal  up. 


Trouble 
semi-aunual. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  89 

The  boasted  advantages  of  western  river  navigation  consist  rather  more  in  the  Rivers  f.iii. 
boast  tlian  in  tlie  reality.     Before  railways  were  built,  tliey  furnished  a  tolerable 
Bubstitute  for  artificial"  canals.     But  their  glory,  like  their  ac^ueous  ccnilents,  is 
somewhat  too  readily  evaporated  to  be  enduring. 

Much  sober  truth  is  mingled  witli  the  irony,  applying  equally  to  St.  f"s["Luu'iir 
Louis,,  and  far  more  rapidly  than  heretofore  to  Cincinnati.     Both  the 
Upper  Mississippi  and  the  Missouri,  are  fed  mostly  by  streams  from 
rich  plains,  soon  to  be  imder  the  plough.     The  Allegheny  and  Monon-  miuish. 
gahela  from   their   mountain   sources,  are   better   streams  for  steady 
supply  than  any  on  the  upper  Mississippi ;  and  although  those  from 
the  Rocky  Mountains  can  be  depended  upon  for  a  considerable  time, 
yet  the  Missouri  itself  is  so  tortuous  and  dangerous  from  its  perpet-  Mo.  dangcr- 
ually  shifting  bed,  that  it  will  be  little  used  when  the  seven  Chicago 
lines  of  i-ailway  strike  her  banks,  except  for  down  freights.     Undoubt- 
edly the  best  western   river  for  navigation,  except  the  lower  Missis-  j^,^  ^^^^  ^^^ 
eippi,  is  the  Illinois  River,  having  little  current,  and  being  more  like  "iivigatioQ. 
a  canal.     Of  this  the  navigation  will  be  improved  by  feeding  the 
canal  from  Lake  Michigan,  the  deepening  of  which  is  being  done  by 
the  city  for  sanitary  purposes,  and  sooner  or  later  will  be  completed 
by  the  Federal  Government,  on  a  grander  scale. 

We  shall  have  A).  111).  St.  Louis'  own  admissions  years  ago  as  to  f'"'  haa  u 

...  .  .  sure. 

her  chance  in  competition  with  Chicago  for  that  trade  ;  and  the  same 
influences  not  only  continue  to  operate  in  our  favor,  but  with  aug- 
menting power.      St.  Louis  was  strong  because  the  steamboat  did  ^j'^^^l.^'.'V'f  *" 
the  whole  business  ;  and  with  its  decadence  on  one  river  after  another, 
her  sui)remacy  disappears.      What  then  becomes  of  her  "  natural  ^ruMoca""*' 
location"?     How  is  she  the  "natural  hub  of  the  continent"?  tiun?" 

The  Jlissouri  Mepublican,  December  18th,  furnishes  thoughts  I'ight  j^^,  ^ 
to  the  point: — 

Railroads  vs.  Rivers. — Nothing  is  more  encouraging  to  the  business  men  of  this  rivers, 
city  than  to  observe  that  an  interest  is  being  manifested  in  regard  to  tlie  building 
of  railroads,  in  older  to  place  this  city  in  more  direct  communication  with  those 
portions  of  the  rich  "  Valley  of  the  Mississippi,"  of  which  St.  Louis  is  the  natu- 
ral commercial  centre.  gt    j^    ^-^^^^j 

In  former  times,  when  St.  Louis  was  the  principal,  if  not  the  only  point  of  busi-  of  West,  bo- 
ness  in  the  far  West,  it  owed  its  advantages  to  the  great  rivers,  they  being  the  cause  of 
only  highways  of  trade  and  means  of  communication  ;  but  the  times  have  changed,  risers, 
and  the  soimer  we  realize  it  the  better.     What  ten  years  ago  was  a  great  advan-  That  now  a 
tage,  might  now  be  considered  a  drawback,  not  that  we  wish  to  detract  from  the  drawbacij. 
value  of  our  natural  highways,  which  will  continue  to  add  to  our  prosperity  ;  but  j^,^j]^Q.,jg 
we  contend  that  our  city  has,  in  consequence  of  relying  on  the  rivers  as  channels  neglected, 
of  trade,  neglected  to  build  railroads,  and  places  less  favored  by  nature,  have  re- 
sorted to  the  building  of  railroads,  and  hence  have  kept  pace  Avitli  the  require- 
ments of  the  age.     This  tardiness  in  constructing  railroaas  and  building  bridges  st.  L.  old 
has  given  to  St.  Louis  a  name  of  old  fogyism.  *'"gy- 

It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  we  should  build  these  roads  which  are  being  Must  build 
spoken  of,  and  extend  others  which  have  been  commenced,  but  we  also  need  r**'l-!Zaioi^Mi88. 
roads  running  parallel  with  and  in  close  proximity  to  the  Mississippi  river  north,  river.  ° 
to  tap  the  flourishing  towns  on  its  banks,  in  order  to  be  accessible  during  the  en- 
tire year.     We  experience  great  disadvantages  to  secure  trade  in  that  direction,  as 
parties  dislike  to  change  their  patronage  with  the  change  of  the  season.     The  Tr«de  South 
trade  of  the  South  being  now  almost  entirely  lost  in  consequence  of  the  impover- I'^^t. 
islied  state  of  that  country,  the  West  is  but  sparsely  settled,  besides  being  partly  Territory 
cut  off  by  the  railroads  passing  around  us.    It  will  be  seen  that  our  territory  is  umited. 


90  The  Rivals  of  the  West,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 

Get  now        quite  limiteti,  and  if  we  want  to  retain  our  position  as  a  great  commercial  empori- 
um, we  must  seek  new  outlets  and  rea:ain  our  old  grounds.         *  *  * 
Get    capitii      It"  our  capitalists  do  not  want  to  furnish  the  necessaiy  means  and  move  in  the 
oajt-       '    matter,  let  our  INIerchants'  Exchange  and  Board  of  Trade  corporations  solicit  the 
Eastern  capitalists.     All  tliat  is  necessary  is  to  take  hold  in  good  earnest,  set  forth 
tlie  advantages,  show  them  that  our  business  men  are  made  of  the  right  material  ; 
that  the  accessions  made  to  them  of  late  years  possess  as  much  enterprise  as  any 
other  conmiunity,  and  the  little  obstacle  will  easily  be  overcome.     If  tliis  is  not 
—or  merch-done  our  merchants  will  seek  other  points,  and  the  cities  which  excel  us  in  enter- 
ants  leave,     pj.jgg  ^\\\  carry  ofi'  tiie  prize. 

Bridges    es-     Do  not  neglect  to  build  the  bridge  across  the  Mississippi  at  this  point ;  nothing 
Bentiai.         is  more  important  at  this  moment.     At  the  much  less  important  points,   Quincy, 
Keokuk,  Burlington,  Davenport,  Clinton,  etc.,  bridges  have  been  or  are  beirig 
built,  with  all  possible  speed,  and  here  we  are  fighting  for  it  still.        *  * 

Ofwhatiast.      Oh,  tell  US  where  tliose  treasures  lie  !  "those  portions  of  the  rich 

L. centre?     y^Hoy  of   the  Mississi])})!,  of   which   St.    Louis  is   the   commercial 

centre "  !     Those   of  the  Missouri,  Upper  Mississippi,  and    Illinois 

Upper  Miss,  rivers,  constitute  quite  a  "portion  of  the  rich  valley";  and  that  trade, 

Viil  has  quit  ,. ,         ,,     ,  ,.  i  11    t  t  •,  i  •  ,    • 

St. L.  like  "that  race  oi  humans, '  disregarding  its  every  law,  is  eccentric 

instead  of  concentric,  flying  off  in  a  tangent  from  its  river  centre, 
away  off  to  a  lake  port.  Every  one  of  these  St.  Louis  writers  are 
anathematising  this  unnatural  course  of  trade,  and  would  compel  it 
by  strong  bars  of  iron  and  iron  horses,  to  come  to  its  "  natural  com- 

unnaturai  ^^^^,,.(,[^1  centre."  What  an  anomalous,  crazy,  unnatural  thing  this 
upper  part  of  the  Mississippi   valley   must   be,  to  entirely   forget  its 

What     por-own  ccntrc,  and  run  off  150  to  500  miles  to  find  another  !     What  other 

'^'^■" portions  of  the  rich  valley"  is  she  equally  entitled  to?     Chicago 

would  like  to  be  informed,  having  no  sinister  purposes,  but  merely  to 

make  its  acquaintance  to  see  if  all  trade  is  so  utterly  disregardful  of 

its  obligations.     In  prosecuting  their  investigations  into  the  afflicting 

Causeof evil,  causes  of  this  evil, as  they  have  entered  into  pretty  much  everything 
without  satisfactory  results,  would  it  not  be  well  to  inquire  about  Mr. 
Hood's  antecedents,  and  see  if  he  be  as  honest  and  true  as  such  a 
patron  should  be?  But  understand,  no  insinuation  is  made  against 
the  august  proprietor  of  that  barn,  and  king  of  the  road. 

uTre  nwke'i'^a     Pleasc  uotc  the  sccoud  paragraph   of  the  above  extract  again — 

wntrer""'  indeed,  the  whole  is  worthy — and  observe  how  nature  yields  to  art  as 
the  power  to  establish  a  commercial  centre.  Wliy,  then,  do  not  St. 
Louisians  show  how  much  more  art  has  done  to  make  lier  a  centre, 
than  was  done  by  nature  "in  former  times,"  M'hen  the  great  rivers 
[were]   the  only  highways  of  trade"?     Is  there  not  more  truth  than 

8t.^.  old  fo- poetry  in  having  "given  to  St.  Louis  the  name  of  old  fogyism  "  ? 
If  not,  why  still  chiming  so  persistently  upon  the  obsolete  notion  that 
it  "is  the  natural  commercial  centre"  of  any  district? 

The  St.  Louis  side  of  the  argument,  I   trust,  has  been  fairly  pre- 
sented.    According  to  their  own  showing,  is  it  not  literally  true,  that 

— must  revo-  .    ^  ^  j  ■> 

iQtioriizc  art  slic  luust  revolutiouizc  the  influences  of  art  and  nature,  by  introducing 

or  nature.  i  x-  .      .  . 

unknown  lorces,  or  she  must  fail  in  her  pretensions  even  more  sig- 
nally in  the  future  than  in  the  past?     As  the  editor  of  the  Missouri 


PaM,  Present  and  Future  of  Chioago  Investments.  91 

Democrat  remarked,  (p.  27),   "Trade,  like  water,  moves  in  the  direc- ''''■"'''*''"''„ 

'    \i  /'  '  '  wilier  lion  t 

tion  of  the  least  resistance.     Nobody  has  ever  succeeded  in  making  ""uu  up  Uiii. 

it  run  up  hill;"  and  he  goes  on  to  confess  the  disadvantages  pertaining 

even  to   the  Kansas  trade,  finding  consolation   in  tapping  Chicago 

trade  on   the   Omaha  line.     So  every  one  of  tlieir  advocates  presents  inefrect.iai 

difficulties  whicli  must  be  overcome  ;  yet  each  trusts  more  to  indefinite  ['lopuBcd. 

expectations  than  to  any  well  devised  plan  to  remedy  their  evils. 

Hope  on,  hope  ever,  is  a  noble  maxim,  but  had  they  Hercules  to  give 

them  a  lift — and  they  have  not — they  must  help  themselves.     The 

C/dcago  Times,  with  genuine  disinterestedness,  advises  them  to  the  A"  eff''<'t.'T« 

"^  '  ^  _  '  lino  of  tVii. 

only  possible  means  of  tapping  Chicago  trade  effectually,  and  "  taking  'J'^"^- 
it  in  the  direction  of  the  least  resistance"  : — 

St.  Louis,  in  the  state  of  Missouri,  is  painfully  agitated  by  another  discovery  St.  L.  fears 
concerning  Chicago.     It  is  that  "tiie  bridge  at  Kansas  City,  and  the  Canii-ron  i-uil-  gl's'Tnidi^""* 
"  road,  are  now  being  rajjidly  pushed."     And  the  unsatisfactory  conclusion  to  wliicli 


the  pushing  process  leads  the  St.  Louis  mind  is  that: 

"Witliin  one  year  Chicago  will   have  direct  connection,  without  the  break  of  ^^.jl.^""" 
bulk,  with  that  branch  of  the  Pacific  railroad  which  is  mostly  owned  in  St.  Louis, 
tchile  St.  Louis  will  not  !     Freight  from  Denver  via  that  route,  to  come  to  this  city, 
must  change  cars  at  Kansas  City,  but  may  go  to  Chicago  witliout  change  of  cars."~"''    '  "**  ' 

This  is  the  latest  phase  which  the  Chicago  horror  has  assumed  in  St.  Louis.     Of  Romcdios 
course  the  dilapidated  newspaper  concerns  in  that  ancient  borough  have  a  remedy  various, 
to  suggest;  in  the  present  instance  they  have  three  remedies.     One  is  to  change 
the  guage  of  the  railroad  between  St.  Louis  and  Kansas  City,  so  that  it  Avill  corre- 
spond with  the  Union  Pacific  gauge.     This,  it  is  said  with  some  liesitation,  "  ought 
to  be  done."     Another  is,  to  complete  the  west  branch  of  the  Nortli  IVlissouri  ruad 
to  Kansas  City,  "so  that  cars  may  run  over  that  route,  without  change,  to  St. 
Louis."     This  remedy,  it  is  thought,  is  more  feasible  and  would  be  better  than  the 
other.    But  the  third  remedy  is  the  one  in  which  the  originating  abiUty  of  St.  Louis  ^",'i_*"^'"^'" 
genius  excels  itself.     It  is  thus  confidently  stated : 

"But  tiiere  is  also  one  other  way  to  meet  this  latest  manoeuvre  of  our  rival. —fcip  Chi. 
Chicago  taps  the  St.  Louis  branch  of  the  Pacific  railroad  at  Kansas  City.     Very  j,""^^'^'^'-^^' 
well,  then  let  St.  Louis  tap  the  Chicago  branch  at  Omaha  !" 

With  due  deference  to  the  superior  genius  of  St.  Louis,  one  is  constrained  to  ask,  Better  to  tap 
Why  n(5t  tap  the  "  Chicago  braneli "  at  Chicago '?     The  distance  between  Chicago  "•■  Chi.— 
and  St.  Louis  is  considerably  less  than  between  Omaha  and  St.  Louis.     ]\Iort'over, 
Chicago  is  a  far  more  important  commercial  point  than  Omaha,  and  enjoys  the 
superior  advantage  of  having  railway  connections  with  every  portion  of  the  west. 
By  tapping  the  Pacific  railway  at  Chicago,  would  not  St.  Louis  also  tap  all  other— t'^P  the 
Chicago  railways  at  the  same  time,  and  draw  all  the  commerce  of  the  west,  which"  '"  "  *'^"  ®' 
now  centres  in  Chicago,  to  the  antique  town  of  St.  Louis?    If  the  tapping  process 
at  Chicago  would  not  have  this  effect  in  the  fullest  degree,  it  would  have  it  in  a 
degree  relatively  as  great  as  it  would  at  Omaha. 

Did    no   other   causes   operate    upon    this   pretentious    "  natural  [j[|^r"nVturai 
location,"  than  this  one  of  nature  herself  in  impairing  river  naviga- "^'""'"S"-'*- 
tion, — the  only  natural  advantage  she  has  possessed,  and  that  only  in 
company  with  many  other  sites, — even  then  must   the  Queen  of  the 
Rivers  have  succumbed  to  the  Queen  of  the  Lakes.     God  has  not  put 
man  on  this  theatre  of  toil  and  struggle,  that  he,  either  individually 
or  collectively,  should  live  in  idle  enjoyment;  but  we  are  to  be  "  f^^'^i- ^J^'"k.** 
gent  in  business,  fervent  in  spirit,  serving  the  Lord  ;"  and  no  man  will 
be  "fervent  in  spirit,"  who  is  not   "diligent  in  business"  according 
to  his  ability.     Time  was,  undoubtedly,  as  these  citizens  honestly 
acknowledge,  that  St.  Louis,  with  her  wealth,  and  strong  connections, 
could  have  pushed  a  system  of  improvements,  which,  with  the  many 


92  The  Rivals  of  the  West,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 

and  stronff  natural  advantages  of  Chicago,  it  would  have  been  difficult 
goneiurever.  to  overcome.     But  tliat  day  has  gone  by  forever,  and   she  will  have 

to  take  a  quite  subordinate  position,  willingly  or  unwillingly. 
Anaffli-ma-       Tliis  important  question,  however,  of  where  the  chief  city  of  the 
il^m^ative   West  is  to  be — and  if  of  the  West,  of  the  continent  also — has  not 
wins  ^"'''''j^^pj.^iy  ^  negative  but  an  affirmative  side.     St.  Louis'  disadvantages 
and  relative  decline  are  no  cause  of  Chicago's  progress,  but  its  direct 
eflect.     Nor  could  these  remarkably  diverse  results  be  witnessed, 
without  positive  and  powerful  causes.     The  same  honest  considera- 
tion of  them,  which  I  trust  the  negative  has  had,  will  probably  afford 
reasonable  evidence  that  there  is  a  "  natural  location,"  which,  with 
There  is  a    ^'^^   ^^^  ^^  ^^'*''  ^"*^  ^^^'  ^'^^^'^^^^  blcssiugs  of  Providencc,  must  as 
natural  iiuiJ- surcly  be  the  "natural  hub  of  the  continent,"  as  that  the  continent 

stands. 
Chi.  central.     Look  at  the  map,  and  observe  how  near  the  centre  Lake  Michigan 
lies,  between  tlie  Atlantic  and  tiie  Rocky  Mountains,  and  from  the 
British  boundary  to  the  southern  line  of  Missouri.      Geography  is  of 
little  account,  it  is  true,  and  therefore  is  it  first  named,  though  with 
St.  Louis  it  is  the  alpha  and  omega.     No  doubt  a  city  might  be  made 
L'vkenotto  morc  central  to  the  whole  Union,  could  she  take  the  lakes  another 
^"^  ^"^  '     Inindred  miles   south.      That,   however,    being  difficult,  what  place 
south  of  Chicago  is  able  to  take  advantage  of  this  one  point  of  de- 
ficiency, even  as  relating  to  the  entire  Union  ?     If  none,  Mahomet 
must  go  to  the  mountain,  watery  though  it  be  and  rather  flat. 
chi.centreof     As  bcforc  remarked,  however,  mere  geographical  ceutrality  is  of 
E.'' corner— trifling  Consideration.     Chicago,  though  in  the  northeast  corner  of  a 
State  stretching  365  miles  south,  160  miles  west,   and  only  45  miles 
north,  is  yet  the  most  central  city  in  the  State,  it  being  easier  for  its 
every  county  to  reach  her  than  any  other.     So,  too,  every  county  in 
—centre  foi'iowahas  more  easy  access  to  this  lake  port,  138  miles  from  its  eastern 
edo'e,  than  to  any  other  place.     Such  centrality  has  significance  and 
power  in  regard  to  commerce  and  manufactures,  operating  so  eflect- 
ually  that,  as  Ave  have  seen,  cut-offs  are  of  no  account;  and  we  not 
only  draw  trade  from  close  around  St.  Louis  herself,  but  take   nearly 
the  whole  of  it  from   Southern  Illinois,  which  she  monopolized;   and 
Nature  too  ^1^^  prlzc  sccured  is  made  doubly  sure,  because  not  only  art  but  nature 
ceutiaiity.     hcrself  conjoius  to  create  this  Ci'utrality. 

Lakechaia—  Nature,  uot  art,  stretched  out  this  unequaled  chain  of  crystal 
waters,  over  a  thousand  miles  long,  from  the  ocean  ;  and  here  she 
wedded  lakes  with  rivers.  Right  here  close  to  Chicago,  and  on  land 
which  our  children  will  see  within  the  corporate  limits  of  the  city, 
the  waters  stalled  on  their  opposite  courses;  part  for  the  St.  Law- 
rence and  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  part  for  the  Father  of  Waters  and  the 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicarjo  Investments.  93 

Gulf  of  Mexico.*     The  union  of  the  Valley  of  the  Lakes  with  the -""'"•"''tb 
Valley  of  the  Rivers,  truly  Nature's  glorious  handiwork,  man  with 
genuine  art  has  strengthened  by  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal,  soon 
to  be  perfected  by   enlargement,  permitting  any  boats  to  reach  the 
lakes  that  navigate  the  rivers.     It  is  therefore  no  illegitimate  assump- 
tion of  supremacy,  that  tlie  Queen  of  the  Lakes  should  also  become  ^'"'f''"''' 
Queen  of  the  Rivers.     "What,  therefore,  God  hath  joined  together,  Q'''«'n ''i^R-- 
let  not  man  put  asunder." 

Observe,  too,  how  nearly  every  writer  quoted — manv  more  are  ^*- ^' '"'"'"• 
omitted — and  all  in  the  interest  of  St.  Louis,  not  merely  concedes  the"*""^'- 
diminished  importance  of  the  rivers  in  which  her  strength  lay,  but 
actually  argues  from  it  as  a  main  premise,  the  indispensable  necessity 
of  creating  more  railways,  the  strongest  means  art  has  yet  devised 
for  the  advancement  of  cities.     Have  the  construction -and  results  of  jur«he?.' '"' 
railways   been    herein-before    unfairly   considered  ?     And  if  she  be 
already  so  injured  by  one  of  the  chief  lines  in  her  own  State,  what  now  to 
magic   influences  will  change  this  her  poison  into  nutritious  food  ?'^'"^°^"' 
If  the  first  few  years  have  despoiled  her  of  grain-trade  and  jobbino- 
business,  as  we  shall  see,  and  from  the  regions  where  she  had  the 
whole  of  them,  how  are  railway  influences  to  work  against  their 
nature  to  favor  her?     Year  by  year,  will  she  suffer  more  and  more 
from  "flank  movements,"  till  her  flanks  shall  have  shrunk  to  what  she 
can  grasp  in  her  digits. 

The    Chicago    Times,  in   reply  to   a  St.  Louis   paper,  generously  ^'"-  ^■"^• 
admitting  that  Chicago  could  become  a  Philadelphia  while  St.  Louis 
was  to  be  the  New  York  of  the  West,  pithily  observes  : — 

St.  Louis  is  a  hundred  years  old.     Chicago  is  thirty.     St.  Louis  attained  her^.*-  i'«noi'i 
greatest  prosperity  upon  the  "  river  trade,"  when  tiiere  were  no  railways  to  divert  "'""^"*^~ 
that  trade  from  its  unnatural  outlet  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  its  natuial  outlet 
on  the  Atlantic.     Chicago  is  the  growth  of  railwaj's  and  railway  commerce,  united  -^lii. •i  ""uil- 
to  the  inter-ocean  commerce  of  the  great  lakes.     Chicago  is  tlie  half-way  house  on ''"^ '^"^" 
the  great  commercial  thoroughfare  across  the  continent.    St.  Louis  is  a  way-stati(m 
on  a  side-track. 

All  the  railways  St.  Louis  has  helped  to  build,  that  have  not  bankrupted  their  g^  ^  not  on 
bnililers,  have  contributed  more  to  the  growth  of  Chicago  than  they  liave  to  commercial 
the  growth  of  St.  Louis.     The  reason  is,  that  commerce  moves  around  the  globe  pitraiiei. 
on  lines  of  latitude,  and  not  on  lines  of  longitude.     St.  Louis  is  not  on  the  com- 
mercial parallel. 

If  Chicago  has  attained  in  thirty  years  the  greatness  that  it  took  St.  Louis  a  when  St.  L. 
century  to  attain,  how  long,  at  the  same  rate  of  relative  progress,  will  it  take  St.  y  MnTt'chi^' 
Louis  to  become  the  New  York  to  the  Chicago  Philadelphia?  Phi'ia. 

While  St.  Louis  laments  the  construction  of  even  the  Hannibal  and  ['o's^^l*^'^® 

St.  .Joe  Railroad,  within  her  own  boundaries,  we  rejoice  in  it,  for  the 

last  report  of  the   Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy  Railroad  gives  _.^^j._j^gg  ^^ 

the  following  amounts  of  through  freight:  From  Quincy  to  Chicago,  cw. 

in  1866,  10,566  tons;  in  1867,  9,332,  a  decrease  of  1,234  tons.     From 

*  My  friend,  Mr.  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard,  thaiilc  God  still  living  here,  passed  with  loaded  boats  frequently  wotyral  oas- 
from  181S  to  1826,  from  the  south  branch  of  the  Chicago  River  through  the  Saginaska  Swamp  in  high  sage  Iroiii  . 
water  into  the  Des  Plaines  and  Illinois  River.    The  confirmatory  extracts  (p.  63,j  from  General  Wilson's  '"•'"^  '"  river, 
report,  were  incorporated  after  this  was  iu  the  printer's  hands. 


94         The  Rivals  of  the  West,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 

c.B.andQ.  jyoints  beyoncl  Quincy/in  1866,   8,754  tons;  in  1867,  19,195,  an  in- 

''""*'  crease  of  10,441  tons.     From  Chicago  to  Quincy,  1866,  28,896  tons; 

in  1867,  35,165,  an  increase  of  6,169  tons.     To  points  beyond  Quincy, 
in  1866,  32,230  tons;  in  1867,  47,761,  an  increase  of  15,531  tons. 
Tlie  same  report  shows  also  the  direction  of  trade  from  Iowa,  which 

frlmTowa.  ^as  equally  St.  Louis'  domain  with  Missouri :  From  Burlington  to 
Chicago,  in  1866,  12,271  tons;  in  1867,  10,954,  a  decrease  of  1,317 
tons.  From  points  beyond  Burlington,  in  1866,  29,921  tons;  in  1867, 
34,428,  an  increase  of  4,507  tons. 

Local  trade       Tliesc  figures,  it  is  true,  are   small  compared  with  local  freights 

^'^^''  along  the  line,  which  to  Chicago  in  1866  were  432,572  tons  ;  in  1867, 
519,359,  an  increase  of  87,787  tons.  And  from  Chicago,  in  1866, 
239,365  tons;  and  in  1867,  264,110  tons,  an  increase  of  24,735  tons. 

Tobeeqnai  Such  wiU  bo  the  figures  in  a  few  years  west  of  the  Mississippi,  as 
'*■  ^y^,\\  ;^g  east,  when  the  country  shall  have  become  equally  settled,  and 
bridges  now  building  afibrd  uninterrupted  communication. 

St. L.'s  trou-     ^(_  present  St.  Louis  is  much  exercised,  not  only  about  the  North 

blejiljout  ^  .... 

bridge.  Missouri  Railroad,  but  concerning  the  bridge  over  the  Mississippi. 
Tlie  latter,  too,  interests  Chicago,  and  one  of  our  enterprising  bridge- 
builders,  Mr.  Boomer,  obtained  of  the  Illinois  Legislature  a  charter 
for  a  bridge  at  St.  Louis.  The  bridges  building  at  Quincy,  Burlington 
and  other  crossing  places — the  St.  Louisian  names  them,  (p.  13) — an- 
swer very  Avell  for  North  Missouri  and  on  west.     Still,  there  is  a  rich 

Chi  wants  it.  and  extensive  region  ofi"  southwest  of  St.  Louis,  that  is  best  accom- 
modated with  a  Chicago  connection  directly  through  our  sister  city, 
if  it  can  be  done  without  hitting  that  barn.     But  for  some  reason  or 

^^'''•°PP°"  other,  they  seem  to  think  that  if  Chicago  builds  it,  it  becomes  a  Chi- 
cago bridge,  and  they  are  fighting  it  with  might  and  main. 

Will  1)0  built  A  bridge  will  be  built  there,  however,  and  though  jocosely  treated, 
St.  Louis  will  find  it  no  joke.  Were  it  the  only  bridge,  that  would 
give  her  consequence  ;  but  it  will  be  one  of  half  a  dozen  or  more,  and 
the  direct  eifect  of  each  one  is  to  facilitate  business  with  the  East. 

Will  aid  St.  To  the  country  adjacent  in  Illinois,  which  naturally  trades  with  hei-, 
and  which  we  acknowledge  she  has,  it  will  be  an  advantage,  and 
therefore  aid  her  ;  and  it  will  help  to  keep  the  country  due  West  and 
Southwest,  which,  Avithout  a  bridge,  would  surely  forsake  her.     But 

--yft  poor  as  when  couiited  upon  as  a  chief  means  of  St.  Loui.s'  growtli,  she  may 

rcuLuce.       be  disappointed.     Most  probably  that  one  bridge  of  hers,  will  bear 

On i.  wants  iiiore  busiuess  to  Chicago,  than  to  St.  Louis,  and  of  the  lialf-dozen 
ozen.  Qj.  myj.g^  each  one  northward  becomes  more  and  more  a  Chicngo 
bridge. 

Contest  for        Yet  about  this  very  region   in  Illinois,  which  has  been  conceded 

territory  jo  i 

close  to  st.L.  to  her, — tor  we  are  quite  as  desirous  that  she  should  grow  as  any 
other  of  a  dozen  cities  that  are  to  help  Chicago  to  her  superiority 
over  the  whole  of  them, — of  the  Morgan,  Jersey  and  Madison  region, 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  95 

which  has  probably  given   St.  Louis   as   mu(!h   trade  as   any  throe 
counties,  the  last  report  of  the  Ohiciago  and  Alton  Railroad  Company  cand  Av<m 
speak  of  a  new  and  important  branch  just  opened,  one  entered  as  \x^^'^^'  '''''i""''-- 
branch  in  the  list,  (p.  36) : 

Tlie  St.  Louis,  Jacksonville  and  Chicai^o  Kailroad,  which  was  completed  to  a  JaoksonviUe 
connection  with  your  line  at  a  point  about  thirty  mdes  from  St.  Louis,  on  the  Isiruad  openeU. 
day  of  January,  186(5,  is  developing  a  large  trallic: ;  but  the  principal  advantage  to 
be  derived  by  this  Company  from  traffic  originating  on  that  hue  will  be  through 
its  northern  connection  which  will  be  nuuh  further  from  the  terminus  of  your  line, 
at  Chicago,  than  the  present  connection  is  from  St.  Louis. 

The  traffic  of  that  line  is  now  almost  e.xclusively  with  St.  Louis  and  passes  but  a  rp^^^p^  ^^^^p 
short  distance  over  your  Road  ;  but  with  the  northern  connection  made,  the  traffic  from  ?:.  L. 
will  be  mainly  with  Ch  cago,  and  will  be  a  source  of  much  greater  prolit  to  your  to  Chi. 
Company,  by  reason  of  the  greater  distance  it  will  pass  over  your  route. 

Both  the  Qiiincy  region  and  that  of  this  Jacksonville  road,  eqnallv  tii^h  fnir 

....  1  .    pxanipleof 

with  that  west  ot  the  Mississippi,  belonged  to  St.  Louis.     These  are  oti^ei- roaas— 
only  specimens  of  what  branches  are  doing  and  will  do,;  and  wdien, 
where  and  how,  is  St.  Louis  to  work  a  change  in  her  favor  with  cither 
nature  or  art  ?     One  or  other,  or  both,  must  operate  rather  difterently_^,p^jj  ^^^ 
from  what  they  have  done  in  years  past,  or  the  Queen  of  the  Lakes  g^''^*^'"""' 
waxes  stronger  and  stronger,  and  she  of  the  rivers  relatively,  and  only 
relatively,  weaker  and  weaker.     She  counts  upon  her  ability  by  cross  cross  linos 
lines,  as  we  have  seen,  tO  draw  the  business  of  the  Northwest,  wdiich,  ^''i^'"'^- 
as  we  shall  see,  is  her  chief  reliance,  as  it  is  of  Chicago.     One  of 
these   and  the  tirst  to  be  built,  is  to  finish  the  north  and  south  road 
in  the  valley  of  the  Missouri,  from  St.  Joseph   to   Omaha.     This  is  Road.*  ^^ 
so  surely  to  aid  St.  Louis,  that  her  staunch  supporters  of  the  Han- 
nibal and  St.  Joe  road  have  taken  it  in  hand,  and  assure  me  it  will 
be  finished  to  Omaha  by  July  next.     Somebody  is  to  be  disappointed 
in  regard   to   this  north  and  south  line,  for  the  last  report  of  the^^p^^^^jy 
Northwestern  Company  remarks  : —  ^-  ^-  ^^ 

The  parties  controlling  the  Sioux  City  Branch  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  to  gio„x  city 
be  constructed  from  Sioux  City,  situate  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Missouri  river,  in  to  Omaha. 
Iowa,  and  about  one  hundred  miles  northerly  of  Omaha,   to  some  ])oint  on  the 
Union  Pacific  Raiir(iad,  west  of  Omaha,  have  recently  decided  to  construct  that 
line  of  road  from  Sioux  City,  down  the  east  shore   of  the  Mi-ssouri  river   some 
seventy-five  miles,  to  a  point  about  six  miles  west  of  St.  John's  Station,  on  our 
Iowa  line  of  road,  and  a  connecting  line  of  road  from  such  point  to  St.  John's 
Station  is  also  being  built.     The  intention  now  is  to  complete  this  new  line  from 
our  road  at  St.  John's  to  Sioux  City  this  year,  and  have  it  ready  for  business  next  tipper  Mo. 
spring.     It  will  prove  an  important  feeder,  bringing  us  the  business  of  the   rich  trade, 
country  it  traverses,  the  growing  traffic  of  Dacotah  and  the  Upper  Missouri   river, 
and  will  give  some  importance  to  Sioux  City  as  a  steamboat  point  of  departure  for 
the  Fort  Benton  and  Montana  Region. 

Another  line  of  railroad  is  also  being  now  actively  constructed  from  our  present  omaha  to  St. 
depot  at  Council  Blutfs  along  down  the  valley  of  the  Missouri  river,  on  the  Iowa  Joe. 
Bide,  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  the  western  terminus  of  the  Hannibal  aud  St.  Joseph 
Railroad.     About  forty-five  miles  of  this  road,  from  Council  Blufi's  to  a  point  op- 
posite Nebraska  City,  the  largest  town  in  Nebraska,    Omaha  perhaps  excepted,  is 
already  nearly  or  quite  completed  and  will  be  in  full  running  connection  with  us 
this  fall.     This  line  and  the  line  from  St.  John's  to  Sioux  City,  in  connection  with 
our  own  line  along  the  valley  of  the  Missouri,  from  St.  John's  to  Council  Bluffs, 
gives  us  the  business  at  once  of  near  one  hundred  and  fifty   miles  along  the   rich  iso  miles 
valley  of  the  Missouri  to  add  to  the  earnings  of  our  main  lines  from  Chicago  to  c^i.  Uuca. 
that  great  valley. 


99  The  Rivals  of  the  West,  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati  and  Chicago. 

4 Chi. roads-  The  Rock  Island,  also,  comes  in  between  the  other  two,  and  no 
doubt  expects  to  share  in  the  business;  and  then  the  Burlington  and 
Missouri,  between  the  Rock  Island,  and  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joe. 
"With  four  Chicago  roads,  and  only  one  or  two  of  these  cross  lines 

-flt.L.ior2.  to  St,  Louis,  luust  sho  not  revolutionize  the  nature  of  trade,  to  turn 
those  same  currents  in  her  favor,  which  with  only  one  road,  and  that 
close  to  her,  and  built  directly  in  her  interest,  has  set  with  such 
tremendous  force  against  her,  as  that  its  construction  is  justly  deemed 
the  severest  blow  she  has  yet  received?     I  say  yet,  for  we  shall  find 

Another       another  line  in  contemplation,  still  more  injurious.     Northern  Mis- 

'■'""^'  souri  and  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  Avill  fortunately  be  supplied  with 

five  roads,  perhaps  six,  competing  to  take  their  trade  to  the  lake  ports, 
the  vei-y  best  they  can  have,  at  the  lowest  rates.  What  possible 
chance  has  St.  Louis  to  succeed  against  such  a  combination? 

Mo  Dem.  ^^^^  MissouH  Democrat,  of  Nov.  Sth,  urging  its  citizens  to  the 
importance  of  General  Hammond's  road  to  Omaha,  remarks: — 

Owaha  Reg.  Without  Strength  from  St.  Louis,  the  road  cannot  be  built.  Meanwhile,  the 
'  Omaha  Register  of  Saturday  says : 

"  Let  one  go  down  to  the  warehouse  of  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  railroad, 

Chi.  trade.  ^^  ^j^^  ]gygg^  ^^^(j  j^g  ^j]!  give  an  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  trade  which  is  growing 
up  with  Chicago.  Thereis  a  large  warehouse  packed  full  of  merchandise  from 
that  place,  which  an  army  of  teams  is  engaged  in  transferring  to  the  stores  of 
Omaha  traders.    The  Chicago  trade  is  rapiilly  assuming  enormous  proportions." 

Omaha  td^      Dcc.    28th  the    Chicago  Republican  had  the  following  dispatch 
fi-om  Omaha : — 
The  locomotive  has  come  to  town,  and  this  time  not  on  a  flat-boat  or  as  steamer 

Bridge  built,  freight,  but  on  its  own  wheels  and  by  its  own  steam  across  the  new  railroad  bridge 
that  now  links  Omaha  to  Council  Bluft's.  The  structure  is  a  substantial  pile  bridge 
without  a  draw,  which  latter  will  nt^t  be  necessary  through  the  ice-bound  winter 
mouths.  Tlie  bridge-builders  have  worked  with  mmiense  energy,  and  have  their 
ample  reward,  for  the  connection  is  now  comj^lete  and  without  break  from  Chi- 

u'°'iOio'^^i  ^^f^*^  ^"''  0^1^  i^iousancl  and  forty  miles  toward  the  heart  of  the  continent.  This  gives 
""  ""'■  an  opportunity  for  the  winter  freight  and  travel  to  pour  an  uninterrupted  stream 
across  the  Missouri  and  up  the  Platte  Valley  to  the  terminus  of  the  great  Pacific 
road.  Although  Gen.  Casement  announces  that  actual  track-laying  is  suspended 
during  the  close  months  of  winter,  the  interim  thus  helped  by  the  new  bridge  will 
enable  the  railroad  company  to  bring  forward  an  immense  amount  of  material 
and  equipment  for  spring  operations.     The  Union  Pacific  Company  will  build 

Ptighing  Pa-tiji-gg  hundred  miles  of  track  next  season,  and  will  inevitably  add  to  their  freight 

a  c  rod  .  ^^^  passenger  business  immensely.  Of  course  Omaha  is  jubilant  over  the  new 
bridge,  and  could  scarcely  be  persuaded  to  go  to  bed  at  all  on  Friday  night.  The 
draw  will  be  put  in  in  the  spring,  early  enough  to  open  the  way  for  river  craft. 

No  competi-     ^^  ^^'^  scrious  contcst  with  St.  Louis  for  the  trade  north  of  the 

L^°„7t\'''„f'"  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  and  the  Atchison  railroads,  it  is  idle  to 

St.  Jo.  road  t]ii„i^  of,     "When  her  capitalists  shall  see  their  duty — and  they  must 

mainly  defray  the  cost  and  do  the  work — they  will,  in  time,  build  two  or 

three  roads  across  Chicago's  seven  lines  west  of  the  Mississippi.    Each 

Her  lines     ouG  of  her  lines,  nevetheless,  will  send  more  business  into  Chicago 

*^    'than  into  St.  Louis.*     Ultimately  there  will  be  intermediate  east  and 

Perversion         *  The  danger  of  this  perversion  of  St.  Louis  railroads,  seems  to  be  understood  bv  the  knowing  ones,  for 
ol  St.  L  roads  ^ff^r  Mr.  Fagin's  speech  (see  p.  67 ,)  Judge  Bates,  the  President  of  the  North  Missouri  road,  was  called  to 

speak,  and  among otlier  tilings  said  : 
N.  Mo.  Road      "  Tiiere  is  another  matter  I  think  it  not  improper  to  mention.    There  are  two  roads  planned,  and  upon 
and  branch's  which  aomo  work  has  been  done,  to  be  connected  with  the  North  Missouri  road,  the  Iowa  Central,  and 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  97 

west  roads ;  but  being  now  wide  apart,  we  would  favor  a  few  north 
and  south  to  bring  trathc  upon  our  lines. 

Probably  St.  Louis  Avith  Cincinnati,  (p.  76)  will  find  the  Northwest ?'"""T^"'\ 
grapesrather  acid,  and  conclude  that  "the  business  between  Chicago 
and  the  Northwest  is  very  much  over-estimated  by  our  community." 
They  may,  too,  be  quite  happy,  as  is  Cincinnati,  in  the  "hope  to  com- 
mand a  full  share  from  the  region  lying  from  seventy  to  one  hundred  ^^/ygl^^j''' 
miles  north  of"  St.  Louis.     For  her  "  full  share"  even  of  that,  will  not 
only  be  drawn  upon  by  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joe  road  ;  but  she  will  be 
fortunate  beyond  expectations,  if  there  be  not  another  east  and  west  {[,"7'**'''*^^ 
line  between  her  and  that  faithful   ally.     For  just  in  time   for  the 
printer,  the  Jfissouri  Pemocrat,  honestlv  doins;  its  dutv  to  arouse  ^V"- '''"'""i 

*,..  .'  .  Liberty  Trib. 

St.  Louis  to  Its  dangers,  publishes  the  following   from   the  Liberty 
(Clay  CO.  Mo.,)  Tribune^  of  10th  January  : — 

The  West  Branch  of  the  North  Missmtri  RnUroad. — It  is  well  known  tliat  the  TrouMo  ai.'t 
location  of  this  road  is  up  the  bank  of  the  Missouri  river,  and  therefore  is  not  of  ^oat'brauch 
general  benefit  to  the  great  majority  of  tlie  people  of  our  county.    We  lay  no  claim 
to  mucli  railroad  knowledge,  but  we  cannot,  for  the  life  of  us,  see  wliat  tlie  road 
expects  to  gain,  beyond  its  grade,  by  its  present  location.    The  history  of  railroads 
prove  conclusively,  that  people  never  cross  one  road  to  ship  on  another,  situateii  Trade  does 
as  close  together  as  the  Cameron  and  North  Missouri  will  be.    Clay  county  is  one  "yj^^g"""^"* 
of  the  richest  in  Missouri,  and  her  trade  is  worth  something  to  any  road ;  and 
nearly  all  this  the  road  proposes  to  cut  off  and  send  to  Chicago  by  her  present 
location.    Tiie  North  Missouri  is  a  St.  Louis  road,  and  is  managed  by  St.  Louis 
men,  but  we  must  confess  that  Chicago  needs  no  better  drummer  than  the  present 
location  of  this  road. 

If  St.  Louis  expects  to  reap  any  advantage  from  the  West  Branch  of  the  North  Liherty  to  be 
Missouri  m  Clay  county,  she  must  build  tlie  road  so  as  to  make  Liberty  a  point.  »  p^'"'- 
By  the  present  location  the  Missouri  will  present  the  anomaly  of  a  railroad  tra- 
versing each  bank — for  the  road  from  Pike  county.  Mo.,  through  Ralls,  Audrain,  pikeCo.road 
Boone,  Howard,  Saline,  Lafayette  and  Jackson  to  Kansas  City,  will  be  built  and  that  ei^^t  'md 
too,  before  the  people  of  St.  Louis  get  their  eyes  fairly  open — and  the  interior  of  the  ""''*'• 
rich  counties  on  each  side  without  any  outlet  except  cross  roads,  most  of  them  leading 
to  Chicago.     This  is  what  St.  Louis  is  pleased  to  style  her  splendid  railroad  system, 
but  which  should  more  properly  be  styled  a  system  to  build  up  the  Eastern  cities 
to  the  detriment  of  St.  Louis. 

Asttmishing  as  it  may  appear,  on  a  visit  to  St.  Louis  the  other  day,  we  found  st.  L.  igno- 
leading  business  men  who  were  not  aware  that  the  Kansas  City  and  Cameron  rail-  ranee  of 
road  was  running,  and  carrying  east  millions  of  trade  that  formerly  went  to  St.  J:'""^" "'^ 
Louis.    How  are  we  to  account  for  such  indifference  on  the  part  of  St.  Louis  men  ? 

To  come  to  the  point  at  once,  if  St.  Louis  expects  to  retain  the  trade  of  Clay  How  retain 
county,  siie  must  build  the  road  in  question  so  as  to  compete  with  other  roads.  ^'^^^  ^°- 
TJie  people  are  not  going  to  cross  energetic  and  ably  managed  roads  and  travel  30 
miles  to  ship  on  the  North  Missouri.     They  will  patronize  the  nearest  road.     If  ,p|.jj^g^.u^ 
St.  Louis  affords  equal  advantages  Missourians  will  sustain  and  give  lier  the  pre-  g^  l  ^vitii 
ference;  if  not  they  will  go  where  their  interest  points.     So  far  as  Clay  county  is  equal  ladli- 
concerned,  the  bulk  of  her  trade  can  be  retained  to  St.  Louis  by  locating  the  North  ties. 
Missouri  through  Liberty.     Do  so,  and  our  word  for  it,  the  road  will  do  more  trade 
from  this  county  in  a  week  than  it  would  in  three  months  up  the  river  bank. 

the  St.  Louis  and  Cedar  Rapids,  that  in  turn  conneciiiig  with  the  Cedar  Valley  road,  both  running  north, 
and  it  is  hoped  to  extend  them  tlirough   Minnesota  to  St.  Haul.     It  is  importiint  lor  the  interests  of  St.  St.  L.  to  con- 
Louis  that  these  roads  should  be  controlled  by    St.   Louis,  either  through  the  North  Missouri  R;iilroad  trol  or  they 
Company,  or  otherwise,  or  tliey  may  be  so  controlled  as  to  become  feeders  to  the  roads  running  eaat  and  become  Chi. 
west  in  the  interests  of  Chicago.  roads. 

I  hope  the  board  will  excuse  me  from  further  remarks." 

Quite  probably  they  excused  him.     But  if  they  did,  vill  the  roads  altogether  refuse  freight  and  pas-  ^^^^  ^.^j 
Bengers  destined  lor  Chicago?     With  the  direct  interest  that  great  State  will  have  in  facilitating  inter-  ^^^^.  {-gre  of 
course  eastward  and  to  its  chief  market,  will   not  an  Iowa  legislature  find  proper  moans  to  prevent  itself, 
adverse  discrimination  ? 

7 


98 


Tlie  IClvals  of  the  West,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 


Romembor        Wc  most  respectfully  ask  the  business  men  of  St.  Louis  to  give  the  subject  their 
l'ikeC>..road      •  ug  consideration.     Let  tliem  remember  the  proposed  Pike  county  road   the 
most  (ian^-erous  to  her  interests  vet  agitated,  and  the  certainty  of  its  being  built, 
and  th'it  ''loo  on  the  bank  of  the  river  opposite  the  present  location  of  the  JSorth 
Missouri'  road  •  and  also  remember  that  the  trade  of  a  county  as  rich  m  every 
re=;ource  as  this  is,  will  be  souiiht  after,  and  will  flow  into  the  hands  of  the  city 
that  throws  out  the  greatest  inducements  in  the  way  of  roads,  etc. 
Sitnationof       -po  Understand  the  force  of  this  it  slioiild  be  remembered,  that  Clay 
ciiiyCo.       ^j^mjiy  ig  almost  due    Avest  of  St,  Louis,  on   the  north  bank  of  the 
Missouri  river,  a  little  east  of  its  great  bend  from  its  course  south  to 
Cameronand  ^,^gj.^     r^y^^  Camcron  and  Kausas  road  runs  through  Clay  county  on 
the  west  side,  which  is  a  Chicago  road,  as  we  have  seen.     This  north 
and  soutli  Missouri  Valley  Railroad  is  expected  to  accomplish  great 
A.uiemma.  thiiigs  for  St.  Louis.     But  shc  isin  a  dilemma.     If  she  run  her  road 
to  the  Missouri  along  its  banks,  as  she  might  be  expected  to  do,  tlie 
business  of  Clay  county  Avill  not  seek  it  across  a  Chicago  road.    And 
if  she  cross  the  Cameron  road,  what  becomes  of  business  west  of  it  ? 
Pike  County      The  Pike  county  route  has  not  before  been  heard  of.     It  starts 
ro.iteanew  j^^^^^^  ^j^^  Mississippi  some  50  or  60  miles  north  of  St.  Louis,  running 
due  west,  crossing  the  Missouri  about  50  miles  west  of  Jefferson  City, 
—proper  for  making  almost  an  air  line  to  Kansas.      Quite  a  proper  line  is  it  for  the 
Chicago. '""^ route  traversed,  and  for  Chicago;  and  thougli  prospective,  will  be 
built  before  many  of  the  roads  St.  Louis  has  upon  her  list  of  hopes. 
Contest  for        For  busiuess  south  and  southwest  of  Missouri  to  the  Gulf,  there 
MSo^iirL ■  °*^  will  be  some  contest.     If  the  wealth  of  St.  Louis  be  largely  nsed  to 
buy  up  roads  and   let  them  lie  idle  rather  than  work  in  their  natural 
channel,  that  for  a  time  may  prevent  business  seeking  the  lakes;  but 
Avill  ii  therefore  go  to  St.  Louis?     Mr.  Cobb  felicitates  himself  and 
Mr.Aiien's    St.  Louis,  upou  the  "  Sagacity  and  liberality  of  Mr.  Thomas  Allen,  in 
cai'ro'anV^  giving  $350,000,   besides  a  proportion  of  the  $375,000   bonu3  for  the 
Fulton  road.  Q.^^y^  ^^^^  Fultou  road  of  Missouri,  which  is  of  no  use  to  him,  which 
he  did  not  want,  and  which,  in  its  original  aim,  was  more  hostile  to 
St.  Louis  than  the  Hannibal   and  St.  Joe  foreign  movement," — read 
the  entire  quotation  again,  (p.  40).     If  friend  Allen  can  find  no  better 
use  for  his  wealth  than  that,  he  had  better  come  to  Chicago.     What 
A  villainous  a  villaiiious   scheme   he  nipped  in  the  bud,  if  it  really  were  a  more 
niijpcd.        rascally  trick  than  that  "Hamilton  and   St.  Joe"  affair!     But  the 
Illinois  Central   has  power  and  inclination,  and  will  find  ways  and 
means  to  afford  southeastern  Missouri  and  Arkansas  and  Texas  an 
avenue  to  the  lakes  as  well  as  to  St.  Louis,  creating  fair  competition 
for  that  important  trade.     Did  not  St.  Louis  fear  to  meet  it,  would 
their  solid  men  wu-ite  such  letters  as  tliat  over  their  own  names  ? 
Difficult  to        To  control  every  avenue,  however,  between  the  reG:ion  soutinvest 

coutri)!  eve-         .  . 

ry  lino  to  of  St.  Louis  and  the  lakes,  will  be  somewhat  difficult.  The  Illinois 
Central  Railway  will  attend  faithfully  to  Chicago  interests  thither- 
wards, though  another  competing  route  for  St.  Louis,  and  nearly  as 
advantageous  for  Chicago,  is  opened  from  Little  Rock,  in  Arkansas, 


PiUit,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investmeiits.  99 

via  the  Louisville  and  Chicago  road.     Even  witli  the  advantage  of 
possessing  Mr.  Hood's  barn,  considerable  knowledge  of  the  tricks  of 
the  trade,  will  be  requisite  for  St.  Louis  to  hold  that  directly  south  bouMi  of  hor. 
of  her. 

But  "  flank  movements  "  Avest  are  most  feared  and  with  aini)le  cause,  ,^,'^'u^.'""^*'' 
The  Missouri  Democrat,  ([>.  2G),  alluded  to  the  Cameron  and  Kansas  ^^^pron and 
road,  for  Avhich  aid  could  not  be  gotten  in  Chicago,  and  probably  for  ^"""'** ■'"'"^• 
the  very  gootl  reason   that  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joe  interest  could 
and  would  take  care  of  Chicago's  interest  there.*     While  poverty  cip^nno^ 
has  hitherto  prevented  much  aid  to  railways,  capital  has  been  and  is'^'"'*'  ^'''^'"''^• 
rapidly  accumulating,  and  unless  her  past  record  sliall  be  falsified, 
and  her  nature  essentially  changed,  she  will  do  considerable  hence- 
forth to  advance  her  own  interests.     This  should  be  done,  of  course, 
where  it  will  do  most  in  her  favor;  and  she  evidently  agrees  with  St. 
Louis  in  estimating  "flank  movements."     The  Missouri  Republican,, 
(p.  27),  speaks  of  a  road  from  Kansas  toward  Galveston  being  under 
contract  and  partly  graded  ;  and  the  papers  announce  the  completion 
of  30  miles  of  road  from  Lawrence  to  Ottawa,  part  of  the  Galveston  amiuTivts- 
road,  which  is   already    connected    with    Chicago    by  the    road  to  imji["30 
Leavenworth  and  St.  Joe.  ""''^^^' 

Now  it  happens  that  we  have  an  instance  right  in  hand,  of  the'^'"","^^'" 

'•■'■__  ^  '  work. 

way  Chicago  capital  is  to  be  used.     This  Lawrence  and  Galveston 
road  has  been  taken  in  hand   exclusively  by  two  wealthy  Cliicngo 
citizens.     Mr.  "William  Sturgis  is  President  of  the  Company,  and  its  presideu^^ 
chief  and  efficient  promoter,  who  is  backed  up  by  one  of  our  million- _„ capitalist 
aires,  who  refuses  positively  to  allow  his  name  to  be  used  in  this  con-"'^^'"'"' 
nection.f     The  two  have  spent  about   a  quarter  of  a  million   each  in 
building  and  thoroughly  equipinug  the  first  30  miles  south,  which  has  30  miles  built 
been  in  active  use  to  Ottawa  since  1st  January.     My  friend  assures 

*  That  was  a  mistake.    Our  citizens  took  $100,000  of  bonds,  and  would  have  taken  more  had  it  been  .      .  .  , 

A  mistake, 
necesbarv.    I  relied  upon  what  the  editor  said  without  due  inquiry,  and  do  not  care  to  alter  the  text. 

■j-  The  circumstances  of  the  case,  however,  justify  me  in  taking  the  liberty  with  a  friend  of  over  thirty-  jj^    p  p.  \f_ 
five  years,  to  say  that  it  is  Mr.  P.  F.  VV.  Peck.     I  was  not  aware  that  Chicago  men  were  interested  in  this  Peck  the 
road,  until  after  the  above  was  written, about  completing  thirty  miles;  when  hearing  that  Mr.  Peck  had  capitalist, 
invested  lieavily,  and  Mr.  Sturgis  being  at  that  time  in  Ivansas,  I  went  to  Mr.  P.  for  information,  which 
he  cheerfully  suppliad,  but  peremptorily  refused  that  his  name  should  be  used.    But  it  is  too  notable  au 
example  of  what  other  millionaires  can  and  should  do,  to  be  passed  over  in  silence. 

Mr  Peck  is  one  of  about  a  dozen  citizens  whose  advent  antedates  my  own.     He  was  a  young  merchant  Third   build- 
on  liis  own  account,  while  I  was  clerk  for  my  father.    In  February  or  March,  183",  I  aided  to  raise  the  '"^  '" 
frameof  his  store.    The  first  frame  building  was   Mr.  Robert  A.  Kinzie  s  store,  on  the  West  Side:  Mr. 

George  W.  Dole's  store,  south-east  corner  of  Dearborn  and  South  Water  streets,  was  second;  and  Mr. 

Peck's  third.     Previous  buildings  were  of  logs.     The  first  brick  building  was  erected  in  1833,  on  or  near  First  brick. 

the  corner  of  North  Water  and   State   streets,  the   brick   so  poorly  burned  that  they  crumbled  away. 

The  next  was  Mr.  Henian  Bond's  dwelling,  erected   I  think  in  1834,  where  the  post  office  now  is.    The 

third  was  Mr.  Guidon  S.  Hubbard's  store,  on  the  southwest  corner  of  La  Salle  and  South  Water  streets, 

erected  in  1835,  which  for  several   years  loomed    up,   the  most  conspicuous  object  from  the  piaries  for 

many  miles. 

Rev.  Jeremiah  Porter  had  organized  the  first  Presbyterian  Church  of  all  the  Northwest,  (except  that  First  Presb  a 

of  the  excellent  Father  Kent  at  Galena,)  on  the  2Gth  of  June,  1833,  with  25  members,  16  of  them  belong-  vjr  P's  loft. 

ing  to  thefort,  where  services  were  held  until  Mr.  Peck's  loft  was  habitable;  when,  without  plastering,  the 

front  part  «as  used  as  our  church,  and  the  rear,  separated  by  a  curtain,  was  the  sleeping  apartment  of 


100  The  Rivals  of  the  West,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 


Sure  to  go  on 


tj  Chi. 


me  tliat  under  the  competent  direction  of  Mr.  Sturgis,  and  also  of 
Major  Henning,  Vice  President,  and  Col.  Vliet,  Engineer,  it  shall  be 
built  through  to  the  State  line,  the  end  of  their  charter,  within  this 
year,  if  he  and  Mr.  Sturgis  have  to  furnish  tlie  entire  capital, 
$2,000,000.  Nothing  can  prevent  this,  if  life  be  spared,  but  f\ictious 
opposition  on  the  part  of  counties  traversed,  which  the  strong  friend- 
ship and  liberal  aid  by  county  bonds  which  they  have  offered  to  induce 
to  the  enterprise,  and  the  large  interest  they  have  in  its  most  speedy 
leomiies from  gQ,)str action,  forbid   should    be    apprehended.     I  am  told  180  miles 

Giil¥c»toa  iu  ,  ,      .  -,      ,        .  •  Ml   u 

n»B-  from  Galveston  are  already  in  use,  and  the  intervening  space  will  be 

tilled  by  the  time  St.  Louis  shall  have  tilled  the  gaps  in  her  lines  in 
her  own  State. 
Small  trade       Only  a  little  traffic  is  expected  from  that  distance  ;  yet  if  there  be 
any  where  in  the  Great  Valley  of  the  lakes  and  rivers  one  chief  com- 
mercial and  mannfacturing  city  of  easy  access,  all   sections  from  the 
Gulf  around  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  will  pay  it  more  or  less  tribute. 
Texas  to  be  Evcn  Tcxas  rccognizcs  the  importance   of  railway   connection  with 
connected.     Qi^j^j^g^)^  though  there  also  the  opinion  prevails  that  St.  Louis  is  "the 
nousUmTd.  metropolis  of  the  Mississippi  Valley."     Says  the  Houston  (Texas) 
Telegraph  : — 

Growth  of        St.  Louis  and  Texas. — The  growth  of  St.  Louis  is  one  of  the  marvels  of  America. 

St.  L.  Thirty  years  ago  it  was  a  town  of  6000  inhabitants  ;  to-day  it  has  a  population  of 

229,000.  It  lias  increased  nearly  100,t)00  in  the  last  ten  years.  And  it  is  now 
marching  forward  with  giant  strides  to  metropolitan  wealth  and  power.  It  is  not 
only  the  metropolis  of  Missouri,  one  of  the  richest  States  in  the  Union,  but  it  is 

Metropolis    the  metropolis  of  tlio  Mississippi  Valley.     And  as  the  Mississippi  Valley  is  rapidly 

•iMiBs.  Vai. ijggoming  the  heart  of  tlie  Union,  St.  Louis  bids  fair  at  no  distant  day  to  be  the 
central  city  of  the  United  States.  Tlie  Mississippi  river  above  St.  Liniis  is  navi- 
gable for  800  miles,  and  below  it  for  l,o45  miles ;  while  the  Missouri  river  is  navigable 

jj.^^g  jj  QQQ  above  it  for  3,000  miles.     Altogether  St.  Louis  has  navigation  for  11,000  miles. 

miles.  '  This  puts  her  iu  communication  by  water  with  every  town  within  a  rich  valley  of 
1.200,000  square  miles,  capable  of  sustaining  a  population  f)f  200,000,000.  When 
the  Great  Pacific  Railroad  is  completed,  which  will  not  be  very  long,  and  St.  Louis 
IS  in  communication  with  New  York  on  the  east,  and  San  Francisco  on  the  west — 
the  first  1,000  miles  distant,  and  the  secimd  2,800 — there  is  no  calculating  the 

St.  L.  and  c.  rapidity  of  her  growth.     St.  Louis  and  Chicago  are  rivaling  each  other  in  the  race 

rivals.  to  overtake  New  York  and   Philadelphin,  and  these  grand  cities  of  the  West  will 

sooner  approximate  these  great  cities  of  tlie  East  than  is  generally  imagined. 
Railroad  communicaticm  with  St.  Louis  and  Chicago  will  make  the  fortune  of 

Messrs.  Peek  and  Porter,  and  the  latter's  study,  until  he  erected  his  study  on  Lake  street,  about  No.  150. 
There,  too,  we  gathered  the  little  urchins,  mostly  French  and  hiilf-breeds,  in  the  Sunday  School. 
Oldest  build-      New  comers  ought  to  look  with  reverence  on  that  oldest  building  of  the  city,  still   standing  on  the 
ing  in     1  .      south-east  corner  of  South  Water  and  La  Salle  ntreets,  a  humble  monument  to  tlie  early  endeavors  to 
plant  religious  institutions,  where  they  now  so  abound,  in  this  city  of  a  quarter-million.    How  I  would 
like  to  pursue  the  ^uiiject,  and  speak  of  the  excellent  Methodist,  Baptist,  and  Episcopal  co-laborers  in 
unity.  this  holy  work.     There  was  no  denominational  division.    We  met  in  each  other's  cliurches,  as  most  con- 

venient; and  the  christian  unity  and  love  with  which  God  started  this  embryo  city  has  been  one  ol  its 
most  influential  means  of  advancement.     But  I  must  stop  this. 
M     P.  ck  *^'^'  ^'"^^'  ^'"'  ^"'  •*  small  amount  of  real  estate  compared  with  mine  in  1836,  has  had  the  good  sense 

wealthy.  '"  •'■ave  otlior  business  aloLe,  keep  his  lots,  and  judiciously  invest  his  income.  I  am  poor,  and  he  has 
put  a  (luarter-million  into  this  road,  to  be  quadrupled  if  necessary.  Nor  is  he  the  only  millioraire  that 
liona'ir""  to  ^''"  '""'  "''''  ^'"  "^^'^^^  '"  "'"*"'  enterprises.  Let  them  be  doing  in  these  few  remaining  years,  that 
follow  his  wliich  will  tell  on  the  future  of  this  city,  more  than  ten-fold  what  the  same  expenditure  of  effort  and 
example.  money  can  do  only  ten  years  hencn.  Wo  want  Pecks  enough  of  this  sort  to  make  up  bushels,  and  what 
amounts  will  the  grand-sons  have  to  measure. 


I*ast,  Preseyit  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  101 

Houston  and  Galveston,  and  every  energy  of  the  State  of  Texas  should  be  pvit  fi>rth  ThoHP  rou- 
to  complete  this  comnumieation  as  soon  as  possiblt;.     Not  only  will  it  make  our'""''"""'"'' 
cities  great  and  wealthy,  but  it  will  enrich  the  entire  State.     Wiu-n  the  people  of  tiie  Texill-'" 
East,  North,  and  Nortliwest,  as  also  the  Middle  and  Western  States,  can  jxiur  down 
into  Texas  by  railroad,  instead  of  goina;  round  by  New  Orleans,  and  crossing  the 
Gulf,  the  revolution  that  will  take  i)lace  in  trade  and  tiie  increase  of  population  are 
beyond  our  present  calculation.     Tlie  completion  of  liiis  railroad  comnuinicalion, 
and  the  railroad  communication  with  New  Orleans,  are  the  two  great  objects  to  be— tofiUup 
accomplislied  before  Texas  will  till  up  with  population  like  tlie  Noiihwestern  lik«  N.  w. 
States  have  done. 

"The   Mississippi  Valley  is  rapidly   becoming   the  lieart  of  the  f'f,;«^;l!:r 
Union."     Has  it  not,  tliougli,  been  proved   a  non  seqicitur,  tliat  there-  ,';',"'',','.',krst. 
fore  "St.  Louis  bids  lair  at  no  distant  day  to  be  the  central  city  of ''•'"'• 
the  United  States"?      Geographically  slie  is  quite  central  of   both 
Union  and  Valley;  yet  is  it  not  quite   significant  that  trade  of  the 
Valley  itself,  wliich  slie  ought  first  to  hold,  is  fast  riuming  away  irom 
her?  is  actually  rushing,  not  to  a  point  in  that  valley  at  all,  but  to 
the  head  of  the  lake  valley  ?     Where  is  the  Mississippi  Valley?     Is 

.  *^  N.  W    Its 

not  its  chief  part  that  Northwest,  which  their  every  writer  concedes  c'i't-'"i'»rt 

11  111  CIT-  Til  lv>  .  '""'  '"  '**'"• 

lias  been  already  lost  to  St.  Louis,  and  by  herculean  enorts  in  railway 
building  can  alone  be  regained  ?  What  she  is  to  the  Mississippi 
Vallev,  she  is  to  the  rest  of  the  Union,  and  nothing  more.     The  Mis-  Mississippi 

**  ,    .  .  .00  head. 

sissippi  itself  is  only  an  indefinite  viaduct,  without  head  or  tail,  of 
which  the  lower  part  has  incomparably  the  greatest  value,  and  within 
ten  years  will  actually  do  more  business  with  Chicago  than  with  St. 
Louis.  Had  it  a  head,  somewhat  could  be  predicated  upon  that  im- 
portant advantage.  But  with  an  indefinite  number  of  heads,  and  jjp,,p„pj;jg 
they  mere  springs  of  supply  like  the  sources  of  trade,  Avhich  a  city  of  '"'^'''>"''«' 
any  pretensions  must  have  innumerably  ;  and  the  very  best  advantage 
it  has  or  can  afford  being  a  site  somewhere  near  the  centre  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  or  within  150  miles  of  it,  and  upon  either  bank; 
that  would  hardly  be  accepted  as  sufticiently  definite  to  be  made 
a  main  premise  in  an  argument  as  to  either  natural  or  artificial 
advantages. 

On  the  other  hand,  Chicago  is  not  like  every  important  inland  city,  Chi.  athend 
located   upon  a  long  river  or  chain  of  lakes,  with  rivals  above  and 
below;  but  she  occupies  the  sole  seat  of  supremacy,  at  the  farthest 
extremity  of  lake  naviffatiun;  a  site  so  prominent  to  far-sighted  men 

,  _^      -.TT-'^     ^-l^•  •  1     •  1  1  •     o  Clinton   pro- 

long gone,  thatDe  Witt  Clinton  pointed  it  out  as  among  the  chief 'li'ttii  its 

,  importance. 

01  the  country. 

As  the  invest! <>:ation  procuresses,  it  will  become  yet  more  apparent,  Contre of Re- 
that  if  there  is  to  be  one  central  city  to  accommodate  the  entire  Re- tiiat  head, 
public,  and  be  so  recognized,  it  cannot  be  upon  any  river,  but  must 
be  here  at  the  head  of  lake  navigation.     At  all  events,  if  St.  Louis  is 
to  have  that  honor,  she  has  quite  a  little  job  on  hand,  which  will  test 
the  powers  of  her   "race  of  humans":  notliing  less  than  to  I'evolu-^'nfi;*"^^®'" 
tionize   art  and  nature.      "Old-fashioned  cause  and  eftect,"  which  °'""''®~ 
probably  includes  nature,  having  signally  failed  to  sustain  St.  Louis' 


102  Tlie  Rivals  of  the  West,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 

pretensions,  notwithstanding  linn  faitli  in  them;  notliing  remains  bnt 

merely  that  her  extraordinary  "race  of  liumans"  should  supersede 

the  miserable  rivers,  with  something  of  nature  that  will  become  more 

-ai»oart.     subservieut  to  their  Queen.     Also,  those  false-hearted  things  of  art, 

both  new  and  old-fashioned,  having  forsworn  allegiance  to  her  majesty 

of  the  Rivers,  and   railways  and  canals  all  through  the  west,  eon- 

temniiio-  lier  gracious  sway  and  pationage;  that  same  extraordinary 

"race  of  humans"  will  of  course  invent  some  new  art  to  over-ride 

oi-dinary  humans  who  dare  to  intrude  upon  the  River  Monarch  in  her 

march  to  greatness.     For  such  a  "  race  of  hmnans  "  are  too  wise  to 

Easier  to  in- waste  their  powers,  however  infinite;  and  invention  or  creation  of 

than "Tcor- new  mcans  is  easier  than  correction  of  those  incorrigible  old  offenders, 

rect  old  for-^^^j,^^  seem  determined  both  naturally  and  artfully  to  work  in  favor  of 

Chicago. 
Thattbeneg-     That,  howevcr,  is  rather  the  Aveak  side  of  the  case,  as  it  proves 
nothing  positively.     Who  can  tell  what  may  not  be  done  by  an  extra- 
ordinary   "  race  of   humans  who  [don't]  build  paper  cities  and  air 
castles,"  bnt  who  have   him  of  the  road  for  a  patron,  and  do  live  in 
and  about  Mr.  Hood's  barn  !     So  that  while  treating  the  negative  side 
treated!"'^    of  the  case  with  that  awfully  tremendous  solemn  solemnity  which  befits 
it,  the  affirmative  also  had  its  appropriate  consideration.     Not  that  wo 
are  suj)posed  to  have  answered  the  many  salient  points — nimble  leapers 
are  they  verily  over  both  facts  and  reason; — for  this  pai)er  is  designed 
for  men  who  have  observation  and  judgment  of  their  own.     Nor  did 
it  appear  expedient  to   belabor  with  too  serious  consideration  some 
of  the  more  preposterous  claims.     However  it  may  be  as  to  the  nega- 
Affirmative  ^^^'^i  ^^  ^^'^^  probably  be  conceded  that  nine  affirmative  points  are 
has  9  points.  j.ya^gQjjably  established,  which  let  us  glance  at  in  reverse  order  : — 

1.  Weakest       1st.    (l4.)     Chicinnati.  St.  Louls  and  Chicago,  the  chief  Hivals. — 

beats  the  .    .  . 

Btrougtst.  "Whereas  both  the  first  and  second  cities  largely  led  the  third  only  20 
years  since;  the  weakest  in  wealth,  population,  business  and  prestige^ 
lias  made  herself  mistress  of  the  eniire  Northwest,  with  no  possi- 
bility of  her  dethronement  except  by  creating  new  forces  in  nature, 
or  by  inventing  an  entirely  new  application  of  the  old  forces  which 
have  wrought  the  results.  Yet  this  had  been  shown  to  be  reasonably 
probable  in  considering  the  ])revious  topic: — 

2.  comwna-      2d.     (13.)      l^hc  Difference    between   Chicago   and    other  Wester7i 

tioDofcaus-     ^  ^ir      ,■  ^    ■  ,   •     i       '         -i  i      , 

es.  Centres. —  \\  elound  it  was  not  one  or  two  causes  Avhich  produced  the 

results  but  a  remarkable  combination,  never  before  witnessed,  and 
never  to  be  again  witnessed;  because  the  habitable  globe  has  no 
other  such  site,  either  occupied  or  unoccupied.  Also,  the  more 
effective  difterences  were  so  obvious,  that  we  found  them  frankly 
acknowledged  by  those  who  suppose  themselves  rivals.  Chief  of 
these  differences  was   Chicago's  unequaled  position  at  the   head  of 


jPast,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investmentn.  103 

lake  navigation,  wliieh  liad    been   j)revious]y   considered  under  tlic 
topic — 

3d     (12).      The  Lake  Route  to  the  East  and  Europe. — Not  only''- ^-''t'e 

;       '        ,  ^  ''   route. 

does  this  cliain  of  lakes  afford  tlie  grandest  inland  navigation  of  the 
world,  but  the  lakes  are  so  peculiarly  located  as  to  compel  500  to  GOO 
miles  north  and  south,  and  e.\ten<ling  indefinitely  to  the  Kocky  Moun- 
tains and  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  to  pay  tribute  to  Chicago  at  the  ^|;;;  "'"i'""- 
western  extremity,  giving  this  head-port  so  large  an  advantage  over 
way-side  ports,  as  to  render  it  absolutely  certain  that  she  must  be 
the  emporium  of  the  Lake  Valley.  So  superior  had  tlie  lakes  proved  LnkcB  rupp- 
to  the  many  thousand  miles  of  river  navigation,  that  while  connnerce 
on  the  latter  has  relatively  deteriorated,  and  at  St.  Louis,  their  chief 
port,  has  actually  and  largely  diminished;  that  of  the  lakes  has 
steadily  and  rapidly  augmented,  until  Chicasro  has  been  for  several  cht.  chief 

.  .  ?  .  Kniin  and 

years,  and  probably  will  continue  to  be  for  all  time,  the  chief  grain  and  provi^ii.u 
provision  market,  not  merely  of  our  country,  but  of  the  world.     AsTrmiewith 
such,  Europe  must  soon  obtain  ample  and  direct  communication  with  ""''"'"^• 
it  by  the  St.  Lawrence.     Requiring  such  a  vastly  greater  tonnage  to 
carry  away  the  bulky  articles  of  produce  than  to  bring  V)ack  ordinary 
merchandise;  what  other  result  can  be  expected,  than  that  the  cheap 
freights  to  Chicago,  will   not  only  render   it  the  chief  importing  and  cinof  for  im- 
exporting  city  between  the  Great  West  and  Europe,  but  also  for  very  puns  of  the 
much  eastward?     An  influential  consideration  bearing  upon  this  topic 
in  regard  to  distribution  from  the  lake  port  toward  the  Atlantic,  as 
well  as  for  facilitating  business  from  the  West,  had  been  considered, 
and   we   had    already   ascertained    the    superiority   of    Chicago    in 
having — 

4th  (l  1).  Five  Rival  RailvKiys  Eastward. — These  which  we  already  •*•  s  railways 
have,  supply  far  more  facilities,  and  stronger  competition,  even  with- 
out the  lakes,  their  powerful  regulator,  than  any  other  city  possesses. 
Yet  a  sixth  to  Norfolk  must  soon  be  added,  together  witli  new  lines -and  others. 
to  each  of  the  others,  several  of  which  can  be  formed  by  uniting 
roads  already  in  use  with  a  few  short  links  ;  which,  if  a  little  more 
circuitous,  would  carry  at  the  same  rates  with  other  lines,  to  secure  a 
share  of  the  immense  through  trade. 

Also,  Chicago   has   already   become  so   completely  and   firmly  the  No  ^uy 
entrepot  of  the   Northwest,   the    trade   of  which   is   the  prize  most^^'-awd  aa 
coveted  by  every  Atlantic  port;    that  from  Norfolk  north,   no  city 
has   an   equal  interest  in   creating  the  shortest,  cheapest,  and  most 
numerous  connections  with  any  one  city  anywhere  upon  this  whole 
continent,  as  with  Chicago. 

For  this  unexampled  result,  which  speaks  loudly,  not  only  for  this  Jy'faciiuiM 
city,  but  for  the   importance  of  the   region  possessing  such  a  centre,'"*^'' 
we  had  been  prepared  by  considering  facilities  now  in  full  operation 


104       Tlie  Eivah  of  the  West,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 

tlioiii^rh  constantly  improving,  to  gather  the  productions  of  the  Great 
Northwest,  of  which  was  first, — 
^  Tils  and       5th  (10).    The  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal.     Its  possible  continu- 
MicUCaiiui-  ^^^^-^^^^  ^^  i^oe/t  Island. — The  fact  that  a  rain  drop  here  falling  from  the 
skies     could   lialf  of  it  run  its  ocean-course   to  the  Gulf  of  the  St. 
-unitos  lakes  Lawrence,  the  other  half  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  indicated  the  pro- 
and  rivers.    p,.jp|.y  ^f  enlarging  the  connection,  and  here  uniting  the  Great  Valley 
of  the  Rivers,  and   the    Great  Valley  of  the  Lakes,  in  indissoluble 
bonds.     The   value  of  these  thousands  of  miles  of  river  navigation, 
Jd-*"'""^  especially  for  the  immense  work  of  bearing  onward  to  market  the 
countless  amounts  of  bulky  agricultural  products  which  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley  will  soon  produce,  will  compel  the  opening  of  water 
communication  through  to  the  lakes,  from  Rock  Island  direct,  as  well 
to*R°iTiHud. as  by  the  Illinois  River,  on  a  scale  commensurate  with  the  trade. 
R.iiiway  fa-       But  although  the  advantage  of  conjoining  Avator  communication  of 
u  itiesgrea  -^jj^ij.jgg  "which  strctcli  a  thousand  miles  each  side  of  her,  far  exceeds  any 
advantage  of  any  other  city  of  the  West;  yet  this  dwindles  in  com- 
parison with   railway  facilities.     As  an  opening  of  new  routes,  the 
effect  of  which  upon  the  commerce  of  the  whole  world  no  man  can 
anticipate,  but  which  Chicago,  from  its  advantages  of  direct  com- 
merce with  Europe,  as  well  as  with  Atlantic  ports,  must  derive  more 
benefit  from  than  any  two  or  three  other  cities,  we  had  of  necessity 
examined, — 
6.  Pacific          6Ui  (9).    The  Pacific  Raikoays  in  Progress — Their  Efects. — The 
rai  wdjs.      gu^^cygg  Qf  i\^Q  i-^Q  lines  from  Kansas  and  Omaha,  which  were  designed 
to  unite,  but  will  now  go  through  on  routes  several  hundred  miles 
apart,  demonstrates  their  profits  to  builders  and    advantages  to  the 
country  to  such  an  extent,  as  to  render  certain  the  immediate  aiding 

Several  to  be  •'  .  /.        i  --^  -,        •   ^      ^  i 

built.  and  construction  of  other  routes.      Connected  with  the  most  southern 

Chi.  sure  of  at  Kausas  and   at  Lawrence,  as  Chicago   already  is,  and  being  sui-e 

most  of  the        ,,,.,.,.  „  i  i  •  i'       i  i      i  m 

trade.  oi  the  cluei  DusHiess  oi  every  other  nne  larther  north   by  railways 

already  built  west  of  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri,  and  rapidly  ex- 
tending ;  however  important  that  trade,  either  from  the  Pacific  coast 
or  the  montanic  region,  no  city  can  obtain  as  much  of  it  as  Chicago, 
probably  not  one-third.  Surely  the  trade  of  the  Orient,  which  from 
ancient  times  has  given  wealth  to  the  cities  that  could  obtain  it,  is 
Still  not  the  wortliy  of  Consideration  in  such  an  investigation  as  this.  Notwith- 
cuiation-*^'^'  Standing,  the  Pacific  trade  being  hypothetical,  it  was  made  a  less  basis 
in  this  estimate  than  business  from  the  montanic  retjion,  which  these 

— nor  mon-  ~  ' 

tauic trade,   game  roads  will  control  until  intermediate  lines  are  constructed,  still 

more  effectually  to  bear  the  traftic  to  Chicago.     Yet  even  that  might 

be  regarded  hypothetical,  and  was  only  incidentally  introduced  ;  the 

real  basis  being  what  had  already  been  accomplished  in  that, — 

point  of  It,-     Tth  (8).    7'Ae  Focal  Point  of  the  Great  West  is  fixed  immovably  by 

railway'.""    ovtr  7 /jOO  of  its  11,000  Milcs  of  Railway  centering  at   Chicago. — 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  1 05 

Not  yet  18  years  liave  transpired,  since  tlie  first  42  miles  of  railway  i&  ii'"«2*2 

.  t  '  •'    to  'Ji4  uiilev 

out  of  Chicago  were  finished  to  Fox  Kiver.*  Now,  15  trunk  lines 
run  to  all  points  of  the  compass — except  from  east  to  north  Avhere 
the  lake  is  better  than  as  many  more  railways, — each  242  to  974  miles, 
with  numerous  branches  ramifying  tlie  West  in  all  directions. 

The  system,  too,  has  been  so  thoroughly  eslablished,  by  this  long  {^[|i^'^',f'^"'"^ 
and  wide  out-spreading  like  the  spokes  of  a  wheel,  that  change  is 
absolutely  impossible.  St.  Louis,  as  we  have  seen,  has  been  styled 
by  her  flatterers,  the  "natural  hub  of  the  continent."  Whatever 
Chicago  is  called,  she  is  in  truth  the  artificial  hub  of  the  Northwest, 
and  as  such,  of  the  Republic.  Her  railway  spokes  fasten  her /W^oes  — fei'oe*  bo- 
to  her  so  securely,  that  no  rivers  can  wash  them  away  ;  the  wheel 
revolving  with  resistless  power,  so  that  no  interposing  wheel  can 
come  into  existence. 

Also,  while  each  company  has  built  its  spoke  solely  to  support  its  ^x!^^l,l^\^ei't 
own  intei'ests,  endeavoring  to  make  the  wheel  bring  grists  to  its  own  '"t"f«**^ 
mill;  yet  an  equal  areacannotbe  carved  out  on  the  globe,  upon  which 
an   equal  number  of  miles  of  railway  have  been  built  in  the  same 
period,  which  so  pei-fectly  accommodate  the  country  traversed.     One  J^uiic." 
half  of  all  the  railways  of  the  West,  are  in  these  straight  spokes  ; 
and  over  two-thirds  of  the  remainder  are  supporting  branches,  almost 
as    efficient  stays  of  the  wheel,  as  are  the  spokes  themselves.     The  ^uj,' **  ^'"* 
centre  of  a  wheel  like  that,  is  not  Chicago  truly  the  artificial  hub,  at 
least  of  the  Northwest? 

Nor  is  this  wheel  of  commerce,  at  the  beck  of  any  extraordinary^^'";'''"'''**' 
"race  of  humans"  hibernating  toward  the  circumference,  to  be  led ''^'"— 
to  follow  their  example  and  disregard  the  laws  of  its  very  existence. 
While  most  wheels  are  centrifugal  in  their  eflfects,  that  of  commerce 
is  centripetal,  and  most  of  that  which  comes  within  its  whirl,  will 
very  likely  find  its  centre.  The  wheel  planned  and  constriicted  under 
such  wonderful  combination,  would  work  true  upon  its  focal  i)ivot 
immutably  fixed,  not  only  by  art,  but  by  nature  also ;  for,  as  we  have 
immediately  before  considered — 

8th  (7).  Art  following  Nature'' s  Lead,    Chicago  has  no  ^«-'«e.9 /or  ,~^.;^r^ J^ 
liailwai/s,  though  she  has  several  times  inore  than  any  Hival,  and 
nearly  two-thirds  of  all  west  of  the  Toledo  and  Cincinnati  Road,  and 
north  of  the  Ohio  River. — The  position  of  Chicago  at  the  head  of  "..^t " f  iLi!^' 
lake  navigation,  wrought   a  confluence  of  interest  between  her  and  ^!i"ii'^cui.'^ 
the  .shrewd  capitalists  of  New  York  and  New  England,  which  has 
abundantly  relieved  her  feebleness  in  money.     With  barely  asking 

*  The  President  of  that  Galena  Railroad  Company,  Hon.  W.  B.  Ogden,  is  now  acknowledged  Railway  jjon.  W.  B. 
King  of  the  West;  and  although  he  used  to  consider  my  calculations  extravagant,  no  other  man  living,  Oj;deii  rail- 
BO  far  1V8  I  know,  has  so  anticipated  the  importance  of  railways  to  this  city,  present  and  prospective;  ^^"^  king, 
and  to  no  one  man  is  the  city  as  much  indebted  for  what  she  has  in  this  regard,  and  is  yet  to  have.     Had 
Mr.  E.  K.  Hubbard  lived,  whose  early  death  was  so  deeply  lamented,  and    who  projected  the  Galena  Mr.  E.  K. 
road,   Mr.  Ogden  would   have  had  a  competitor  who  did  appreciate  the  future  of  Chicago  and  the  l^""''*''  • 
vorth  of  its  railways. 


106  The  Rivals  of  the  West,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 

Spokes  put    her  consent,  and  sometimes  obtained  with  too  much  difficulty,  they 

ill  iiiiU'pen-  ,     .  ,         ,      ,  i  ,■  i  •     •     ' 

di-utij-.         have  built  and  inserted  m   the  hub  one   spoke  alter  another,  giving 
eacli  direction  according  to  fancy  and  interest  of  the  several  builders. 
Wheel  arUs-  Yet,  is  not   divergence   wonderfully   equal,  and   the  whole  wheel   a 
specimen  of  artistic  skill  to  any  master  wheel-wright  who  could  have 
devised  it?     This  grand  triumph  of  art,  the  equal  of  which   is  not 
No Ch. work. found  upou  the  globe,  and  probably  never  will  be,  was  never  planned 
by  Chicago  citizens,   nor  by  those  interested  in  its  lands ;  but  the 
most  sagacious  minds  of  the  country  adjusted  its  every  part  for  their 
own  individual  gain,  and  for  the  good  of  the  public.     Seeking  this 
eminent  position  of  nature  to  erect  their  hub,  a  "natural  location" 
prominent  not  only  as  the  head  of  lake  navigation,  but  also  the  point 
to  connect  the  River  Valley  with  that  of  the  Lakes,  Art  surely  followed 
Oimmon       Nature's  lead.     Not  only   so,  but   in  this  "  world  of  many  men  of 
geuaerue.  j,-jj^,^y.  uijnds,"  whcthcr  of  an  ordinary   or   extraordinary   "race   of 
humans,"  such  a  conjunction  of  human  skill  was  never  brought  about 
without  considerable  common  sense.     That  is  an  ingredient  of  char- 
acter that  will  be  admitted  to  partake  more  of  nature  than  of  art ; 
and  who  can  doubt  that  it  was  this  lead  to  which  art  has  judiciously 
submitted  itself?     Therefore,  "art  following  nature's  lead,"  both  in 
matter  and  mind,  this  chef  (Vcewve  of  all  "races  of  humans,"   has 
No  power  to  ^erc  obtained.     And  where  is  the  power  upon  this  continent  that  can 
^|i'"jfjj^"g'^jg break  up  that  wheel  or  interfere  with  its   revolutions?     Nor  does 
desire.         capital,  iior  city,  nor  country  travei'sed,  nor  to  be  traversed,  want  any 
change;  nothing  but  enlargement  and  the  addition  at  the  extremities 
of  a  few  more  bracing  branches. 
Can  St.  L.         Supposc,  then,  an  extraordinary  "race  of  humans"  hibernating  at 
change?       the  extremity  of  a  Avheel-spoke  which  they  imagine  to  be  a  "natural 
hub  of  the  continent,"  would  like  to  make  a  change,  or  j^i'event  the 
wheel  from  working  business  into  its  own  centre,  will  they  be  able  to 
do  more  than  to  show  their  want  of  common  sense  in  making  such  a 
Wheel  svire  fiitile  effort  ?     I  trow  not.     The  wheel  with  its  hub  are  sure  to  revolve, 
with   sure   results  according   to   its   laws,  whatever  any  ordinary  or 
extraordinary  "race  of  humans  "  may  attempt.     May  it  not,  then, 
enter  into  our  calculations  as  a  fixed  fact,  establishing  it  as  a  main 
premise   in   the  argument,  as  we  had  presumed  to  do  in  the  topic 
preceding  ?  — 

9.  BaHis  not      ^^^^  ^^)'    ^'^^^  Basls  HO  longcv  Hypothetical. — For  any  city  to  have 

hypothetical  fair  promise  upon  preceding  points,  or  even  a  majority  of  them,  would 

cuiatJ^"^"''"  ^'^   quite   a  feather  in  its  cap.      St.  Louis  has  plumed  itself  upon 

actually  possessing  several,  expecting  upon  that  basis,  especially  that 

of  the  "  natural  hub  of  the  continent,"  to  secure  the  rest.     But  Pros- 

pero,  p.  88,  better  apprehended  her  case  than  she  does  herself. 

PromiBes  to       ^"   <^'*^y  will  grow  indefinitely  upon  "that   which  it  seemeth  to 

be  tested,     havc."     For  years  it  may  be  "  tickled  with  the  hair  of  flattery,"  and 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  107 

the  gullible  public  be  deceived  with  glittci-iiig  plirases  and  false  api)oar- 
ances  ;  but  time  surely  tests,  sooner  or  later,  tin-  strength  of  a  city's 
promises.      Chicago  herself  lias  had  to  depend  ujion  mere  promise;  Ibr  ciii.chimsjod 
ten  to  twenty  years.     But  the  time  has  at  last  luily  (!ome  for  their  Isn'oiuci"" 
redemption  ;  and  she  changes  her  base  of  argument  from  hypothesis, 
reasonable  as  it  was,  to  acknowledged  fact,  solid  tiiith. 

Are  any  of  these  nine  points  hypothetic  ?     Expansiun  and  improve-  si..- huH these 
ment  spoken  of — and  necessarily  in  order  to  duly  consider  the  iuiiire — '  ""  " 
may  be  more  or  less  problematic.     But  what  has  been  aeeoniplished 
is  a  sure   basis,  until   existing  forces  of  nature   and   art  shall   be  dis- 
placed by  new  inventions  or  new  creations.     And  until   St.  Louis  or  ^  '•".v  mnst 

^  .  .  liiivu  Hi-voriil 

some  other  city  can  claim  at  least  a  goodly  share  of  these  ijoints,  it "' ti'^'>"  t«  be 

.       ■■  '  '         a  rival. 

is  idle  bombast  to  assume  even  to  be  a  rival  in  the  race  with  her  who 
is  already  crowned  Queen,  not  only  of  the  Lake  Valley,  but  of  the 
entire  Northwest. 

The  five  topics  preceding   these  nine,  are  not  so  pei-tinent  to  this^'*^''' p"'"'* 

,  ,  oiaittcd. 

that  they  need  consideration  here;  though  another — Public  Improve- 
ments anticqoated  20  arid  10  years  ago  as  a  Basis — would  not  be 
impertinent    as   to  the  natural    position  of    Chicago.     To   say   tliat  ^'"'"'"T'""''' 

'  i  .-?  J  imtiiral  or 

imi)royements  confidently  predicted  years  in  advance  of  their  i)i-o-'^""''i  ■'"' 

^  .11./  1  liiivu  been 

Becution,  and  that  the  very  lines  foreseen  which  are  now  chief,  were  v«-''^''=^«<^- 

not  natural,  would  accord  more  credit  for  prescience  than  I  claim. 

The  idea  has  been  to  present  somewhat  in  their  order,  the  operating  O'l'iary  in- 

_         _  »  ftiifiii:es  con- 

causes  essential  to  the  growth   of  the  chief  city  of  the  Northwest,  siJuruJ- 

according  to  the  natural  configuration  of  the  country,  and  present 

stage  of  inventions  in  art  and  science,  leaving  extraordinary  influences 

and  eflects  for  their  believers  to  claim  and  develop.     AVas  not  the  ^?"***  *'■'*?' 

i  ed  to  effects. 

result  fairly,   naturally,  logically   deduced,  that  by   and  from   these 

causes,   Chicago  must  be  the    great  city  of  the  Northwest?      And '^''*"'*' *''ao- 

.  o  ./  ed  to  causes. 

now  having  taken  that  result  and  hastily  traced  back  its  operating 
causes,  have  we  fomid  any  point  disregarded,  or  over-estimated,  or 
unfiirly  presented,  which  would  destroy  the  result,  or  weaken  or 
break  the  catenation  ? 

Nor  will  it  be  denied,  that  if  there  be  forces  either  in  nature  orst.  l  toin- 
art  capable  of  supplanting  all  or   any  one  of  these  considered,  they  forces, 
must  be   wholly   a  new  invention  if  not  creation.     Nor  should  that 
possibility  militate  a  whit  against  this  argument;  for  the  Northeast 
would  still  have  the  same  interest  in  centering  trade  here,  and  would 
Use  those  new  means  for  our  advancement  precisely  as  they  have  the 
old.     Nor  would  any  body  who  knows  Chica<ro,  suppose  for  an  instant  <"'''•  win  use 
that  we  will  lag  behind  any  other  city  in  a])plying  improvements  in 
art  or  science  for  our  own  benefit. 

Neither  will  it  be  denied,  that  according  to  present  knowledge,  ^p'"^™°®"* 
any  city  of  the  West  to  be  entitled  to  prominence,  not  to  say  pi'e- •'JrUy''oTThe 
eminence,  should  be  able  to  claim  of  her  own  right  at  least  a  majority  p"'""- 


108  The  Rivals  of  the  West^  Cincinnati^  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 

of  these  nine  points ;  if  not  in  perfection,  at  least  in  good  measure- 
It  is  the  literal   truth,  however,  that  except   Chicago,  not  a  city  can 
fbree^^*^    ^^0  this.     So  far  from  it,  not  a  single  city  of  the  west  can  claim  any 
three    of    them.      Because    none   can,   is    their  relative    growth    so 
West  will     problematical.     That  these  immense  vallies  of  lakes  and  rivers,  the 
i..iii,i  up       (-iiief  and  most  valuable  part  ot    the   whole  continent,   must  afford 

great  cities.   ^  '  ' 

many   sites,  both  occupied  and   unoccupied  whtre  important  com- 
mercial and  manufacturing  centres  are  to  be  erected,  is  as  certain  as 
Must  help     the  continuance  of  any  "race  of  humans."     Nature  will  do  more  or 
vheiiiseives.  j^^^  ^^^.  mostof  tlicm;  yet  results  depend  mainly  upon  energy  and 
industry.     Even  in  Eden  sloth  was  not  natural  to  man,  but  he  was 
FuiniiiDg     put  there  "to  dress  it  and  to  keep  it."     Now,  he  exercises  the  GoD- 
given  right  or  dominion,  and  lulnlls  the  propliecy — 

ha.  xi.,  3-5.  Mxke  straight  in  the  desert  a  highway  for  our  God  I 

Every  valley  shall  be  exalted, 

Aud  every  mountain  and  hill  shall  be  made  low  ;  j 

And  the  crooked  shall  be  made  straight,  '  I 

And  the  rough  places  plain  : 
And  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  revealed, 
And  all  flesh  shall  see  it  together  ; 
For  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it. 

Notiiro  of         Q^^j.  country  is  too  new,  the  nature  of  our  institutions  too  little 

Union  not  •'  ' 

ai.prehended  jj^pp,.^,}jg„j]gj^  ^Q  havc  any  proper  conception  of  the  benefits  of  our 
division  into  sovereign,  free  and  independent  States,  and  yet  by 
Federal  compact  created  into  another  Nation,  securing  equal  rights  to 
all  citizens  in  every  State  of  this  ocean-bound  Republic,  as  it  will  soon 

lienefits       becomc.     Who  can  estimate  the  perfection  in  the  science  and  art  of 

(roMi  our  ' 

practice.       Government  to  be  developed  in  the  experience  of  all  these  States  in 

a  century   or  two   to  come,  when   we   shall  properly  apprehend  our 

State  pride    basis  of  State  Sovereignty?     When  the  area  shall  be  occupied  as  it 

to  operate.    ^^j||  ^^  -^^  oiily  half  a  cciitury,  and  this  constant  migration  cease,  and 

we  begin  to  have  that  pride  in  our  native  State  which  inheritance  of 

the  paternal  acres  will  speedily  develope,  what  a  stimulus  is  to  be 

generated  to  give  each  of  these  States  the  best  government  with  the 

least  possible  taxation. 

BniM  great       Tliis    State  division,    also,   will    have    strong   influence   to   build 

cititrs.  important   cities,    each    State    having    becoming    pride   in    its    own 

offspring.     Competition   will    create    ample   facilities  for  citizens   oi 

their  own   and  neighboring  States,  to  reach  its  chief  commercial  or 

(.itje„j(>^,,„ig  manufacturing  city  or  cities.      While  from  man's  nature  he  is  jealous 

officii  otii-  Qf  ]jii5  neighbor,  and  Blanche,  Tray  and  Sweetheart  will  bark  aud  snarl 

—more  of     ^^  t,he  city  that  attains  superiority;  yet  as  against  other  States  and  the 

outBiUers.     ^yorld  outside,  they  will   be  a  unit   to  do  whatever  their  own  chief 

jarkfonviiie  euiporium  requires    for   its    advancement.     The   Jacksonville   (Ills.) 

juuniai.       Journal,  sensibly  observes : — 

Ciii.  Ht  homo      Chicago  at  Home  and  Abroad. — Every  citizen  of  Illinois,  when  he  is  outside  the 
bud  uijroad.  liinits  of  the  [Stale,  finds  it  difficult  to  invent  adjectives  sufficient  to  express  liis 


Pos^,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  109 

admiration  of  Cliioajro,  and  cannot  be  earnest  enonirli  in  his  endeavors  to  make 
every  one  else  tliink  and  sjjeak  coneeniing  it   just  as  lie  docs. 

He  talks  of  it  as  the  greatest,  i)lae(;i)n  tlie  Western  conlineiit — the  centre  around  liiinoiHun 
■whieh  all  creation  revolves — the  great  hub,  in  comparison  with  which  all  such  hnhs  ''.''"'""■J  '' 
as  Jjoston  are  too  insignificant  to  be  njcntioned— the  favored  spot  npon  this  nniiidane  " '"""  ' 
sphere  on  which  the  sun  slimes  more  brightly, and  with  a  more  life-giving  influence, 
than   upon  the  connn()n-i)lace  localities  winch  surrouml  this  great  //r  plitx  vltra. 
Indeed,  from  their  injpassioued  descriptions,  it  migiit  well  be  considered,  by  the 
uninitiated,  that  Chicago  was  a  second  Garden  of  Eden  on  earth,  but  tiie  mnnient 
that  person  returns  within  the  limits  of  the  Slate,  in  common  with  his  fellow- 
citi/A'iis,  he  hurls  at  Chicago  analhemas  both  loud  and  deep,  realizing,  if  we  may 
tiimjier  with  the  quotation,  that  a  city  may  not  be  without  honor  save  in  its  own 
immediate  vicinity. 

What  aru  the  causes  of  all  the  ill-feeling  which  exists  against  Chicago,  we  do  not  why  jcaion* 
propose  to  discuss;  probably  the  many  scamps  and  rascals  who  hail  from  there,  ""''""«• 
and  go  through  the  country  cheating  people,  have  given  to  Chicago,  in  the  minds 
of  some  persons,  an  unenviable  reputation;  but  aside  from  these  things  there  are  Chi.t.xamplB 
many  points  in  the  history  of  Chicago  which  it  would  be  well  for  oilier  smaller  worthy, 
cities  to  make  note  of,  and  to  benefit  by.     Among  the  more  prominent  of  these 
points  is  the  fact  that  very  little  of  the  ready  money  which  is  possessed  by  men  in 
Chicago  is  ever  salted  down  in  some  tattered  stockingdeg,  and  hid  away  beneath 
the  bricks  of  the  fire-place,  or  in  the  innermost  recesses  of  some  closet.     What 
Cidcago  does  not  eat  and  put  on  her  back,  and  over  her  head  in  the  shape  of  a  roof,  He  activUy 
she  expends  in  extending  her  business,  in  building  stores  and  warehouses — and  in 
making  permanent  and  elegant  public  iniprovemenls.     No  sooner  is  money  made 
than  il  is  invested — no  sooner  does  the  interest  come  pouring  in  than  it  is  sent 
out  in  such  a  shape  tiiat  it  will  insure  success  in  still  greater  business  transactions. 
Thus  Chicago  grows,  and  thus  her  citizens  have  made  her  famous.     Chicago  fairly  TimaChi. 
springs  up   in  a  night,  like  the    fairy   palace  of  Alladin — and   rushes  on   niosts™""- 
breathlessly  in   the   race  for  supremacy — while  her  rivals,  contenting  themselves 
with  the  tliought  that  what   is  slow  will  probably  be  sure,  are  content  to  plod  othcTs  plod, 
along  and  be  outstripped  by  the  youngest  contestant  of  them  all. 

Nothing  venture,  nothing  have,  is  a  maxim  which  Chicago  has  remembered — Dosnmo- 
and  a  great  many  other  places  entirely  forgotten.     A  great  many  of  the  capitalists  thing. 
of  Jacksonville  seem  never  to  have  learned  this  lesson,  or  at  any  rate  are  slow  in 
putting  it  in  practice  with  the  means  which  are  at  their  disposal.     Jacksonville  's  ^^^^^  ^,   -j^^j 
a  rich  city,  so  strangers  say,  as  they  ride  around  her  streets,  and  we  do  not  doubt 
the  truth  of  the  assertion ;  but  when  we  look  around,  we  see  but  very  little  of  it, 
comparatively,  being  used  in  the  extension  of  the  business  of  the  city.     Chicago  ^hi.  entcr- 
is  right  in  matters  of  enterprise,  and  numbers  among  its  citizens  some  of  the  salt  prise— 
of  the  earth.     Jack.sonville  boasts  considerable  ot  the  latter  conunodity — but  with 
the  former  she  is  not  inconvenienced,     bt.  Louis  would  never  have  been  overtaken  _b(>j^tH  gj.L. 
by  Chicago  if  her  citizens  had  been  '"off  ihe  same  block"  as  those  of  Chicago. 
Money  makes  the  mare  go,  but  not  money  hid  away  in  a  strong  box. 

This  influence  of  tiie   State  alone,  with  none  other,  would  insure  i='t;it<'«t"cr»- 

'  '  ate  larno 

many  large  cities  in  these  immense  areas  of  60,000  to  150,000  square  cities- 
miles;  for  the  chief  motive  power  is  to  be  railway  corporations,  to 
which  legislatures  give  direction.     This,  it  is   true,  might  work    ad- 
versely to  any  one  central  city  of  the  West,  and  no  doubt  would,  did 
not  the  general  interests  of  every  State  require  that  all  needful  facili-_yetTnn8t 
ties  should  be  afforded,  and  trade  be  allowed  to  find  its  natural  cluin- {"''yj^J,™'}® 
nels  with  individuals  and  with  States.     Our  prosperity  rests  more  than  ^'^"""'-■'''• 
we  are  aware  upon  free  inter-State  trade,  secured  by  our  unequaled 
Constitutional  compact;  the    sacredness  of  which  we  shall  learn  to 
appreciate.     It  secures  equal  commercial  privileges  in  all  the  States 
to  all  citizens,  whereby  such  an  outrage  as  "  the  Camden  and  xVmboy  "  Cam.  &  Am. 
will  erelong  be  righted;    and   in   virtue  of  State    sovereignty,  too,  state 
because  sister  Commonwealths  have  the  sacred  word  of  New  Jersey  '""^'"'''*'"  ^" 
pledged  to  equality  of  rights. 


110  The  Rivals  of  the  West,  Ciacinnati,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 

Were  Union      Should  our  Heaveii-ordained  system  of  Governments  be  overthrown, 

broken  Clii.  t       ci  ci  • 

Mould  grow- ^v'hich  no  one  will  fear  when  he  understands  htate  sovereignty,  even 
then  the  laws  of  trade  would  secure  great  pre-eminence  to  the  com- 
mercial emporium  of  the  Northwest,     With  State  Sovereignty,  how- 
ever, to  insure  the  erection  of  many  important  cities  throughout  the 
m7(IvoK'd °  Wt'st ;  and  witli  National   Union  to  prevent  improper  restrictions, 
""*^'  and  leave  trade  a  free  course  in  its  natural  and  artificial  channels,  we 

possess  all  opportunities  that  any  reasonable  man  could  desire. 

TheWesta       While  neighboring  States  will  be  jealous  of  Illinois,  as  the  Tribes 

of  Israel  were  of  Juilah  when  their  King  was  chosen   from  the  lion- 

taibe;  yet  no  section  of  our  country  will  be  more  of  a  unit  than  that 

—proud  of   between  the  Allegheny  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  ;    and  proud    ot 

itoQuetu.     ^jjg-jj.  Qtxeen,  as  against    every  rival,   no  reasonable   service  will  be 

withheld  to  promote  her  prosperity.     And  we  want  no  special  favors 

Chi. anduis. only  as  merited.     So  that  under  our  system  of  free  Governments,  if 

State 'motto.  Chicago  be  the  natural  centre  of  trade,  no  earthly  power  can  prevent 

the  currents  hither   flowing;  and,  therefore,  will  she  be  the  last  city, 

and  Illinois  the   last   State,  to  permit  any    change  in    our  system  to 

impair  her  motto,  "  State  Sovereignty,  National  Union." 

Ti.isanex-       So  wc  might  pursuc  cvcry  general  consideration  as  we   have  the 

ample  of  Ken-  o         I  j     o 

eriii  couside- special,  and  if  any  one  be  less  favorable  for  Chicago  than  for  any 

rations.  ^  '  *'  ...  , 

Other  city,  I  am  unfortunate  in  its  non-discovery.  Surely  none  have 
been  perceived,  and  I  think  none  can  be,  which  are  directly  adverse. 

hiR 3  of  t'liTg  It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  as  upon  the  nine  special  and  essential 

l^'j]^'^^"''^.-^!^',';  considerations,  neither  St.  Louis  nor  any  other  site  occupied  or  unoc- 
cupied can  possiby  claim  any  three  of  them,  and  that  Chicago  possesses 
the  whole  in  full  measure;  she  has  and  can  have  no  rival,  as  she 
marches  onward  to  her  destiny,  the  emporium  of  the  Northwest,  and 
.  as  such  the  artificial  hub  of  the  contiiunit. 

TTiis  renders      Thus  far  consideration  has  been  mainly  restricted  to  the  Northwest. 

coutiucut.  To  be  tlie  emporium  of  that  region  would  be  ample ;  yet,  as  just 
remarked,  that  being  secured,  Chicago  as  certainly  becomes  the  hub  of 
the  continent.  Nor  will  even  that  proposition  seem  doubtful  upon 
fair  consideration  of  the  premises.  In  this  age  of  telegraph  and  rail- 
way, we  must  calculate  and  operate  with  their  power  and  spee<l,  or 
,    we  fall  far  astern  in    the  race  of  proarress.     Five  hundred   miles  of 

Changes  of        _  _  i        o 

4u  years.      distauce  is  less,  both  in  time  and  cost,  than  a  hundred  was  forty  years 

ago,  except  between  a  very  few  points. 
dra«"*tr(de  '^^'"^  trade  of  such  a  city  cannot  be  restricted  to  its  region  naturally 
touco"' '^'*'  tributary,  but  by  railways  and  telegrams  it  will  draw  trom  all  quarters 
of  the  land,  and  gradually  expand  throughout  the  earth.  Especially 
now,  in  the  unsettled  condition  of  the  South,  the  old  centres  of  business 
broken  up  and  new  foi-ming,  Avith  the  strong  and  natural  predilections 
which  the  South  and  West  have  for  each  other,  owing  to  their  being 
agricultural,  and  taking  a  broad,  expansive  view  of  means  and  meas- 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investnioits.  Ill 

m-es  ;  why  sliouldnot  Chicago  come  in  for  lier  due  pi'opoilioii  of  the 
commerce  and  inaHufiicturins,' of  Ihi;  extensive   South":'      If  so,  ihcii  [j|,';;j;';''"- 
she  will  be  continental.     We  need,  therefore,  to  consider  some  points 
bearing  upon  the  mea.sure  of  her  growth  ratlier  than  its  certainty,  the 
first  of  which  may  be  : — 

TlIE     JSTOETIIWEST     IS      THE     PuiZE      CONTESTED— ItS     ExTENT      AND 

Rksouuces. 
St.  Louis   has    tlius    far  been    our  chief  witness ;     and    if    Ijctter  S'-i'-good 
testimony  could  be  given  in  our  belialf,  it  would  certainly  be  agreeable  '"''"'""■ 
to  read  it.     To  judge  from  points  already  made,  did  she   not  give 
many  and  earnest  assurances  that  she   still  covets  the    trade    of  the 
Northwest,  it  would  be  quite  doubtful  whether  a  city  of  the  intrinsic  ^"''' •'^'•° 

Till  ,  .  '  "*'"'*    t"''"'"  "^ 

cliaracter,   and  wealth,  and    power,   the  possession  of  which    is  ac- ""'■''^^■'"''' 

knowledged  with   pleasure,  could  have   been   in  down-right  contest 

with  her  "  beautiful  rival "  for  trade  of  one  and   the  same  region. 

Even  in  1801,  it  was  necessary  to  consider  this  point,    and  extracts 

were  made   from    the  Missouri  Democrat  and  commented  upon  as  fious lu^^ci. 

follows : — 


Rivnlryof  St.  Louis  and  OliMrt go. —Since  writing  these  pages,  it  has  occurred  to  Rivnirv  of  st 
mo  that  some  extracts  from  St.  Louis  papers  themselves  would  tln-nw  light  on  this  L. und'chi. 
subject,  and  be  entitled  to  more  weight  than  anything  I  could  say,  suid  1  have 
found  a  few  weeks'  file  of  the  3Iismit,ri  Democrat,  one  of  its  most  influential  and 
reliable  commercial  papers.     I  was  forcibly  impressed  with  the  fact,  apparent  in  Northwest 
every  number,  that  the  business  of  the  Northwest   is  the  prize  sought  tliere  as  *''*' '^'''^®* 
here,  and  almost  t.he  same  territory  that  is  hereinbefore   named  as  belonging  to 
Chicago,  is  the  main  reliance  of  our  rival.     I  present  a  few  extracts: 

"  Commerce  of  St.  Loim —  Trucii'  Northnnd  South. — It  is  by  no  means  an  uninterest-  j/p.  x^on.  '61. 
ing  tlieme  for  St.  Louisians  to    well  (m  the  resources  ot  trade,  and  tlie  natural  law 
governing  commerce;  but  the  inexorable  logic  of  facts  to  practical  minds,  is  worth 
more  tlian  volumes  of  specious  theories,  based  upon  local  sympathy  or  sectional 
preiudice.     St.  Louis  has,  or  has  not  a  commerce.     If  slie  has  a  commerce,  that  i''^'''' trade 
commerce,  like  the  mighty  river  that  is  our  principal  medium  of  trade,  has  a  source  ''*^'  ■''■'"'"<=«• 
and  an  outlet.   We  miglit  as  well  deny  that  the  Missis.sippi  river  rises  in  the  north, 
as  to  deny  that  in  its  course  from  head  lakes  to  St.  Louis,  it  washes  the  shores  of 
that  great  empire  that  constitutes  the  right  arm  of  our  commerce.    And   however  Flows  down 
much  our  sympathies  would  lead  us  to  go  to  the  mouth  of  this  great  artery  of sf^^^in"- 
trade,  and  force  commerce  V2)  to  this  point,  tlie  dictates  of  ease,  and  tlie  dread  of 
encountering  powerful  natural  resisting  forces,  would  make  us  seek  its  source,  that 
we  might  glide  smoothly  down  the  natural  current  of  this  great  highway,  gather- 
ing the  wealth  of  the  country  in  our  course,  and  deposit  it  leisurely  at  our  door.     * 

"  Tlien  look  at  the  Northwest.     Free,  industrious,  self  reliant,  intelligent,  enter-  Advantages 
prising,   cool,  loyal,  tolerant,  contented  and  happy.     Opening  up  an  emjiire  of*^'' ^'- ^^• 
matchless  resources;  subduing  the  wilderness;  building  towns,  cities,  railroads, 
school-houses,  churches,  colleges,  and  laj'ing  the  enduring  foundation  of  true  civil- 
ization.    Ricli  in  tlie  production  of  life-sustaining  cereals  which  invite  our  com- 
merce, and  powerful  in  the  possession  of  free  institutions,  which  challenge  our  ad- 
miration.    With  soil  and  climate  no  way  superior  to  the  South,  the  Northwest  lias  0"*'*'''P8 the 
outstripped  eveiything  in  the  annals  of  imjirovement,  by  that  policy  Avhicli  alone'"''"    ~ 
will  attract  an  industrious  population,  and  insure  permanent  happiness.     While  the 
South  is  prating  about  extra  rights,  the  Northwest  is  marching  on  to  greatness  by 
a  proper  use  of  the  rights  she  had  under  the  same  constitution  that  shelters  and 
guards  the  interests  of  all.     All  sections  have  rights  alike,  and  the  difierence  in — i>y  using 
condition  is  depencent  more  upon  the  use  of  the  rights  we  have,  than  ou  the  >*«  powers, 
acquisition  of  rights  supposed  to  be  withheld. 

"This  picture  is  not  drawn  from  prejudice  towards  one,  nor  favor  towards  the  Opinion hon- 
other  section  of  our  common  country.    It  is  only  to  be  deplored  that  the  facts  est. 
exist  Avhich  make  the  contrast  so  glaring. 


112 


The  Northxoest  is  the  Pn'ze-^Its  Extent  and  Resources. 


St.  L.,  no 
liopo  — 

— but  in  se- 
curing ihat 
trade. 

What  i8 


Rivalry  for 
itiu  lt>57. 


St.  L.,  npeils 
to  know  the 
truth. 


Iowa  trade 
guue  to  chi. 


Reiiaon  for 
divoioiou. 


Other  trade 
icwt. 


V/liPnce 
coiiies  trade  1 


St.  L'8.  reli- 

uuco. 


More  unsafe 
in  future 
Uiaii  putit. 


N.  W.  roads 
wanted — 

— none  built. 

Ilan.  &  St. 
Joe  road 
Beeks  its  own 
iutoreHt. 

North  roads 
diflicult. 


"  In  view  of  the  truth  which  every  intelligent  man  must  acknowledge,  what 
hope  is  there  for  the  Juture  greiitness  of  Ht.  Lnui.s,  in  commerce,  in  manufactures, 
in  o-ood  government,  in  pernuuient  wealth  and  substantial  happiness,  but  in  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  most  intimate  and  friendly  relations  with  all  sections,  and  particu- 
larly that  portion  of  the  country  that  can  throw  into  our  lap  tlie  very  trade  slie  must 
secure  in  oi-der  to  maintain  her  position  .?" 

"  Commerce  of  St.  Louis. — In  pursuing  this  subject  we  must  remark  prelimi- 
narily that  the  Northwest,  embracing  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Minnesota,  North 
Missouri,  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  the  largest  grain  growing  region  in  the  nation, 
was  paralyzed  by  successive  failures  of  crops,  dating  back  as  fiir  as  1856  and  com- 
ing up  to  1859.  *  *  Then  [1857]  commenced  the  struggle  between  the  two 
great  rivals — St.  Louis  and  Chicago— for  the  trade  of  the  Northwest.  Chicago 
was  crippled,  but  St.  Louis  had  thrown  away  her  advantage,  and  now  we  tii^t 
hear  that  old  customers  of  St.  Li>uis  are  making  their  purcliases  in  Chicago,  on 
terms  denied  them  here,  and  of  course  the  products  of  the  country  followed  the 
merchants. 

"  *  *  Now  this  comparison  between  the  action  of  St.  Louis  and  Chicago  may 
be  distastelid  to  our  merchants,  but  it  is  only  drawn  to  show  the  utter  nonsense  of 
expecting  to  achieve  commercial  supremacy  over  an  enterprising  rival  by  'a  do- 
nothmg  policy,  even  with  all  the  natural  advantages  in  our  favor.  'Men  learn 
wisdom  by  the  woes  they  sutler,'  and  it  certainly  occurs  to  us  that  St.  Louis  should 
rejoice  to  have  her  blunders  exhibited  in  contrast  with  the  success  of  those  who 
have  profited  by  her  mistakes.  St.  Louis  ought  to  have  the  inmiense  trade  of  the 
Upper  Mississippi  Valley,  but  inaction  won't  secure  it.  The  immense  and  grow- 
ing trade  of  Iowa,  for  instance,  whicli  used  to  flow  naturally  to  this  jioint,  has 
been  driven  away  by  repulsion,  and  forced  across  the  country  by  hundreds  of  miles 
of  expensive  land  travel  to  Chicago,  where,  in  reaching  the  point  of  transhipment  it 
has  to  cross  the  great  natural  highway  that  would  bear  it  cheaply  to  St.  Louis.  Now 
there  is  a  reason  for  this  diversion,  and  it  seems  to  us  tliat  if  St.  Louis  does  not  hunt 
out  that  reason,  and  energetically  apply  herself  to  the  restoration  of  that  trade,  that 
she  is  sadly  wanting  in  those  directing  powers  which  will  secure  commercial  suc- 
cess. 

"  The  same  with  the  trade  of  Western  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  all  of  Minnesota,  and 
Nortli  Missouri.  The  vast  and  accumulating  wealtii  of  these  regions  could  be 
deposited  in  St.  Louis  much  easier  than  it  can  be  taken  to  Chicago ;  and  why  is  it 
not  done?  That's  the  question.  We  may  talk  about  our  Southern  trade,  and 
quarrel  over  the  everlasting  nigger;  but  where  does  the  pork,  beef,  beans,  wheat, 
corn,  oats,  hay,  horses,  mules,  butter,  eggs  and  poultry,  that  we  consume  here  or 
semi  South,  come  from  ?  Uo  they  not  come  from  those  sections  of  the  country  we 
have  named  ?  And  without  tliese  would  not  our  Southern  trade  be  barren  of 
profits?  What  steamer  could  prosecute  a  successful  trade,  freighted  but  <me  way? 
And  who  does  not  know  that  freights  South  depend  upim  Northern  supply?" 

It  will  be  observed  that  to  get  the  trade  of  the  North-West,  which  "  she  must 
secure  in  order  to  maintain  her  position,"  the  river  routes  are  mainly  to  be  relied 
upon,  and  the  crossing  of  the  chief — the  Mississippi — in  the  railway  transit  Chi- 
cago-ward, is  a  strange  anomaly  in  trade.  Could  this  reliance  upon  her  natural 
highways  ever  be  true  and  valuable  to  St.  Louis,  it  must  have  been  hitherto,  for  the 
boating  interest  is  fast  diminishing,  and  the  railroad  fast  increasing,  and  facilities 
for  crossing  the  Mississippi  will  multiply  year  by  year.  The  large  terry  boats  will 
be  almost  equal  to  the  Rock  Island  bridge,  that  St.  Louis  has  been  in  vain  trying 
all  sorts  of  means  to  destroy,  and  other  bridges  will  no  doubt  be  erected.  But 
without  bridges,  mere  transfer  of  cars  across  the  Mississippi,  is  of  small  account, 
not  at  all  equal  to  the  cost  of  sacking  grain  and  "  toting"  it  on  the  levees  if  it  is  to 
go  to  St.  Louis. 

Some  efibrt  has  been  made  to  save  a  portion  of  the  trade  west  of  the  Mississip 
by  building  roads  north  and  north-west  from  St.  Louis.  But  with  the  exception 
of  one  intersecting  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph,  none  have  been  built,  and  nothing 
is  said  of  them  in  those  papers  that  I  have  examined,  except  considerable  berating 
of  the  Hannilnil  and  St.  Joseph  road  as  being  adverse  to  tlie  interest  of  St.  Louis. 
No  douljt  it  is  managed  to  promote  its  own  advantage,  and  if  the  business  upon  this 
most  soutliern  of  all  the  Chicago  roads  west  of  the  Mississippi  has  such  a  tendency 
in  this  direction,  how  is  it  to  be  upon  the  others? 

The  construction  of  roads  northward  from  St.  Louis  to  intersect  the  other 
Chicago  roads,  will  for  a  considerable  period  be  very  difficult,  if  at  all  practicable, 
and  nieanwhile  the  five  roads  built  or  fast  completing  from  the  IMississippi  to  the 
ISIissouri,  will  have  been  so  long  established  as  to  have  attached  the  business  of 
North  Missouri  and  Iowa  to  these  Chicago  roads,  and  make  it  difficult  for  St  Louia 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments. 


1]:^ 


to  obtain  even  a  small  part.     Her  one  or  two  rf)a(ls — wlien  gotten — Avill  be  un(qual  Not  cquul  to 
competitors  with  our  tivc  or  more  ;  and  even  witl>  equal  faeililies  of  transit,  except  *''"'"'"*"'■ 
for  the  inconsiderable  proportion  .i,^oing  to  the  extreme  South,  what  are  to  be  the 
inducements  to  draw  that  business  away  to  the  South  to  reach  St.  Louis,  rather 
than  take  the  direct  routes  eastward  ? 

I  make  only  one  further  extract :  ^f"-  Dem. 

"  Commerce  of  St.  Louis — Comparative  Receipts  and  Shipments  North  and  South. —  Tradf  north 
When  we  hear  talk  of  the  great  balance  of  trade  in  our  favor  from  one  .section  "'"'  """'*'• 
over  another,  we  are  irresistibly  led  to  compare  statistical  rcwmls  of  such  tact.s  so 
as  to  enlighten  the  public  mind  and  ])revent  the  incnn.siderate  statements  of  pre- 
judiced persons  from  being  taken  as  law,  to  the  damage  of  commerce. 

"  The  following  are  the  receipts  of  all  articles  of  Southern  production  at  this  Hecpipts 
market  for  the  year  1800,  which  do  not  vary  much  from  those  of  the  previous  """'*'■ 
year: 


Weight — tons. 

Sugar,  hhds 47,637  23,818 

bbls 7,857  1)82 

"        boxes 13,755  200 

Molasses,  bbls 54,055  12,850 

"          kegs 10,471  523 

Rice,  tierces 7,078  2,300 


Weight — tons. 
Coffee,  not  grown  in  the 
South,  but  brought  prin- 
cipally by  way  of  New 
Orleans— sacks 109,427      3,551 


Total  receipts  by  river  and  rail. .  .44,224 


"The  receipts  of  wheat,  corn,  rye,  barley  and  oats  for  1860,  were  as  follows : 


Receipts 
nortli. 


Bushels. 

Wheat 3,555,875 

Corn 3,516,808 

Oats 2,364,212 

Rye 158,994 


Weight — tons 

106,676 

100,470 

41,373 

4,451 


Bushels. 
Barley 291,130 

Total 9,886,979 


Weight — tons. 
10,065 


263,035 


"Here  we  have  twohundred  and  sixty -three  thousand  and  thirty-jiM  tons  of  freight,  2<>5i035  tona 
nineteen-twentieths  of  which  came  from  the  North  by  way  of  the  river,  against 
forty  four  thoits  uid  two  hundred  and  twenty  four  tons  coming  from  the  South.     We 
do  not  claim  that  these  figures  are  correct  to  a  fraction,  liut  they  will  be  found '*^>--^  ^''"^ 
sufficiently  so  on  examination  to  show  the  immense  disparity  between  the  shipping"""' '' 
tonnage  from  the  two  sections  of  country  that  contribute  to  our  commerce.     But 
this  slight  exhiliit  is  only  a  tithe  of  what  we  shall  be  able  to  show  as  we  pursue 
the  subject.     The  immense  trade  inj.hay,  pork,  flour,  butter,  cheese,  lard,  wood,  ottier  items 
lumber,  etc.,  wiiich  nearly  all  come  from  the  great  North- West,  will  demonstrate  *'^''''^- 
the  folly  of  cutting  off  the  fountain  of  trade,  by  quarreling  with  the  bone  and 
muscle  from  which  it  flows.     We  shall  show  in  our  next,  that  the  manufacturing  Depentlence 
interest  of  St.  Louis  is  mainly  indebted  to  the  free  North,  for  the  very  aliment  that  "fst.  L.  man- 
sustains  it,  and  to  fight  away  that  region  of  country  because  they  don't  see  lit  to  "  '"^  ^^''^' 
adopt  our  notions  in  their  domestic  relations,  is  simply  to  quarrel  with  our  own 
bread  and  butter. 

"But  above  all  the  trade  of  the  mighty  North-West  should  be  sought  after.  Miptity  N. 
The  golden  harvest  should  be  garnered  in  St.  Louis.     Its  railroads  should  becentred  w.  trade  tn 
here.     The  enterprise  of  her  people  should  be  encouraged  by  throwing  around  it*'"  sougiu. 
the  powerful  ligaments  of  commerce,  and  the  whole  country  attracted  to  us  by  fair 
treatment,  and  the  immunities  of  good  neighborhood." 


As  indicative  of  the  present  tendency  of  business,  please  compare  Uie  following  ciu 
ceipts  at  Chicago  of  the  articles  above  given  as  received  at  St.  Louis :  ", " 


receipts 
Slime  arti- 
cles. 


1860.  1859. 

Wheat 14,277,083  8,060,766 

Corn 15,212,394  5,401,870 

Oats 1,698,889  1,757,696 

Rye 318,976  231,514 


1860.  1859. 

Barley 617,619  652,696 

Total 32,124,961  16,104,542 


The  difference  in  amount  at  the  two  cities,  may  speak  for  itself,  but  please  notice  no  ioorease 
that  the  Democrat  says  receipts  at  St.  Louis  "  for  the  year  1860  do  not  vary  much  at  St.  L.— 
from  those  of  the  previous  year,"  whereas  at  Chicago  the  aggregate  increase  is  about  _(,^^■^ 
one  hundred  per  cent.    The  canal,  which  connects  the  two  cities  by  water,  and  <juui,iea. 
should  take  business  to  St.  Louis  equally  as  to  Chicago,  if  she  had  power  to  draw 
it— the  canal  alone,  In'onght  to  Chicago  nearly  a  quarter  mm'e  corn  than  St.  Xom/,«  c»"»' «"'• ''^ 
received  from  all  sources.     Both  cities  hau  the  same  regions  to  draw  from  the  two'^'"""' 
years,  and  "  nineteen-twentieths  came  from  the  North  "  to  St.  Louis;  and  if  such  is 


114  The  N'orthicest  is  the  Prize — Its  Extent  and  Resources. 

to  be  the  manner  in  whicli  our  rival  is  to  recover  her  lost  vantage  ground — and  I 

think  it  is — she  is  not  long  to  be  ahead  of  Chicago. 
General  Perhaps  I  am  needlesslj'  prolix,  upon  the  advantages  and  prospects  of  these  twc 

opiuion  that  competitors.     But  it  has  been  generally  conceded  tliat  one  or  the  other  was  to  be 
St^  L.  18  to     ^jjg  great  interior  city  of  the  continent,  and  nine-tenths  have  supposed  it  was 

to  be  St.  Louis,  and  do  still.     If  any  reader  has  doul)ted  tlie  soundness  of  my  claims 

for  Chicago,  these  candid  admissions  by  St.  Louis  against  lierself,  must  go  far  to 

sustain  rae. 
^    , .    ..         Again  I  say — study  a  recent  railroad  map,  and  discover  if  you  can  a  single  point 
road  map.     unfair!}^  presented,  either  in  favor  of  Chicago  or  against  St.  Louis. 
St  L  fears        Tlit'SG  apprelic'iisions  liave  been  more  than  realized.     Still,  St.  Loais 
realized.       jg  energetic  and  powerful  in  lier  wealth,  and  althongh  slow  to  realize 

the  necessities  of  the  case,  she  is  becoming  earnest,  and  a  few   rail- 
Prize  known  i-oads  wiU  be  built.     She  knows  the  worth  of  the  prize  coveted.     Bv 

years  of  monopoly,  and  when  of  comparatively  little  value,  it   had 

made  her  ricli,  and  no  wonder  that  she  said,  "  above  all,  the  trade  of 
now  sought?  the  mighty  Northwest  should  be  sought  after."      But  how   did  she 

seek  ?     Still  hoodwinked  with  the  delusion  of  river  power,  railroads 
giectedr°^  northward,  her  only  salvation,  have  been  overlooked,  or  at  least  never 

found.     They  may  do  her  no  good  ;  but  her  expectations  fail  utterly 

without  them,  and  they  will  be  built  in  time  or  times. 
Results  of         As  this  leadino;  paper  admitted,  the   strusrgLe  fully  commenced  in 

contest  for  o  r    I  ?  ^er-  J 

11  years.  1857  ;  and  above  are  results  ot  four  years,  and  herein  of  seven  more. 
How  long  before  she  resumes  mastery  at  this  rate  ?     Yet  what  possible 

them?  influences  can  work  a  change  in  her  favor?  The  figures  of  business, 
bath  in  merchandise  and  in  grain,  hereafter  given,  cannot  be  gainsaid, 
and  prove  positively  the  truth  of  the  above  declaration,  that  the 
Northwest  supplies  "  the  very  trade  she  must  secure  in  orderto  main- 

Cross  lines    ^^''^  her  posUiony     Has   she — can  she  secure  it  ?     Will  a  road  or 

not  strong,  ^^yo,  or  half  a  dozen,  draw  trade  across  our  one  to  seven  lines — 
probably  more  by  the  time  she  gets  two  only — when  she  is  unable  to 

Mu^ilt— "  keep  trade  close  to  her  in  her  own  State  ?  Notwithstanding  seven 
years  more  experience,  the  trade  of  the  Northwest,  as  almost  their 
every  newspaper  indicates,  is  still  the  apple  of  her  eye.  She  will 
build  one  or  two  roads  to  get  it ;  and  probably  when  she  finds  them 

sour.  more  treacherous  than  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joe,  she  will  then  make 

up  her  mind  that  Northwest  grapes  are  "  mighty  "  sour. 

prize?   ^         And  what  is  that  prize  which  we  have  won  ?     In  1861  I  answered  : 

150  000  miles     "  •'■^  '^  ^"^  '^'"^^  "^  over  One  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  square  miles  —  and  fast 

une'quaied—  enlarging  to  twice  that  size —  the  equal  to  which,  in  natural  advantages,  exists  not  on 
ti)e  globe  in  one  bodj'.     Not  like  tlie  old  States,  is  it  half  uninliabitat)le,  but  nearly 

-advantages  ^^'^  whole  the  richest  arable  land  and  lakes  and,  water-courses.  Generally,  it  is 
'healthy;  its  facilities  for  navigation  and  railroad  building  unsurpassed;  its  coa 
abundant;  lead  and  copper  mines  superior,  and  its  iron  ore  the  purest  and  best  in 
the  world.  It  has  limestone  and  other  rock  in  abundance,  marble  of  various 
kinds,  gypsum,  water-lime,  salt  springs,  ix)ttery  clays,  silex  beds,  and  numerous 
otlier  productions  used  in  the  arts  and  manufactures. 

Eaaeoftiu-       Never  was  a  country  settled  which  so  quickly  and  liberally  rewarded  the  hus- 

*S®*  bandman  —  llie  great  basis  of  prosperity  —  whether  in  raising  various  kinds  of 

grains,  grasses  and  stock,  or  hemp,  flax,  tobacco,  fruits,  vegetables,  etc.  Not  as  in 
the  older  States  is  a  generation  or  two  worn  out  in  subduing  forests,  but  the  farmer 

Crop  first      comes  and  plows  and  sows,  and  reaps  a  bountiful  harvest  the  first  or  second  year. 

year.  Indian  corn  is  the  great  essential  in  modern  agriculture  —  *'  bread,  meat  and  man- 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  laveatmotts. 


11. J 


ure"  — and  not  ten  cents  jibusliel  is  the  aver!xu;e  cost  of  its  production,  nil  througli 
this  territory  tributary  to  Chica,i,'o.  For  i^rasses  it  is  fiunous  ;  and  portions  are  not 
excelled  for  fruits  of  all  kiuds  of  the  temperate  zone,  and  wines  are  to  lie  a  staple 
production.  Beyond  doubt,  the  equal  of  this  region  was  never  opened  to  the 
occupancy  of  man. 

To  exhibit  how  150,000  square  miles,  nn-l  3,000,000  population 
could  be  claimed  in  18G1,  tlio  following  table  was  pre|)arc(l.  Addi- 
tions are  made  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska  and  tiie  montanic  re"-ion, 
together  with  a  reasonable  estimate  of  area  and  popuhition  now 
tributary  : — 

1,500,000  Square  Milex,  having  11,000,000  Popuhition,  rapidly  to  become  tributary 
to  Chicago,  of  which  300,000  Square  Miles,  and  7,000,000  Population,  already  make 
it  tlwir  Centre. 


Bcht  rf'Kion 
of  tliu  glubc. 


How  the 
clitim  is 
iiiudo. 


States  and  Territories. 


Ohio 

Michigan. . 
Indiana . . . 
Illinois. . . . 
Wisconsin  , 
Minnesota 

Iowa 

Missouri. . 

Kansas 

Nebraska  . 


Old  Northwest. 

Dakota 

Montana 

Wyoming 

Colorado 


Pre-<ent  NortMcest. 

New  Mexico 

Arizona 

Utah 

Idaho 


The  West 1,538,200  9,230,505 


Square 
Miles. 


30,!)()4 
50,-i43 
33,801) 
55,405 
53,U24 
83,500 
55,045 
07,380 
83,000 
03,300 


Popula- 
tion in 
1800. 


591,570 
152,500 
143,770 
88,007 
106,475 


1,082,418 

124,450 

130,800 

109,000 

90,932 


2,339,511 
749,113 

1,350,428 

1,711,951 
775,881 
172,023 
674,913 

1,182,012 

107,200 

28,841 


9,091,879 
4,837 


9,096,71(1 
93,516 


40,273 


Tributary,  1801. 
Sqr.  Mis.  Popul'n. 


15,000 
15,000 
35,000 
25,000 
10,000 
30,000 
20,000 


150,000 


200,000 
250,000 
1,100,000 
500,000 
100,0()( 
500,000 
350,000 


5,000.000 


Tributary,  1808. 


Sqr.  Ml.s.  Popul'n 


25,000 
25,000 
45,000 
35,000 
25,000 
55,000 
25,000 
25,000 
20,000 


1,500,000  «q. 
niilcH. 

n. 000,000 

pupullltirin. 

Area. 

Popiiliitidn. 
Tril.iiy  ISCl. 
Tribu'y  1S63. 


400,000 
1,000,000 
2,200,000 

1,000,000 

:{0(i,ooo 

900,000 
(>00,000 
250,000 
250,000 


280,000  0,900,000  out  N.W. 
5,000'      1,-),0(I() 
5,000        15,000 


5,000 
5,000 

300,000 


150,000  3,000,000     300,000  7,000,000  The  West, 


20,000 
50,000 


7,000,000  New  N  w 


That  is  Chicago  territory  which  transacts  more  business  here  than 
at  any  other  city.  New  York  has  been  and  still  is  the  emporium  of  the 
continent,  for  all  sections  have  more  dealings  with  her  than  with  any 
other  city.  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  Boston,  heavy  ceii'trcs  of 
business  as  they  are,  are  her  tributaries.  Not  lor  several  years  can 
Chicago  stand  in  that  relation  to  the  chief  cities  of  the  West,  because 
New  York  will  still  be  their  emporium.  For  that  reason,  and  that 
only,  the  whole  West  cannot  be  now  claimed  as  Chicago's  territory. 
The  time  must  come,  as  we  shall  see,  when  the  West  will  have  far 
more  traffic  with  itself  than  with  the  seaboard;  and  then,  unless  this 
argument  be  fallacious,  Chicago  will  be  its  emporium. 

It  is  difficult  to  realize  that  six  hundred  thousand  square  miles  can 
really  become  tributary  to  one  city.  Yet  to  that  must  be  added 
five  hundred  thousand  more  of  the   Territories  already  sure  to   us. 


What  is  Chi. 
territorj-  ? 


N.  Y.  empo- 
rium of 
vholo  coun- 
try. 

Why  Chi.  is 
not  yet  em- 
porium of 
the  West. 


Area  difficult 
to  realize. 


IIG 


The  Northtoest  is  the  Prize — Its  Extent  and  Resources. 


and  another  iive  hundred  thousand  that  must,  follow  the  lead  of  the 

Small  per  ' 

ceur.  yet  in  rest.    Tlie  rapidity  of  settlement,  and  the  small  per  cent,  yet  cultivated 

farms.  .  .  ^    . 

of  such   an   area,  are  important  items.      The  United  States  census 
supplies  the  following  information  : — 

Farms  of  N.  Lands  of  Nortltwest  in  Farms,  1850  and  1800,  and  not  in  Farms. 

W.  1850— 

—I860. 

Land  not  in 

faruig. 

Total  area. 


Old  N.  W. 


New  N.  W. 


States 
and 

Farms,  per 
Censns,  1850. 

Farms,  per 
Census,  1800. 

Not  in 
Farms. 

Total 
acres  m 

Territories. 

Inipr'd.   lUnimpr'd 

Inipr'd.    Unimpr'd 

out. 

Ohio 

9,851,493 1  8,140,000 
l,929,110l  2,454,780 
5,046,543;  7,740,879 
5,039,545    0.997.807 

12,025,394    7.840.747 

5,104,819 
28,904,086 

5,249,408 
14,547,211 
29,017,773 
50,728,032 
25,158,893 
23,138,390 
51,341,000 
39,980,781 

25,570,960 

Michigan 

Indiana 

3,470,290 

8,242,183 

13,096,374 

3,740,107 

550,250 

3,792,792 

6,246,871 

405,4(i8 

118,789 

3,554,538 
8,146,109 
7,815,015 
4,147,420 
2,155,718 
0,277,115 
13,737,939 
1,372,932 
512,425 

35,995,520 
21,037,760 

IHinois 

35,459,200 

Wisconsin 

Minnesota 

Iowa 

1,045,499 
5,035 

824,082 
2,938,425 

1,931,159 

23,840 
1,911,382 
6,794,245 

34,51  i,;n;() 
53,44U,0U0 
35,228,800 

Missouri 

Kansas 

43,123,200 
53,120,000 

Nebraska. . 

40,512,000 

Old  Northwest. . 
Dakota 

20,080,322 

30,000,158 

52,306,58 ! 
2,115 

55,500,558 
24,333 

273,831,053 
97,573,552 

378,004,800 
97,000,000 

Montana         . . 

92,010,040 

36,382,080 

Colorado  .    .   . 

68,144,000 

Present  Nortliwest 

092,747,520 
79,048,000 
83,712,000 

New  Mexico. . . . 
Arizona 

106,201 

124,370 

149,274 

1,205,035 

78,233,091 

TItah 

16,333 

30,510 

77,219 

12,092 

70,054,089 

70,144,000 

Idaho  

58,190,000 

The.  West 

20,802,800 

30,100,944 

52,535,192 

50,859,218 

519,692,385 

984,447,520 

The  West. 

not'ou^nfth     What  brings  land  into  the  list  oi  far 7ns,  and  what  renders  them 

undtr fence,  i'mjjroved,  is  not  explained  that  I  have  seen.  But  it  certainly  means 
something  less  than  putting  land  into  grain  or  tame  grass,  for  Illinois 
in  1860  had  not  a  fifth,  probably  not  a  sixth  in  that  condition,  and 
this  estimates  over  one-third  improved.  Possibly  a  third  may  have 
been  under  fence,  though  not  very  probably;  and  if  so,  it  is  a  much 
greater  proportion  than  any  State  north  or  west  of  her  has.  Of  the 
region  now  tributary,  which  has   already  made   Chicago  the  chief 

Notiarrein  pi'ovision  and  grain  market  of  the  world,  not  one  acre  in  five,  probably 

5  yet  plowed  j^^^  onc  in  eight  has  yet  been  ploughed. 

The  estimate  in  1861  having  been  too  moderate,  a  mere  comparison 
with  the  present  would  render  the  latter  extravagant,  it  not  being 
possible  to  have  doubled  area  and  population  in  seven  years.  But 
while  more  might  then  have  been  claimed,  trade  had  not  settled  down 
with  that  firmness  in  new  channels  to  render  it  prudent  to  claim  what 

fiJms"*^"""  ^^  seemed  to  have  acquired.  Seven  years  more  of  results,  year  by 
year  assuring  continuance  of  the  same  with  accelerating  ratio,  will 
justify  above  figures  with  every  disinterested,  considerate  judge. 
The  present  population  of  the  Northwest  no  doubt  exceeds  11,000,000. 

Ohio  not  yet       -r»*'iii  •  i  t         . 

claimed.  JJesiring  to  make  these  estimates  moderate,  leaving  room  for  future 


Est.  of  1861 
moderate. 


I'ast,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  117 

,   increase,  nothiii<c  is  yet  claimed  from  Ohio.     Indiana  lias  doubtless 
1,000,000    population,   and   except   50  to    100  miles    adjoining    eacli    "'■""'^''«- 
Louisviile    and   Cincinnati,   the   entire  State  gives  trade  largely   to 
Chicago;  yet  only  five-eighths   is  estimated.     Of  Illinois,  St.  Louis  J^'l^yj'" 
lias  50  to  100  miles,  perhaps,  and  the  rest  comes  to  Chicatro.     Missouri  »'''■' 'wo- 

ill         /^^  Til  liftliH. 

IS  estimated  by  Governor  1^  letcher  to  have  1,500,000  population,  and 
only  two-fifths   are   claimed  for   Chicago.     A  census  in   1857     'dves 
Iowa  902,040,  and  the  whole  is  ours;  for  as  remarked  in  18U1,  0)^25),  iS*"* 
a  person   who   sought  trade   with   that  State   alone,  would  come  to 
Chicago  to  do  it.      Of  Wisconsin,  too,  the  whole  would  be  estimated,  IIcltoMH: 
but  that  Milwaukee  has  a  large  trade  yet  with  New  York.     Nebraska  Neb. ours, 
is  entirely  om-s.     The  estimate  for  Kansas  is  doubtless  most  qucs- Kansas  com- 
tionable;  but  the    rapid    increase    will  justify   it,   the   present  year "'°' 
making  it  s2:ood. 

The  Territories  are  not  counted  upon  except  for  mining  trade,  as  Estimate  of 
that  will  be  chief  for  many  years.     This  renders  a  present  estimate  uowlmau. 
small,  not  that  the  trade  is  not  ours  legitimately,  but  because  miniu"- 
is  in   its  infancy,  and  what  little  there  is  has  not  found  its  natural 
channel  by  railway.     The  Pacific  road,  and  that  to  Sioux  City,  to  be -riioir  trade 
finished  in  a  few  months,  will  take  the  whole  trade  of  Colorado,  .^„,i '=""'^*""Cbi. 
thence  north.     A  newspaper  remarks  : — 

Tlie  Omaha  Pacilic  Railroad  Company  have  notified  the  Government  that  they  Denver  br'ch 
intend  to  construct  a  railroad  from  Denver  to  the  main  road,  a  distance  of  one  '''""'• 
hundred  and  two  miles  and  have  it  completed  in  October  next. 

Other  branches  will  also  be  made,  and  rapidly  ;  and  until  other  lines  oti.or  bran- 
from  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  shall  bear  trade  still  more  directly  *^*""'' 
to  Chicago,  the  Omaha  Pacific  will  take  the   whole  from  noi-thcrn  ^"'.^x'^cuy^ 
Nebraska  and  Wyoming,  and  the  Sioux  City  will  be  a  strong  com-  ,'ake  aiT" 
petitor  for  that  above.     The  Chicago  Journal  says  : — 

Chicago  and  tlie  Upi^er  Missouri. — Tlie  conunercial  relations  of  the  new  Northwest  n  ,  ,gr  mo 
and  this  city  are  becmning  more  and  more  intimate.     Cliicago  is  tlie  metropolis  of  tradobeiuugs 
all  tlie  Northwest,  of  Montana  and  Idaho,  Minnesota  and  Iowa,  hardly  less  than  to  Chi. 
of  Illinois.     As  the  entire  country  pays  tribute  to  New  York,  so  does  tlie  entire 
Northwest  to  tills  metropolis.      Tlie  importance  of  Cliicago  is  due  largely,  if  not 
mainly,  to  the  fact  that  from  the  first  it  has  acted  upon  the  idea  that,  as  Parton 
expresses  it,  "  every  acre  with  which  it  could  put  itself  into  easy  coumuuiicatidii  sin!  wins  it. 
must  ]iay  tribute  to  it  forever."     To  our  people,  therefore,  it  is  a  matter  of  no  trivial 
interest  that  the  Sioux  City  branch  of  the  Iowa  division  of  the  Northwestern  gj^,,^  qj, 
Railway,  running   from   St.  Johns  to  Sioux  City,  will  be  completed   before  the  ruiui  soon 
opening  of  spring  navigation  —  probably  in  five  weeks.     Our  informant  is  the '*"'■'• 
Superintendent  of  its  construction. 

This  important  branch  of  the  Northwestern,  terminating  at  Sioux  City,  connects  Tnkes  Upper 
Chicago  with  the  Missouri  1,039  miles,  by  river  navigation,  above  St.  Louis,  and  Mo.  trade, 
gives  immediate  prominence  to  our  city  in  the  estimation  of  the  mountain  i)eople, 
in  two  essentials  —  that  of  trade  and  travel.     The  better  to  comjilete  this  line  of  steamboat 
communication  with  Montana,  a  line  of  fleet,  light-draft  steamers,  especially  con-  iin<-  in 
structed  for  navigating  the  Upper  Missouri,  has  been  projected,  and  will  ply  this  •^•'""•^'^''°°- 
coming  season  between  Sioux  City  and  Fort  Benton.     The  exorbitant  freights  and 
high  rates  of  insurance  on  goods  shipped  from  St.  Louis,  residting  parti}'  from  the 
many  dangers  and  ditficulties  attending  the  navigation  of  the  .Missouri  as  high  up  Lower  Mo. 
as  Sioux  City,  and  partly  from  the  absence  of  competing  lines  from  points  "above  n|'vjgut\^,i. 
St.  Louis,  are  items  of  importance,  whicli,  if  no  others  were  wanting,  would  serve 
to  divert  a  great  commercial  channel  from  St.  Louis  where  it  has  heretofore  been 


118 


The  yorthioest  is  the  Prize— Its  Extent  and  Resources. 


Long  tripa 
Irum  St.  L. 


Shows  nci- 
vuutufje  of 
Clii.  route. 


37,000  miners 


Hdma  Gaz. 


Ciii.  M.  St.  L. 


Trade  with    comveVU'i  to  ffo,  to  Chicago,  where,  this  season,  it  ^\\\  vroperly  and  iiaturaUy  come. 

CUi.n»tiirai.\y:,V:f,„j..ti,rrii  of  river  navigation  overcome  (and  that  the  most  dangerous  and 
diffleult)  — with  from  twelve  to  fourteen  days  saved  — steamers  leaving  Sioux  City, 
cnveviii"  I'rei-ht  and  passengers,  delivered  in  three  days  from  Chicago,  will  be 
able  ti)  nmke  nvo,  and  possibly  three,  trips  to  the  headwaters  (instead  of  one,  as 
heretofore,)  before  the  close  of  navigation.         .       „    ,     „        ,.,  ■    ^  x.,  a 

j/.«/<ma  To  illustrate  the  more  clearly,  take  the  following  facts,  for  which  we  are  indebted 

^^''-  to  a  Montana  exchange  : 

Extent  of         "Durin"-  the  past  season,  forty-nine  steamers,  transporting  upward  of  seven 

UieirtmJe.  ti„,u^,i,i,i  tons  of  freight,  and  nearly  three  thousand  passengers,  reached  Fort 
Benton  from  St.  Louis.  The  average  time  of  these  boats  in  reaching  their  desti- 
nation was  sixty  days.  The  Octavia  made  Benton,  from  St.  Louis,  in  thirty-five 
days  Tiie  Zephyr  was  wafted  through  in  ninety  days!  Steamers,  such  as  are  to 
bf'put  on  the  line  from  Sioux  City,  ought  to  make  the  'voyage'  from  that  point  to 
heatlquarters  in  from  twenty-five  to  twenty-seven  days,  with  one  hundred  to  one 
liundred  and  twenty-five  tons  of  freight  and  full  passenger  list." 

*        *        *        These  facts  are  important  as  showing  a  great  saving  of  dis- 
tance, time,  and  cost  of  transporting  goods  to,  and  the  shipment  of  treasure  from, 
and  so  demonstrating  a  material  dTvergence  in  the  channels  of  trade,  important 
alike  to  the  people  of  Chicago  and  the  vigorous  and  thrifty  communities  of  the 
mi)iiiitain.s. 
■\Vith  a  population  already  of  37,000  people  — with  thousands  of  adventurous 
wiiut counec  „„.,[  adding  to  Jier  numbers  yearly — with  a  gold  product  only  second  to  California, 
tiou  Bust.      _^j^^j  ^^.jji^  silver  miiiL'S  that  promise  to  equal,  if  they  do  not  excel,  those  of  Nevada, 
Montana   has   little  patience  and   less  disposition   to  sufler  longer  that  isolation 
which,  more  than  any  other  Territory,  has  been  her  lot  in  the  past." 

The  Helena  (^Montana)  Gazette,  Nov.  28th,  announces  her  opinion 

in  the  ease  of — 

Chimqovs.  St..  Louis. — Rapid  and  cheap  transportation,  to  a  country  isolated  as 
is  ilontana,  is  the  medium  to  the  ultima  i/i?/fe  of  commercial  advantage;  and  what- 
ever the  predilections  of  our  merchants  may  be,  or  the  convenience  and  advantage 
of  their  business  relations  elsewhere,  it  is  every  day  becoming  more  apparent  that 
Trade  goes  to  C.'iicago  is  making  the  best  bids,  or,  what  is  the  same  thing,  oflfering  greater 
btot  uader.  inducements  for  Montana  trade,  than  even  St.  Louis,  that  has  grown  wealthy  off 
of  western  tratiic,  and  should  be  willing  to  spend  a  portion  of  that  wealth  in 
St. L.  inert,  opening  up  to  US  Commercial  facilities.  While  St.  Louis,  like  an  overgrown  boy, 
reveling  in  the  plenitude  of  animal  life,  is  inert  trora  the  lassitude  of  inaction,  and 
surtering,  absolutely  from  the  growing  pains  of  expansion  which  it  cannot  prevent 
witlKHtt  doing  violence  to  nature,  Chicago  is  straining  every  nerve  to  accomplish 
the  great  result  of  securing  the  Montana  trade.  Besides  the  lease  by  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  company  of  the  Dubuque  and  Sioux  City  railroad,  that  immense 
corporation,  exerting  its  infiuence  in  the  interests  of  Cliicago,  will,  by  spring, 
witliout  fail,  connect  at  Sioux  City  by  means  of  a  load  to  St.  Johns,  on  the  Missouri 
river,  80  miles  above  Council  Blutis,  and  thence  without  change  of  cars,  a  distance 
of  about  70  miles,  to  Sioux  City.  By  putting  on  a  line  of  boats  thence  to  Fort 
Bjiilon,  that  place  will  be  made  the  Chicago  depot  of  supplies  to  Montana,  and  our 
merchants  will  be  able  to  buy  either  in  Chicago  in  February  or  March,  or  at  Sioux 
Ciiy  in  March  or  April  at  Chicago  rates,  with  freight  added,  and  transport  the'- 
g.iods  lo  Fort  Benton  in  a  numerous  line  of  light-dnxft  Chicago  bottoms,  at  a  cost 
of  about  four  cents  for  river  transportation  ancl  insurance,  and  two  and  a  half  for 
railnjad.  Tliese  are  bright  prospects  for  Montana,  but  the  rays  of  our  light  will 
not  fall  on  St.  Louis,  unless  she  makes  a  determined  and  present  effort,  which, 
froiii  present  apjiearances,  we  should  judge  she  is  not  likely  to  do.  As  an  illus- 
tration of  tlie  liigii  estimate  placed  upon  our  trade  l)y  Chicago,  Dubuque,  and 
Sioux  Citv,  we  (piote  from  9.  Dubuque  Herald,  of  a  recent  date:  '"As  an  example 
ot  what  may  be  expected,  we  may  point  to  the  immense  business  now  derived  by 
Omaha  frou!  the  nppiir  Missouri.  We  learn  that  the  bank  deposits  of  that  city  are 
not  less  than  $2,000,00().  The  handling  of  the  gold  from  the  mountains,  brought 
l»y  steamers  and  mackinaw  boats  down  the  Missouri,  require  the  presence  of  large 
amounts  of  capiial.  A  single  mackinaw  boat  is  frequently  loaded  with  200  pounds 
of  gold  dust.  0|)en  to  Sioux  City  communication  with  the  east,  and  these  same 
steamers  and  boats  will  make  that  place  their  southern  landing,  and  their  business, 
.  passenger  and  IVeight,  will  be  done  tliere.  This  immense  business  in  the  minerals 
">t  llie  mountains  and  the  agricultural  products  of  the  plains  will  be  bnmght  loour 
doors  on  the  exlunsiou  of  the  D.  and  S.  C.  R.  to  the  Missouri  river."     With  this 


Si  MIX  City 
road. 


SteamboHts 
to  connect. 


honeflts  to 

Uoutuua. 

UtT  trade 
t  luubt. 
U'lhuqUf. 
lUraia. 


Uountaiii 
triuie  Ur(;e. 


Cnine  to  Du 
tui^ue. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  liy 

view  of  the  active  interest  being  slicnvn  by  Cliicago  fiipibil  in  sc-euring  to  ns  com-  chi  eeoka 
memal  advantages,  and  the  apalliy  shown  by  St.  Louis,  we  cannot  'licli)  but  be 
impressed  with  tlie  conviction  that  8t.  Louis  lias  "  h)st  iicr  grip,"  us  cnunerce  S'-^rogrets 
like  water,  will  travel  in  the  lowest  channel  and  seek  an  outlet  where  there  exists  Tra.io  like 
the  least  impediments.     This   branch  road  Irom   Chicasro  to  Siou.x   City  is  now  wuic-r. 
completed  to  Onawa,  some  30  miles  below,  and  half  of  the  iiilerveuiu"-  ilislance  i.s 
graded,  being  a  gap  of  but  fifteen  miles  of  grading  and  tiiirty  miles  of  Track-luyiipr 
to  be  completed  between  now  and  spring,  iind  the  bridging  of  the  Floyd    jus"t 
below  Sioux  City.     If  St.  Louis  is  determined  to  "shake  us,"  re<initnt  ('h'icago /;.y«</»<ciii 
say  we.  -        c       ^ 

To   indicate   soinething   of  the,   rapidity   of  iiicfease,   and    present  T.,.-mu,o 
value  of  that  trade,  an  extract  is  taken  from  a  letter  in  the  Chicar/o"'^"'^' 
Republican,  urging  the  importance  of  the  Sioux  City  road  :—         '     a.i.Rfp. 

The  fact  is,  Sioux  City  is  the  first  point  reached  liy  the  upper  ^Missouri  river  and  Sioux  city 
Montana  trade,  where  it  gets  rail  communication  with  Chicago  and  tlu;  Kast.     And  ''•""«'  ''«'''— 
as  by  taking  the  boats  at  Sioux  City  in  pl;ice  of  St.  Louis,  over  one  thousand  iniles 
of  difficult  river  navigation  is  saved;  Chicago  cuts  St.  Louis  entirely  off  from  this-mu  offSt. 
trade,  and  can  secure  it  for  herself  if  the  Dubuque  and  Sioux  City  road  is  built  on  ^ouIh. 
the  direct  line  to  Sioux  City,  for  it  would  then  be  the  "  thoroughfare  "  for  the 
whole  of  this  trade.  *  *  #  '    # 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  direct  line  to  Sioux  City  is  the  only  one  that  will  give  Hfft  for  Chi. 
Chicago  enterprise  a  fair  chance  to  compete  for  this  important  tnule,  whose  history 
is  the  best  index  to  its  value.     In  1804  the  entire  Montana  trade;  was  carried  bv  two  incrense  of 
steamboats  from  Sioux  City  to  Fort  Benton,  on  an  experimental  trip.     In  ISt')"),  the  .Montana 
number  was  increased  to  thirteen  boats,  with  1,000  tons  of  freight.     In  18()0,  to  ""'"'«• 
thirty-seven  boats,  and  4,000  tons  of  freight.     In  1807,  to  fifty-three  boats,  and  7,;J00 
tons  of  freight,  at  a  cost,  for  freight  alone,  of  over  half  a  million  dollars. 

The  Missouri  Democrat,  of  January  21  st,  said  : —  Mo.  uem. 

TM    Colorado    Trade. — We  have   frequently   had  occasion   to  point  out  theS'- t- m'lat 
necessity  of  the  trade  of  Colorado  and   the  other   Territories  on  tlie  line  of  tlie  "^rj""'" ''?''^ 
Eastern  Division  railway  being  secured  to  St.  Louis — its   natural  outlet — but   cir-'*'"  ^"' ^' 
cumstances  have,  thus  far,  almost  entirely  prevented  it.     We   now  wish  to  refer 
particularly  to  tlie  trade  of  Denver — that  city  being  the  entrepot  of  nine-tenths  of 
the  merchandize  which  the  Territory  of  CJolorado  consumes.      Since  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Omaha  line  of  the  Union  Pacific  railroad,  Chicago  and  New  York  hiive  y'uJ'w'ha've 
enjoj'Cd  undisputed  possession  of  this  trade,  and  it  amounts  to  a  sum  of  no  mean  it. 
importance,  as  we  published  several  days  since — shown  by  the  statistical  report  of 
the  Denver  Board  of  Trade  for  1867.     This  report  shows 'that  17,122,000  pounds  of  DenvcrtraJe 
freight  were  received  from  the  East.     St.  Louis  should  have  furnished  the  greater 
portion  of  that   amount.     Whereas,  she  furnished   but  an  intinitesimal  fraction.  St.  L.  has 
This  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  there  exists  no  means  by  which  freight  can  be  trans-  '^'''"^'  ''"'^• 
ported  to  Denver,  over  the  St.  Louis  route,  except  by  express  or  ox  trains.      The  o.x  trains— 
tonner  is  too  expensive  and  the  latter  too  slow.     We  published,  a  day  or  two  ago,  —tooslow. 
a  statement  showing  the  comparative  business  of  St.  Louis  and  Ciiicago  during 
1867.     It  was  very  satisfactory  to  our  city* — Chicago  being  many  huntlred  thousand  St.  L  beats 
dollars  in  arrears.     To  make  the  discrepancy   still  greater,  we  only  require   the  Chicago. 
Western  trade,  which  will  naturally  come  to  St.  Louis  when  we  furnish   a  line  of-^^-^,,t  t^ade 
communication.     Tiie  people  of  Colorado,  we  have  always  been  assured,  and  are  make  her 
now  assured,  are  very  friendly  to  our  city,  and  are  anxious  that  soinething  should  still  better, 
be  done  by  which  freights  can  be  ordered  over  the  St.  Louis  line  at  a  tarilf  which 
will  stand  comparison  with  that  over  the  Chicago  line.     What  is   required  until  Fast  freight 
the  Ea.stern  Division  railway  extends  its  road  to  Denver,  as   they   will  do  at   as  liuo  wanted, 
rapid  a  rate  as  is  possible,  is  a  fast  freight  hue  from  its  terminus  to  the  commercial 
centre  of  Colorado. 


*  Yea;  and  satisfaction   was   rather  short-lived,  probably.    The  only  statement  of  the  sort  that    I  pt.  L.  crow- 
have  seen,  was  that  of  the  Commissioner  of  Internal  Revenue;    in  which,  as  hereafter  sliown,   the  ins  over  a 
blunder  was  made  of  giving  the  Chicago  trade  for  only  six  months.    Throw  off  half  of  our  business,  '''under, 
and  then  St.  Louis  is  a  little  ahead.    We,  too,  can  say,  that  '•  to  make  the  discrepancy  still  greater,  we 
only  require  the  western  trade."     But  instead  of  having  to  add,  "  which  will  naturally  come  to  St. 
Louis  when  we  furnish  a  line  of  communication";  we  can  and  do  say— that  which  does  come  to  Chicago 
by  roads  already  built.    The  difference  is  very  trifling,  only  that  between  ox-trains  and  railway  trains. 


120  The  ISTorthwest  is  the  Prize— Its  Extent  and  Resources. 

Trade  nato-       T\w  JDemocrcit,  tlic  vciy  next  day,  January  22d,  shows  the  good 

CLi'.*'^'"**°p,.,„pects    St.   Louis  has  in  Colorado.      No  doubt   the  people    are 

iVieMdly  with  the  city,  with   which  what   little   trade  they  had  was 

transacted  ;  yet  if  in  Clay  county,  in  Missouri,  it  will  go  to   Chicago 

if  it  be  for  their  interest,   as  we  saw  (p.  97)  ;   St.  Louis  should  bear 

E^u?ihau  DO  malice  against  Colorado  for  choosing  railways  over  ox-trains  or 

"m^"^Ix'.      ^'^■^'"  ''0'"'^e  expresses.     Says  the  Missouri  Detnocrat  :— 

Action  of         T/ie  Ue/n-er  Paci-fic  Railroad  Movement.— Judge  Usher  and  Governor  Carney 
Deuv.T.ii.o't.,j^],.^^,j,^^.,l  ^\^^,  Denver  Board  of  Trade,  on  the  13th  inst.,  deprecating  the  vothi!?  of 
Cbe>^uni°    I'o'it^s  hy  Denver  to  the  Denver  Pacitic  Raih-oad.     Maj.  Johnson  and  Gen.  Hughes 
responded  for  the  Denver  movement,  and  their  views  are  embodied  and  endorsed 
Denver  Sews  |jy  jj,g  ^Y^.^^^y^  of  the  14th,  as  follows  :     "  Our  city  has  been  long  enongli  deluded  by 
promises  and  hopes.     If  we  expect  anything  we  must  go  to  work  ourselves.     This 
we  have  doni-,   and  this   we  propose  to  continue  to  do.     When  a  half  milliou 
of  bonds  are  voted,  and  a  road  graded  and  tied  from  Denver  toCheyenne,  or  some 
point  on  the  Union  Pacitic  railroad,  we  shall  then  have  some  reliable  assurance  of 
Sorry  to  em- j^  raihvav  Connection.     If  this  action"  embarrasses  the  eastern  division  we   are 
l'^oTI         very  sorry,  but  we  cannot  help  it.     The  Denver  Pacitic  must  go  on.     We  assure 
Governor   Carney  and   Judge  Usher,  that  we  have  the  warmest  sentiments  of 
Will  wel-       friondsliip  for  their  road,  for  Leavenworth  and  St.  Louis.     We  reciprocate  tlieir 
'^'""''""^°'~ expressions  and  will  extend  a  liearty  welcome  to  tlieir  road  when  it  comes.     More 
—aid  tlieiii.   tliaii  this,  they  shall  have  substantial  aid  when  we  can  aftord  to  give  it.     But  wlieu 
tht-y  attack  tiie  Denver  Pacitic  road,  our  own  enterprise,  and  present  diplomatic 
lmveTiI!-ir     icasoiis  wiiy  we  should  not  vote  bonds,  they  must  expect  no  response,  but  only  a 
own  road,      firmer  adhesion  to  the  position  Denver  has  taken.     We  will  enter  into  any  agree- 
ment lliey  wish,  save  one,  and  that  is  to  abandon  the  Denver  Pacific  railway.     If 
to  obtaiii'this  is  the  object  of  their  visit,  we  predict  tliat  it  will  be  a  failure,  and  so 
it  should  be." 

to^iieiT "'^'*      Chicago  has  now  attained  a  position  that  she  can  do  something  for 
her  own  protection,  and  for  the  extension  of  her  commerce  and  manu- 
factures.     Although  every  influence  hitherto   favorable,   especially 
that  of  the  conjoined  interest  of  eastern  capitalists,  must  operate 
Anencour-   continuously  and  with  multiplying  power;  it  will  not  prove  a  slight 
Hast.  stimulant  to  continue  tlie  same  course,  that  their  judicious  aid  in  the 

])ast  will  henceforth  enable  Chicago  to  be  an  energetic,  liberal  con- 
tributoi  to  means  promoting  joint  interests,  chief  of  which  will  be  to 
extend  tlie  railway  system  exactly  as  it  has   been   established.     Who 
-'ikies'w^eBt-'^*^"  doubt  that  this  sure  policy,  continues  nearly  every  one  of  the  seven 
Chicago  lines  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  perhaps  two  or  three  inter- 
MouiIuum    i"ediate  ones,  onward  to  and  into  the  Rocky  Mountains  within  ten 
andbejond.  y^-ars,  luost  of  them  within  five  ?     Nothing  beyond  is  calculated  upon, 
though  several  will  go  to  the  Pacific,  for  it  will  suftice  that  they  reach 
into  the  mountains  to  secure  to  us  the  entire  area  above  listed,  and 
we  leave  a  little  for  future  additions. 

i"T'Juh'  Can  competing  lines  be  established  ?  They  can  and  will  compete 
with  each  other  to  obtain  the  business  and  deliver  it  at  Chicago. 
That  will  be  the  only  serious  competition,  for  should  long  diagonal 
roads   be    constructed,   they    would    only  be  feeders  to  the   trunks. 

"fflcuu?'"''  ^Vlience  sliall  funds  come  to  build  roads  enough  to  interfere  with 
these  powerful  spokes  of  the  Chicago  hub?  Starting  from  this 
natural  and  artificial  centre,  the  long  lines  diverge,  and  quite  evenly, 


iiiileii 
th  to  St. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  121 

taking  in  the  entire  region  from  Mexico  to  the  IJritisli  Possessions. 
]>eing  itself   considerably    souih   of    tlie    centre   of  latitude  of   tlie 
Nortliwest,  what  possible  influences  can  be   generated  to  draw  thisdnfwuuJo 
trade  away  off  from  its  natural  and  direct  route  eastward,  loO  miles  1^," 
south  to  St.  Louis,  upon  the  very  verge  of  the  Northwest  ?     She  will  '"'"'"• 
have   part  of  the   Kansas  trade,   but  less   and   less  from   eacli    line 
north. 

As  before  remarked,  competition  on  the  southern  road  from  Kansas,  comp-tiiion 
begins  at  least  even-handed;  and  what  forces  will  there  operate  in"' '^''"'^" 
her  favor,  which  failed  in  her  own  State?     She  will  display  more 
wisdom  and  ability  than  she  has  yet  done,  if  she  can  draw  lier  part 
of  the  far-west  trade  through  Kansas,  or  the  chief  city  that  will  there  g/','"'  ^^ 
arise.      Competition  directly  in  her  rear  will  afford  ample  employment 
without   seeking  it  so   far  from  home.     Were  the  west  bank  of  the 
Missouri  the  shore  of  a  lake,  what  a  site  would  Kansas  City  be  !  ^"^  ^°*"^" 
But  St.  Louis  can  take  no  advantage  of  Kansas'  deficiencies,  for  she 
is  still  more  deficient.* 

*  The  Great  Bend  ot  the  Missouri,  affording  a  site  more  nearly  approaching  that  which  Lake  Micliigar  Great  bend 
affords  than  anything  else  in  nature,  and  creating  a  centre  which  art  will  mirely  regard  ;  it  in  natural  ".'  *•'"'"'»■'' 
that  we  should  have  a  sympathy  with  the  embryo  city  there,  which,  within  20  years,  will  count  ita 
hundreds  of  thousands  ;    and  we  would  like  to  have  it  determined  wnether  it  shall  be  Kansas  City, 
Leavenworth,  Lawrence  or  some  other.    Since  pp.  99  and  100  were  stereotyped,  a  private  letter,  written 
by  Col.  Vliet.  Engineer  of  the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  and  Galveston  Railroad,  to  a  friend  to  acquaint  Col.  Vliet's 
him  with  the  advantages,  present  and  prospective,  of  that  road,  was  lent  me   for  perusal,  and  I  have  ,'.   i'!"]  ^  ^"" 
obtained  permission  to  make  some  extracts,  exhibiting  at  once  the  undeveloped  resources  to  be  devel-  road, 
oped  in  the  Southwest;  and  also  the  important  fact  that  already  they  look  to  Chicago  for  their  market. 
Three-fourths  of  the  immense  herds  of  cattle  that  Kansas  and  the  Indian  Territory  are  annually  to 
export,  will  come  to  the  Chicago  stock  yards.     Says  Col.  Vliet : — 

"In  natural  and  undeveloped  resources,  the  country  along  the  proposed  route  of  the  L.  L.  &.  G.  R.  R.  Route  degi- 
preseuts  a  most  inviting  field  in  that  part  lying  within  the  State  of  Kansas;  the  extreme  fertility  of  the  '''''''*'• 
soil,  and  its  adaptation   to   the  production  of  all   the  grains  and   fruits  of  the  temperate  zone,  and  Products 
especially  of  wheat  and  wine  are  acknowleged  by  all  acquainted   with  the  country,  are  fast  becoming 
proverbial.     The  mildness  of  the  climate,  the  gently  undulating  surface,  and  the  facilities  for  grazing      ^''''' 
will  render  it  eminentlj'  favorable  for  stock  and  wool  growing. 

"Having  become  well  acquainted  with  the  country  from  Lawrence  to  Humboldt,  lean  testify  from  per-  Personal 
sonal  knowledge  that  it  has  not  been  over-rated.    It  will  not  suffer  in  comparison  with  the  richest  portions     "o*  ^  S  • 
of  Illinois  or  Iowa.     As  a  whole,  it  is  perhaps  not  as  well  adapted  to  the  growinij  of  corn  as  some  portions 
of  those  States,  though  the  bottoms  are  unsurpassed  in  this  particular,  but  will  equal  or  surpass  them 
in  the  production  of  wheat,  fruit,  stock  and  wool.    I  have  recently  returned  Irom  a  trip  across  the 
Osage  lands  from  Humboldt,  south,  to  the  State  line.    The  great  fertility  of  the  Neosho  Valley  »nd  its  *^'*'*=®  '''"^*' 
large  supply  of  timber  are  widely  known  and  appreciated,  and  are  unquestionable.      But  my  route  led 
me  over  the  uplands,  between  the  Neosho  and  Verdigris.     Here  I  was  agreeably  surprised.    With  the 
exception  of  occasional  small  isolated  ridges,  the  lands  are  less  undulating  than  those  to  the  north  of 
them,  and  more  fertile,  rivalling  in  this  respect  the  bottom  lands  themselves.    My  course  was  mostly 
over  prairie,  on  the  divide  between  the  waters  of  these  two  streams.  *  *  * 

"The  rotite,  along  the  line  proposed,  is  exceptionally  singular.  No  parallel  route  of  equal  practiea- Q„)y  practi- 
bility  exists  on  either  side  of  it,  except  in  its  immediate  neighborhood.  To  the  east  of  it  the  Ozark  cable  route. 
Mountains  of  Missouri,  and  the  mountainous  regions  of  Western  Arkansas,  interposean  effectual  barrier 
to  any  practicable  route  short  of  the  meri  lian  of  Little  Rock  —  over  I.'jO  miles  to  the  east.  To  the  west, 
the  country  rises  r-ipidly.  The  valleys  of  the  numerous  large  streams  have  generally,  an  east  and  west 
direction,  and  are  separated  by  high  ridges  which  would  lie  directly  across  any  parallel  route  on  that 
side. 

"The  country  about  the  junction  of  the  Canadian  and  the  Grand  (or  Neosho)  Rivers  with  the  Arkansas  A  focal  point 
seems  to  be  a  focal  point,  toward  which  large  streams  now  from  nearly  all  directions,  having  a  common 
outlet  through  the  Arkansas  to  the  eastward.    Here,  the  Neosho  (or  Grand)  and  Verdigris  come  in  from 
more  than  100  miles  to  the  northward,  interposing  a  valley  between  the  mountain  ranges  on  the  cast  and  The  route 
the  ridges  to  the  west,  which  is  unexceptional  as  a  railroad  route  and  in  which  our  lino  will  be  laid.  '"''  ri^ilroad. 


122 


The  Northwest  is  the  Prize— Its  Exte^it  and  Resources. 


Chi.  to  seek       ChicafTo,  with  every  other  city  tliat  has  ability  to  combine  the  two 

best  trade.  ^^^.^^^  i„^ercsts  of  civilizatioii,  commerce  aiul  manufactures,  if  she  be 
wise,  will  give  special  attention  to  those  States  who  will  be  her  best 
customers  in  both.     Therefore  will  time,  means  and  effort  be  given 

KockyMts.   as  necessary,  to  secure  the  traffic  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.     Double 

superior.  ^jj^  population  elsewhere  in  the  West,  will  not  supply  a  trade  equally 
valuable  with  that  of  the  mines.  Mining  will  be  their  business, 
except  to  raise  their  grain  and  potatoes.     Buying  almost  everything 

thiufer*"^^  and  beino-  free  livers,  they  Avill  soon  employ  a  set  of  traders  who  will 
make  it  a   specialty,    adapting   themselves   to  the    necessities    and 

Trade  caoriccs  of  their  customers.  For  the  reason  that  it  is  a  peculiar 
trade,  it  is  inclined  to  aggregation,  seeking  those  WMio  understand  it, 

Numerous     ^jj^i  stickiiiiT  to  tlicm.     Eacli  50  to  100  miles,  the  entire  breadth  from 

liut*  to  Cbi.  o  .  • ,  1  ,  1 

Mexico  to  the  British  line,  will  have  a  railway,  branch  or  trunk, 
direct  to  Chicago.  Probably  no  city  intermediate  will  liave  more 
than  tliree,  and  two  of  them  short  branches.  Must  not  the  trade  of 
those  cities,  as  well  as  of  tlie  mining  region  in  their  rear  concentrate 

Focal  point. at  Chicago?  What  city  west  would  have  a  greater,  or  even  a  tenth, 
of  that  which  the  focal  point  of  the  mining  region  would  gather? 

464,000  miles      Tliat  million  miles  listed  above  as  the  Northwest,  does  not  include 

more —  __      , 

Kew  Mexico,  124,450  miles;  Arizona,  130,000;  Utah,  109,600;  and 
.   Idaho,  some  100,000  miles,  an  aggregate  of  464,050  square  miles  to 

— Clii.  turn-  '  '  ■>  OS       o  1  1 

'"^o-  be  added  in   a  very  few  years  as  also   Chicago  territoiy,  without 

reckoning  Nevada  and  the  Pacific  States,  whose  trade  will  seek 
niul^s  mhiiii '  ^■^''*-'^3'  their  own  cities.  Excluding  them,  about  one  million  square 
territory,  julhis  of  tlic  richcst  mining  region  of  the  world  will  have  numerous 
Emporium    yailroads  to  it  and  throuo-h  it,  all  leading  to  one  city.     Were  she  not 

will  take  O  '  »  J 

trade.  x\\e    acknowledged    emporium  of  the    Northwest,   what  city   could 

The  Poteau  coming  into  the  Arkansas  from  the  soutli,  and  the  mountain  fork  of  Little  Run  running  in 
precisely  the  opposite  direction  from  the  Poteau  to  tlio  Red  River,  would  furnish  almost  exact  continu- 
ation of  the  valley  of  the  Neosho  or  the  Verdijjris,  and  only  interrupted  by  the  neck  or  ridge  at  the 

Sanf  Bois  sources  of  the  Poteau  and  Mountain  Fork,  connecting  the  Sans  Bois  Mountnins  of  the  Indian  Territory 
with  the  mountain  ranges  of  Southern  Arkansas.  How  formidable  an  obstacle  this  neck  or  ridge  may 
prove  to  be  is  unknown  ;  but  a  tlight  detour  will  carry  us  up  the  valley  of  the  Canadian  to  the  west  of 
the  Sans  Bois  Mounfains  in  the  direction  ef  Preston.  On  this  line  the  Engineers,  on  the  preliminary 
survey  for  the  Pijciflc  Railroad,  near  the  35th  Parallel,  report  the  summit  between  the  Canadian  and 

doonv^v—      ''■•''*'''■''  °^  "'^  ^'^''  Ri'^'w  «s  only  fifty  feet  above  the  former  stream.    Through  this  natural  door-way  will 

be  built,  and  must  forever  remain,  the  Grand  Avenue  which  shall  furnish  the  great  Empire  west  of  the 

Mississippi  its  best  communication  with  the  markets  of  the  world,  and  unite  Texas  and  Mexico  with 

■*  "     '•      Kansas,  Nebraska,  Colorado,  Arkansas,  Missouri,  Iowa,  and  through  Chicago  with  the  regions  about  the 

lakes.    It  will  be,  perhaps  more  than  any  other  road  in  the  country,  a  grand  trunk  road  ;  for  while  the 

.    topography  of  the  country  is  such  as  to  promote  the  construction  of  several   very  important  branches  — 

tlon.*"'^^  '"  "'""""'ix't'iig  route  is  practicable,  except  almost  right  alotg  side  of  it.  Should  this  road  first  occupy 
the  ground,  it  will  be  poorly  managed,  indeed,  if  it  does  not  timely  make  such  'additions  to  its 
accommodations  as  lo  always  hold  undivided  possession. 

Railroads  "  At  Lawrence,  the  L.  L.  &  G.  R.  R.  will,  by  means  of  the  railroads  already  completed  or  immediately 

built  to  Chi.  to  be  built,  luve  direct  and  unbroken  access  to  all  the  markets  of  the  country.  It  leads  towards  Chicago, 
and  in  that  direction  the  attention  of  the  people  along  this  line  is  strongly  directed.  *  * 

Ot.  Am.  De«-     "The  'Great  American  Desert'  is  already  an  admitted  fiction  of  the  past;  and  the  rapid  settlement  of 

crt  a  fiction,  the  ricli  valleys  along,  and  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  of  the  U.  P.  R.  R.,  as  its  construction  progresses, 
Ib  demonstrating  that  the  country  is  not  without  value  in  an  agricultural  point  of  view.  Yet,  the  fact 
reraaiDB  that  Western  Kansas  and  Eastern  Colorado  are  not  particularly  attractive  for  farming  purposes. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Invest^nents.  123 

compete  with  her  for  the  mining  trade  ?     But  with  that  advantage, 

and  with  special  efforts  surely  to  be  made  to  secure  it,  wliat  city  ciiu 

rival  her  successfully  ?     She  uill  get  and  hold  that  far  easier  than 

from  much  intervening  territory.     What  sort  of  ligures,  too,  will  be  it.  vastnoss 

requisite  to  compute  such  a  trade  from  such  an  area?     What  other 

city  of  the  West  would  not  be  satisfied  to  take  Cliicago's  chances  for 

that  alone? 

Mining  is  yet  prosecuted  in   the  crudest  manner.      Science    and  Mining  t« 
improved  machinery  will  probably  augment  its  proHts  more  than  any  ""'""'"" 
other  branch  of  industry,  spt'culative  as  it  is.     Railways,  too,  are  lo 
carry  very  much  of  the  streams  of  settlement  through   and   over  the 
agricultural  lands  to  the  eastward  of  the  mountains,  except  directly 
on  their  routes.     It  is  only  20  years  since  the  first  <'old  was  (liscoviTcd  '^"'>'  -"  y'" 

„     ..    .  .  -,  111  ^  ^'^    '  BilJCe  KOld 

m  Caliiornia,  and   see   Avhat  has  been  already  done,  almost  without*"*'"**'"'''*^ 
railways.     They  have  far  more  efficiency  in  developing  a  minin^  tlian 
an  agricultural  region;  and  who  can  doubt  that  the  present  decade 
will  accomplish  twice-over  what  two  have  done,  a  four-fold  increase  ? 

It  was  ray  design  here  to  present  extracts  exhibiting  the  wealth  Mining 
of  this  mining  region,  but  their  accumulation  renders  it  impossible  to  L'^uSt?" 
do  the  subject  justice,  and  the  last  coming  to  hand  must  suffice.     A 
corrrespondent  of   the    Chicago   Bepublican,  for  whom  the  editor cor.cftij?,,, 
strongly  vouches,  and  whose  letter  bespeaks  close  observation  and 
moderation,  writes  Jan.  1st,  from  Wyoming,  soon  to  be  a  Territory 
set  off  from  Dakota,   and   that   region   through   which   the    Omaha 
railroad  is  being  built : — 

The  principal  value  of  this  region  will  consist  in  its  grazing  advantages.  It  will  be  peculiarly  adapted  Good  for  cat- 
to  wool-growing;  but  will  hardly  be  able  to  compete  in  the  raising  of  cattle,  horses,  and  mules  with  the  "'''  """^  she^P 
milder  climate  further  South.  ***** 

"On  the  other  hand,  the  L.  L.,  &  Q.  R.  R.,  as  alreadv  shown,  has  its  course  in  its  whole  extent  through  This  route 
a  country  unsurpassed  iu  agricultural  resources,  which  will  furnish,  from  the  beginning,  a  large,  perraa-  ^"P®'""*'^* 
nent  and  constantly  increasing  local   business.      It  is  destined  to  supply  a  vast  region,  now  destitute, 
with  two  essential  articles  of  lumber  and  coal;  a  region  wanting  only  these  to  become  equally  eligible 
and  valuable  with  any  other  in^tho  same  latitude.    It  opens  to  the  whole  North  and  East  of  our  country 
its  most  valuable  avenue  to  the  great  beef  growing  region  from  which  they  must  soon  draw  their  prin-  B^f ' '■Pgl"U. 
cipal  supply.     On  its  completion  to  the  Gulf,  it  will  furnish  a  through  route  of  unequalled  advantages 
to  not  less  than  four  States  of  the  Union.     Striking  the  Gulf  at  an  angle  where  its  coast  treads  almost 
indirect  extension  of  this  route,  it  reaches  at  Galveston,   and   will   traverse,  by  an  entension  already 
projected,  and  which  will  be  built  almost  or  quite  as  soon  as  the  L.  L.  &  G.  R.  R.  can  be  completed,  the  — continu- 
extensive  sugar  country  lying  along  the  Gulf  coast  from  Galveston  to  the  Rio  Grande  and  beyond,  the  '""■"• 
only  source  within  the  Union  from  which  the  deficit  in  sugar  for  home  consumption,  over  and  above  gy„,jr  ren-ion 
the  productive  ciiijacity  of  Louisiana,  can   be  made  up.      Pursuing  its   almost  undeviating  course,  tlie 

route  which  we  initiate  at  Lawrence  will  cross  the  Rio  Grande,  and,  passing  through  the  City  of  Mexico,  T" ,  „ '^'."1'' 

,;,,!:,,  and  Pucinc. 

will  compete  at  Acupulco  for  the  trade   of  the  Indies   over  a   route  some  hundreds  of  miles  shorter, 

much  cheaper,  and  every  way  better  than  any  practicable  route  from   Lawrence  or  Chicago  to  San 

Francisco. 

"This  is  no  chimera.     The  Eastern  cities,  and  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  Cairo,  Memphis,  Vicksburg  and  Xo  chimera. 

New  Orleans  will  equally  require  the  route  from  Galveston  by  way  of  the  City  of  Mexico  to  form  a  luuch 

needed  connection  with  the  coast  of  the  South  Pacific.     Every  mile  of  the  way  is  teeming  with  tlio 

richest  productions  of  the  earth.     Already  the  opposing  currents  of  emigration  coming   from'   the  East  Emitrration 

and  th3  West   are   eddying  among   the  mountains   of   Idaho,  Montana,  Nevada,  Utah  and  Colorado   t*^  '  "    «"     • 

There  is  no  outlet  except  to  the  South.    Thitherward  '  manifest  destiny'  points  the  way,  and  the  L.  L.  & 

G.  R.  R.  may  be  the  pioneer  enterprise  which  shall  give  the  initial  impulse  and  derive  the  principal 

profit  arising  from  the  transportation  connected  with  the  movement."  *  * 


124 


The  Korthxoest  is  the  Prize — Its  Extent  and  Eesources. 


Clddisoov 
erit«  iu  Wjr 
omiog. 


Cereso  lodf 


Its  richnesij, 


MiuM 
openi'd. 


EsHinato 
moderute. 


loO  leads. 


Good  yield. 


New 
dincoveries. 


Field 
nnknown. 

Improves 
with  devel- 
opment. 


Tarious 
miDeraU. 


Natnnil  ad- 
ViiDUtges. 


Pacific  rail- 
road. 


Co:tl  and 
iron. 


10,000  miles 
or  coal. 


The  first  discover}'-  was  made  upon  Willow  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Sweet 
Water,  fourteen  miles  northwest  of  Pacitic  Springs,  and  ten  miles  north  of  the 
old  South  Pass  telegraph  station.  One  of  the  party,  Henry  S.  Redell,  Esq.,  riding 
along,  leisurely,  one  day  upon  his  horse,  discovered  a  white  boulder  lying  upon 
the  side  of  the  hill  nearby,  which  attracted  his  attention  by  its  unusual  appear- 
ance, and  which,  upon  cxiunination,  he  found  to  be  literally  covered  with  gold. 
After  he  had  satisfied  hiin.-elf  tliat  his  eyes  were  not  deceiving  him,  and  the  excite- 

'  ment  of  the  moment,  naturally  caused  by  so  rich  a  discovery,  had  subsided,  he 
began  the  search  for  the  source  from  whence  this  boulder  must  have  had  its  birth, 
and  within  a  few  moments  he  was  richly  rewarded  by  the  tliscovery  of  the 
f;unous  Cereso  Lode.     Out  of  this  mine  men  have  made  as  high  as  $180  per  day 

■  with  a  hand  mortar.  Four  tons  of  quartz  hauled  to  Springville,  Utah  Ter.,  yielded 
$28,000 — 80  report  says,  and  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt  it.  At  present  the  com- 
pau}' are  paying  §200  per  ton  to  have  the  rock  hauled  five  hundred  miles  to  be 
crushed,  willi  a  result  of  from  §2.000  to  $4,000  i)er  ton.  In  three  or  four  cases  rock 
has  been  pounded  in  a  hand  mortar  which  yielded  $10  to  the  pound  of  ore. 

Here  follows  a  marvelous  list  of  mine?   so   soon  opened,  although 

the  first  was  only  discovered  in  June  last,  and  the  writer  continues: — 

I  have  given  you  a  fair  average  of  the  mines  thus  far  found  in  this  rich  mineral 
section,  al)out  wh  eh  so  much  lias  been  said,  so  many  strange  stories  told,  and 
where  so  many  wild  rumors  have  had  their  cn-igin.  But  after  all  not  overestimated. 
Some  one  hundred  and  hfty  leads  have  been  located,  all  within  a  small  circle  of 
some  six  by  fifteen  milfS,  while  the  great  mineral  belt  in  which  the  mines  are 
found  extends  from  Fremont's  Peak  smith  to  the  junction  of  the  Grand  and  Green 
Rivers,  a  distance  of  some  31)0  miles,  and  in  widtli  from  30  to  60  miles.  Only  the 
small  portion  above  referred  to  above  has  been  prospected,  and  that  even  onl}^  run 
over.  Three  gulclies  have  been  discovered  which  prospect  from  three  to  thirty 
cents  to  the  pan,  with  from  three  to  nine  feet  of  pay — no  stripping  and  plenty  of 
water.  In  the  Cereso  Gulch,  they  averaged  during  the  fall  $30  per  day  to  the 
hand.  Reliable  reports  which  have  just  reached  us,  bring  the  tidings  that  a  very 
rich  gulch  has  just  been  struck  some  20  miles  east  of  the  South  Pass,  on  Wind 
river  waters.  The  gulch  is  reported  as  live  miles  in  length ;  pay,  nine  feet,  and 
that  all  the  way  down,  with  i)lenty  of  water,  and  good  for  from  an  ounce  to  $30 
per  daj^  to  the  hand.  Rich  diggings  are  also  reported  as  just  discovered  at  Devil's 
Gate,  on  the  Sweetwater,  where  gold  has  been  found  for  years,  but  never  before  in 
paying  quantities.  The  best  prospects  (;ver  obtained  in  all  this  region,  until  within 
the  last  few  weeks,  were  found  in  the  Great  Basin  of  the  Sandy's  and  Sweetwater. 
Near  the  base  of  Fremont's  Peak,  in  tiie  new  Pacific  District,  prospects  are  good 
that  very  rich  placer  mines  will  be  discovered  during  the  spring  and  early  in  the 
summer.  As  l)ut  very  little  jn-ospecting,  has,  as  yet,  been  done,  we  know  but  little 
of  what  these  hills  and  valleys  contain.  *  #  * 

All  of  these,  and  the  many  other  mines,  upon  which  more  or  less  work  is  being 
done,  all  grow  richer  as  they  are  developed.  Four  mining  districts  have  been 
organized,  viz:  Shoshonee,  California,  Mill,  and  Pacific.  Three  cities  are  already 
laid  out— South  Pass,  in  the  Shoshonee  District;  Hamilton,  in  the  California 
District;  and  Pacific  City,  in  tlie  Pacific  District.  About  six  hundred  men  and 
.six  women  now  occujiy  this  section,  so  wonderfully  rich  in  gold,  silver,  copper, 
iron,  coal,  coal  oil,  and  mineral  springs,  not  to  speak  of  the  magnificent  and  fertile 
valleys  of  Wind  river,  the  Pass  Agi'les,  Sweetwater  and  Green  rivers  (Valley  of 
the  Lakes),  which  for  fertility  of  soil,  grandness  of  scenery,  salubrity  of  climate, 
as  well  as  in  point  of  location,  near  tlie  great  thoroughfare  across  the  ccmtiuent, 
the  Pacific  railroad  ;  then  again  for  tind)er  and  water,  and  last  but  not  least,  their 
mineral  wealth  and  home  market — all  combine  to  make  this  the  spot  which  never 
was  and  never  will  be  surpassed  in  this  country  or  in  the  world.  The  Pacific 
railroad  will  pass  within  fifteen  miles  of  the  mines,  and  be  completed  as  far  as  this 
l)oint  by  the  1st  of  August,  thisyear.  The  telegraph  is  within  nine  miles,  aud  will 
be  compleled  to  the  towns  as  .soon  as  the  weather  will  permit.        *        *        * 

In  passing  from  Cheyenne  to  the  mines,  we  cross  the  great  coal  and  iron  belts, 
which  extend  from  the  western  base  of  the  Big  Horn  mountains  westerly  to  Green 
river,  and  thence  to  Salt  Lake,  ami  southerly  to  Mexico.  This  entire  region 
abounds  in  veins  of  coal  from  5  to  11  feet  in  thickness,  and  of  a  superior  ((uality, 
resembling  cannel  coal,  now  bituminous,  having  the  hardness  of  anthracites  coal, 
resimitjling  it  in  appearance,  and  ranking  next  to  it.  There  is  probably  not  less 
than  10,000  sciuaro  miles  of  this  lignite  formation,  and  that,  too,  in  a  region  of 
Cf)unlry  where  there  is  a  great  scarcity  of  wood,  and  also  where  are  found  positive 
evidences  of  as  fine  iron  mines  as  any  in  the  world.    Immense  deposits  of  iron  are 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chira</n  Investments.  125 


iiniirtntv 


found  upon  Boulder  Crock,  and  '[\n>iv  mountains  nf  it  in  llu'  Irnn  Mountain  ranp«-  iron 

In  tact,  so  tar  as  outwanl  indicatioiiH  can   hv  taken  as  prool".  tlicrf  Ih  not  Ii-kh  dian  """" 

an  area  of  100  miles  s(iiiare,  covered  witli  lieds  oC  ricli  iron  ..re.     W.nt  ..f  tlie*fBii,„r 

we  find  a  silver  belt,  rich  in  tlie  precious  metal  so  Car  as  has  »)een  tested      The 

extent  of  this  silver  secticm  is  not  known,  onlv  that  indications  show  an  extent  of 

leads  about  ten  to  twelve  miles  in  leni^'lii  bv  'three  in  width.     Sp.-cinienn  of  Hilv.r 

ore  trom  this  seciKm,  woikcd  in  Nevada,  li.ive  \i\\v\\  wonderful  r.Milts.     Hut  this 'Wi' ■■  n.^. 

section,  like  all  of  this  i^rand  mineral  ni,non,  is  as  vet  almost  entirely  unknown 

West  of  this  Sliver  belt  we  tind  the  Swe.lwaler  ^^olti'  miiics,  rich  and  exlen-ive 

Provisions  of  all  kinds  are  already  scarce,  and  will  be  more  .so  l)erore  •.prlntr  fr..,ui..n.. 
Flour,  $20  per  100  lbs.,  and  none  to  be  had.     Pork,  Ihv;  beef.  :»(lc  ;  bacon   %\  ;  tea  "'  ■  '''^• 
f);  coilee,  Toe;  potatoes,  p.);  butler,  %!l  ;  cheese,  ."iiic  ;  a.\es.!>;ti ;  picks.  ♦T.r.d';  kIiixh,' 
$1  per  pane;  boots,  i;15(,r24;  nail.s,  !?1  per  11..     Lumber,  ijslOl);  shinf,'ies, 'jlO      No 
tools,  powder,  fuse,  or  anythinij;  else  with  which  to  work  tlie  mines.     There  are 
but  two  little  slK.ps  or  sort  of  stores  in  all  this  rei,'lon.     e'lMihini;.  l.lnnkelM  etc 
arc  about  four  times  as  high  as  at  Salt  Lake  ("iiv,  and  there  double  the  price  of 
almost  any  other  western  city.      The  trade  has  be"eii  thus  far  with  Salt  Lake  ("jiv.  Trm.lr  lo 
but  with  the  opening  ot  spring  it  will  turn  eastward  toward  the  railroad,  when'**""  ''^•* 
Cheyenne,  Omaha,  and  Chicago,  will  each  secure  tluir  share,   providing  their-  ^.,.ii„  u, 
business  men  use  proper  exertions,  and   not  like  Chic.ii,'o  in  the  past,  allow  St.  ciii<««". 
Louis  to  take  three  and  a  halt  millions  of  dollars  in  gokl  of  her  tra<le  oirectlv  out 
of  her  hands  for  want  of  a  little  exertion.     In  my  entire  trip  through  -Montana  n.,.i^, of 
and  Idaho,  I  never  saw  a  Chicago  advertisement  in  one  of  their  papers.     Let  iiotn.i  mrr- 
this  be  true  in  the  gold  region  of  the  Sweet- watf-r.  ii.ai.u. 

After  a  most  careful  and  thorough  investigation  and  prospecting  of  these  mines,  j,.„,  ,,|,^ 
I  am  fully  convinced  that  in  richness  of  ore,  extent  and  permaiiencv  of  mines,  ease  i.i""o,hting 
with  which  the  rock  will  be  worked,  and  last,  but  not  least,  the  smidl  expense  with  »■''«*"'>• 
which  machinery  will  be  transported  hither,  and  put  into  place  when  once  on  the 
ground,  these  mines  are  more  valuable  than  any  other  ever  discovered  in  the  country, 
and  second  to  none  in  the  world.     A  year  fnmi  to-day  o(),()U0  people  will  be  foun'd  |'<'.'»''P«'P>«' 
on  the  very  spot  where,  in  July  last,  forly-tive  Indians  held  the  reins  of  govern-  ""*'*'• 
ment  in  their  own  hands.     But  their  day  has  j)assed,  and  with  the  coming  sj)ring 
there  will  be  a  grand  rush  for  this  new  "49"  of  the  l^)cky  Mountains.     Let  every 
one  come  prepared  with  provisions,  clothing,  and  tools  to  last  them  until  the  middle 
of  July.     Those  coming  from  the  West  a^id  Northwest-must  get  iheiroiittit  of 
horses,  provisions,  etc.,  at  Salt  Lake  City.     Montana  and  Idaho  must  outfit  at  home, 
while  those  of  the  East  have  the  choice  of  Cheyenne  or  the  terminus  of  the  rail- 
road, which  will  probably  be  some  seventy  miles  west  of  there,  and  within  110 
miles  of  the  mines.     Horses  and  mules  will  lind  no  trouble  in  reaching  the  mines 
after  the  tirst  of  May;  before  that  it  may  be  doubtful.     There  arc  line  chances |j''""'* ''"*" 
here  for  business  men — live,  energetic,  straiglitft)rward,  accommodating  men — wlio  i^jj'jlir^ 
can  see  beyond  the  present  penny  to  dollars  in  the  future.     I  have  seen  no  j.lace 
as  yet,  in  all  the  mountain  legion,  for  drones  or  men  who  wish  to  make  a  fortune  -""t  drones 
without  hard  labor;  no  place  for  outlaws;  too  many  vigilanters  for  them.     I-'HW  l,^  rylpj_ 
and  order  prevail,  and  the  people  are  determined  that  such  shall  be  the  luture. 

I  would  not  advise  any  man,  young  or  old,  to  rush  to  the  mines,  but  look  tlie  Ac* 
matter  over  carefully  and  candidly,  and  then  decide.     Large  niigirets  are  not  picked  '"■""  *■"'  >'• 
up  on  every  hillside,  or  in  every  valley,  but  on  the  contrary,  liard,  earnest  ctl'or's 
here  as  elsewhere  only  will  be  "successful.     It  is  true  that  fortunes  are  and  will  be 
made  here  in  a  single  hour  by  some,  but  this  is  generally  if  not  always  the  result  ah  dcppnH.^ 
of  the  most  persistent  efibrt,  while  others  are  a'lways  poor  and  always  will  be,  "'"'^'"■t. 
perhaps  always  ought  to  be.  *  *  * 

When  we  look  at  Nevada,  Idaho,  Montana,  and  even  poor  Utah— not  to  speak  Oth^r  mlnre 
of  California  and  Oregon— and  see  what  they  are,  situated  so  far  away   from  «"" ''"•»*">• 
"America,"  or  in  other  words,  their  base  of  supplies,  what  must  we  ex|.ect  fi-..m 
this  new  and  rich  mineral  region,  over  which  already  the  inm  lior.se  begins  to  j.^^^^.^.^^^ 
prance,  after  having  carried  or  drawn  his  heavy  load  to  the  only  door  of  the  niines*  ^j,'„, 
Cheyenne,  born  on  the  2d  day  of  last  August,  and  today  boastin-rof  H,(Ml(»  inhab-  ci.ojrDno 
itants,  is  but  the  index  of  v/hat  is  to  be.     W  hen  August  next  shall  have  come,  the  ''^O- 
railroad  then  within  sight  of  these  cities  on  the  «;immit ;  just  think,  ;f7  hours  from 
Chicago,  via  the  Northwestern  and  Union  Pacific  railroads,  and  you  lind  yourself 
upon  the  summit  of  the  Rocky  M(mntains,  in  the  reunoiis  of  gold,  silver,  copper.  All  -..rt.  of 
iron,  coal,  coal  oil,  and  in  the  tinest  agricultural  region  of  the  entire  W  est.  as  well    '  '"•"'  • 
as  in  the  land  of  the  elk,  deer,  anteloi)e,  bullalo,  and  the  delicious  mountain  trout 
and  where  sunrise  and  sunset  scenes,  the  old  mountain  storms,  the  magniticeiit  Grand 
landscapes,  put  Bierstadt's  tamous   "Storm  in  the  Pvocky  Mountains"  and  " -^  n •^••'"•O • 
Semite  Valley  "  in  the  shade.    Will  our  business  men  and  capitalists  then  lake  their 


12G  The  Mrthwest  is  the  Prize— Its  Extent  and  Resources. 

A Conntrr as  families  to  Saratoga,  Nahant  and  Long  Branch  to  spend  the  weary  heat  of  Hummer? 

GoamadJit.  j  (jjjyjj  ngt.  Let  them  try  one  trip  where  they  can  see  a  country  as  God  made  it, 
where  they  can  see  the  perfection  of  workmanship,  and  the  charms  of  the  fatal 
social   air   of  fashionable    watering   places    will  lose  their  charms.      Let  men  be 

Keep  Cool,  careful.  Excitement  will  run  high.  Fortunes  will  be  made  and  lost  in  a  day. 
Some  will  win,  others  lose.  Many  will  praise  while  others  will  condemn  the 
country.     Let  every  man  be  cool  and  deliberate  ;  think  well  before  he  acts,  but  if 

Beinearnesthe  decides  to  cast  his  lot  in  this  "new  Northwest,"  do  it  with  a  will,  and  then  in 
the  end  he  will  be  sure  of  success. 

Conflrmar  Confirmatory  of  this  statement  concerning  this  new  mining  region  of 
*'""■  the  Sweetwater, — and  who  can  say  that  in  a  million  square  miles  many  such 

A  letter  from  will  not  be  discovcrcd,  perhaps  even  surpassing  this  ? — an  extract  is  taken 
cfty.   *  *    from  the  San  Francisco  Bulletin,  January  18th  : — 

Sweetwater  The  Sweetwater  Mines. — We  are  permitted,  says  the  Virginia  City  Enterprise, 
j!j.'°^^-  J""-  to  make  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  received  by  a  gentleman  in  this  city, 
prUe.  from  a  friend  in  Salt  Lake  City.     The  letter  is  dated  January  2,  1868. 

"I  wrote  you  a  few  days  ago  about  the  Sweetwater  mines,  and  told  you  what  I 
knew  and  thought  of  them  at  that  time.     Since  then   I  have  seen  several  letters 
from  there,  and  have  talked  with  some  men  from  the  mines — and  they  are  to  be  believed. 
New  dlBcov- There  are  discoveries  being  made  every  day,  and  such  as  will  throw  everything  in 
eries.  the  shade  that  has  been  found  in  the  last  seven  years.     It  is  hard  to  believe,  but  it 

is  so.     They  have  also  enough  rock  in  sight  to  run  two  or  three  such  mills  as  the 
Gould  &  Curry,  for  years,  and  of  that  character  that  men  are  now   making  from  $5 
Rich  placers,  to  $20  per  day,  pounding  it  out  ip  common   iron  mortars.     They  have  also   discov- 
ered placer  mines  that  will  pay  well  and   give   employment  to  20,000  men,  and  are 
still  finding  more.     Within  25  miles  of  the  mines  is  one  of  the  finest  valleys  in  the 
world.     In  this  valley  at  the  present  time,  they  have  green  grass  nearly  knee  deep. 
Towns  grow-  There  are  at  this  time,  about  600  men  in  tlie  mines  and  valley.     South  Pass  City  is 
iiig.  growing  fast;  it  contains  two  stores,  a  carpenter  shop,  blacksmith  shop,  etc.,  but 

nary  whisky  mill.     If  I  were  fixed,  I  would  go  there  immediately,  and  get  a  small 
stock  of  goods  from  St.  Louis  and  rush  it  in   ahead  of  all  others.     With  $2,000  I 
15,000 bv  1st  could  make  $10,000  next  summer.     There  will  be  at  the  least  calculation,  15,000  men 
July-  in  the  mines  by  the  1st  of  July  next.     We  receive   letters  here  (in  Salt  Lake  City) 

from  New  York,  t)hio,  Wisconsin  and  many  other  States,  inquiring  about  the 
Sweetwater  mines,  and  all  say  that  there  are  many  persons  in  the  East  that  think 
of  coming  to  the  mines  in  the  Spring,  but  first  wish   to   know   something  of  their 

Turn  ont  character.  Now,  my  honest  opinion  is,  that  the  Sweetwater  mines  will  turn  out 
well.  ^eJi'. 

If  half  the  above  is  true,  the  new  mines  are  the  "biggest  thing  out,"  Who 
Good  for  pro-  says  there  is  no  place  left  for  our  prospectors  ?  They  will  find  a  perfect  paradise 
epectors.        j^  ^j^g  Sweetwater  country  for  at  least  two  years. 

Kxtent  of         The   cxteut  of    mineral  wealth  we    can    know  little  of,    spread    over  a 

wtalUi  uu-  ....  .J  . 

known.  million  square  miles.  JNor  is  it  confined  to  precious  metals,  as  they  are 
styled,  but  the  more  precious  ones  of  coal,  iron,  etc.,  abound.  Withal,  rich 
valleys  for  agriculture  furnish  a  home  supply  of  the  main  articles  of  food 
at  large  profits.     So  that  while  extent  of  wealth  is  wholly  unknown,  it  is 

Cucanaiied.  wcU  ascertained  that  its  equal  exists  not  on  the  eastern  continent,  at  all 
events. 

re'Sii'it'wiu      ^or  such  a  country,  with  such  resources,  all  needed  facilities  should  and 

be  afforded.  ^[\\  be  afforded.  The  probability  of  building  speedily  several  lines  through 
to  the  Pacific  with  Congressional  aid,  has  been  considered ;  and  since  these 

?<^d"j^^d.'^^^^^  ^^'^^^  in  type,  the  Cincinnati  Railroad  Record,  of  January  23,  comes 
to  hand,  containing  so  just  and  sound  an  argument,  that  space  must  be  taken 
for  parts : — 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  127 

Government  Lands  for  Railroads. — We   observed    with   regret,    that   in    the   late  Q"vt.  lands 
political  canvass  in  Ohio,  some  of  the  Democratic  orators  pronounced   against  any  for  raiirottJA. 
more  grants  to  railroads.     We  have  not  observed  this  in  other  parts  of  the  couniry, 
and  v?e  may  safely  assume  that  it  will  not  be  a  popular  doctrine  with   that  parly. 
In  our  opinion,  it  ought  not  to  be  so.     Nothing  is  more  certain,  than  two  facts,  that 
great  lines  of  commercial  intercourse  create  far  greater  tvealth  tlian  tiiey  ever  cost ;  They   create 
and   what  is   of  equal  importance,  furnishes  emploi/ment    to    tens  of   thouHan<ls  of  w«-'iilth. 
people,   who   without    this    resource,   would    have    found    it    difficult  to  f:et  along. 
There  is  also  another  fact  of  great  moment,  in  connection  with  lines  through  aHc.ftloa 
new  or  wild  country:     This  is,   that  it  makes   new  settlements  and  cullivation  with  (^ou'itry. 
great  rapidity.     Take,  for  example,  the  line  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad.     That 
line  is  now  five  hundred  and  twenty  miles  in  advance  of  what  was,  three  years  ago,  p^'*^'*^' 
the  frontier  settlements,   and  in   that  five  hundred  miles,  towns,  ranches,  settle-    *""  "*    " 
ments  have  sprung  up  the  whole  way  to  the  foot  of  the  Black  Hills.     Now  it  would 
have  taken  twenty  years,  or  more,  to  have  made  a  line  of  continuous  settlements 
that  distance.     These  settlements  form  the  points  of  departure  for  other  settlements 
laterally;  so  that  in  ten   years    from  this  time,  the  whole  line  of  western  settle 
ment  and  population  will  be  at  least  three  hundred  miles  in  advance  of  what  they 
would  have  been,  if  the  Pacific  Railroad  had  not  been  made.     But,  these  settlements 
become  the  centers  of  industi-y  and  commerce  ;  and  in  this  way  the  fjasis  of  taxation  ^     taxation 
is  constantly  and  rapidly  increased  ;  and  it  is  by  broadening  and  strengthening  the 
basis  of  taxation  that  our  debt  can  be  paid,   and  the  financial  burdens  of  the  coun- 
try sustained.     It  is  true,  that  the  Government  is  not  likely  to  make  money  by  the 
mere  sale  of  lauds  ;  for  it  has  abandoned  that  policy,  by  the  Homestead  and  Pension  S:ile  of  land 
acts.     But  it  makes  money  for  the  nation  in  a  far  more  extensive  and  beneficial  ""  °l'J*'=t- 
way,  by  advancing  the  settlement  and  cultivation  of  the  country.     But,  how  can 
Pacific  Roads  be  made  on  the  Southern  and  Northern  borders,  if  they  are  not  aided 
in  some  way?     If  the  Government  gives  lands,  and  to  that  we  shall  now  confine  Govt.  shtiU 
ourselves,  it  absolutely  gives  nothing  from  itself,  but  something  which  is  immensely  e'Y"  somo- 
beneficial  to  the  roads.     If  there  be  only  one  Pacific  Road,  the  settlcim-ut  of  the    ""^' 
lands  will  only  extend  along  that  line,  and  be  not  more  than  a  twentieth  of  that  vast 
region,  which  ought  to  be  occupied.     It  is  necessary,  therefore,  to  have  lines  both  Sovcral roods 
north  and  South  of  the  Central  line.     It  has  been  supposed  that  most  of   tlie  great  ncBdeil. 
region  lying  between  the  Mississippi  States  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  was  barren ; 
but  this  delusion  is  wholly  passed  away.     Nine-tenths  of  it  will  in  the  end  prove 
both  arable  and  rich.     Hence,  the  Government  has  the  same  motive  to  promote  their 
settlement,  as  it  had  to  promote  the  settlement  of  Illinois,  by  giving  lands   to  the  111.  Cent,  an 
Illinois  Central.     It  will  have  vast  bodies  of  cultivable  land  on  either  side  of  the  *^'""P'<'- 
road,  open  to  sale  or  actual  settlement.     Even  in  the  mountain  region  this  will  be 
the  case  to  a  considerable  extent.  *  *  *  «•  * 

,  It  it  were  a  question  of  mere  calculation  in  the  Government,  of  mere  pecuniary  Give  for 
interest,    it  would  be,  as  it  has  been,   the  clear  duty  of  the  Government  to  grant 'J^«J_«  ">°°- 
lands  for  the  construction  of  Railroads  in  its  unsettled  territories. 

But  there  are  considerations  higher  than  that ;  there  is  the  consideration,  which  — andhlgbcr 
is  so  often  spoken  of,  and  so  often  pressed,  and  which  every  year  presses   harder,  "I'Ji'cts. 
that  of  opening  up  great  commercial  routes  across  the  continent.     But  it  is  quite 
evident  that  no   one  road  will  do.     Just  take  up  the  map  and  look  at  the  vast  Immense 
country,  from  the  Straits  of  Fuca  to  the  Gulf  of  California!     Now,  if  this  country  j.'^'^;;^*^/^ 
were  connected  with  all  the  trading  points  of  the  interior,  running  into  San  Fran- 
cisco as  they  do  into  New  York,  it  might  do  ;    but  it  neither  is  so,  nor  can  be  for  a 
great  length  of  time.     AVe  want,  and  must  have,  three  great  Pacific  Roads ;  one  on  Must  hivo 
the  route  from  Mackinaw  to  Puget's  Sound;  another  from  the  Mississippi  (it  may  ^J^j;'^^r^_s 
be  the  Kansas  branch)   to  the   Colorado ;  and  the  third  now  making,  the  Union 
Pacific. 

These   views   are  judicious:  but  while  three   routes  to  the  Pacific  may  Yet  more  to 

•"  I       TJ      1       AT  Kocky  Mts. 

answer,  we  must  and  will  have   five  to  seven  or  more  to  the  Kocky  .>Joun- 

tains.     Whatever  old  fogies  may  say  about  the   absurdity  of  opening  such 

an  area  to  settlement,  with  a  breadth  of  hundreds  of  miles  this  side  vacant, 

it  will  be  done.     Members  of  Congress  who  will  not  take  a  broad,  statesman-  m.  cs  must 

like  view,  and  legislate  wisely  for  the  whole  Republic,  and  its  most  rapid '^"*'""''*"'y 


128  The  Xorthicest  is  the  Prize — Its  Extent  and  Resources. 

development,  will  be  speedily  left  at  home,  until  a  majority  in  Congress  will 
understand  the  will  of  the  sovereign  people.     Such   a  land-proprietor  as 

T'd  wne7^  t^"'^'^<^  Sam,  must  employ  means  commensurate  to  dispose  of  his  wild  lands. 

La  doftt  '^^^  Waxhi}iff(07i  Chronicle  gives  this   interesting  summary  of   a  report  I 

JifP'Tt.        ]^.^ye  been  unable  to  obtain  for  this  paper  : — 

Hon.  J.  S.         The  Future    of  our    Country. — Hon.    Joseph    S.    Wilson,    Commissioner    of    the 

Wilson,         General  Land  Office,  has  submitted    his   annual   report   to    the    Secretary    of  the 

Interior      The  report  consists  of  five  hundred  and  seventy-six  pages  of  manuscript, 

besides  a   special  accompanying  document  of  over  one    hundred  pages.     In   the 

regular  report  the   statement  is  made  that  about  7,000,000   acres  of  public  lands 

have  been  disposed  of  during  the  past  year.     There  is  yet  the  immense  amount  of 

1,400,000,000  1.400,000,000  acres  of  public  land,  including  the  newly  acquired  Russian  Territory. 

Bcres  public  The   report  is  made  up  to  the  15th  day  of  October,  which   ends  the  fiscal  year. 

hind.  There  are  thirty  maps  fully  descriptive  of  the  States  and  Territories,  together  with 

the  most  elegant  and  carefully  prepared  map  of  the  world  that  has  ever  been  gotten 

up  in  any  country,  accompanying  the  report. 

Points  con-        The    special   paper   inclosed   with    the   report   is  one    of  the   most    interesting, 

sidered.         instructive  and  valuable  documents  that  has  ever  been  gotten  up  in  this  country.     It 

fully  ehiborates  upon  the  mineral  wealth  of  the  United  States  ;  its  gold  and  silver 

Minerals.       products,  the  same  in  comparison  with  the  rest  of  the  world  ;  the  quantity  of  gold, 

silver  and  other  precious  metals  ;  the  quantities  now  in    existence  in  this  country 

and  in    the    world,  and    by  this    means    showing    the    comparative    wealth    of  this 

Pttcilic slope,  country.     The  paper  speaks  in  detail  of  the  great  Pacific  slope — 1,000  miles  long 

and  U80  miles  wide,  with  an  area  of  over  831,000  square  miles,  or  about  5,000,000,- 

000  of  acres — sufiicient  to  inhabit  100,000,000  of  people.     The  great  wealth  and 

increase  of  this  country  and  its  future  prospects  are  thoroughly  treated  upon.     The 

—railways,    great  Pacific  railways  are  fully  explained,  and  the  tide  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 

shown. 
Trade  of  The  trade  of  the  Indies,  of  China,  of  Japan,  of  all  the  Eastern  World  must  flow 

East—  jjjtQ  jjjjg   country,  and   through  this    country  to  the  rest   of  the    world.     To  San 

— toN.  Y.     Francisco,  and  thence  to   New  York,  all  the  precious  metals  of  the  Eastern  World 
will  find  their  markets  for  the  world.     Mr.  Wilson  shows  how   we  are  now  three 
Ahead  of      thousand  miles  ahead  of  England   in  our  routes  to   Cliina,  Japan   and  the  Indies. 
"'''•  He  shows  in  full  the  necessary  division  of  the  trade  to  this  country,  and  its  effects 

on  our  public  lands  on  the  Pacific  slope  and  in  the  Mississippi  Valley.     He  gives  on 
the  map  of  the  world,  every  rail  road  line  completed  or  in   contemplation  in  this 
^■'*?-'''"''rMd  country.     He  speaks  in  detail  of  the  various   Pacific  railroads,  announces  the  im- 
'"portant  fact  that  by  October,  1870,  the  main  road  will  be  finished,  and  the  grea^. 
bteam  horse  will  carry  us  from  New  York  to  San  Francisco  direct. 
Eailroads—       He    says   there  are  now  37,000  miles  of    completed   railroad    in  this    country, 
which,  since  their  commencement,  is  at  the  rate  of  1,000  miles  a  year.     He  further 
says  that  there  are  in  course  of  construction  17,860  miles  of  railroad.     For  these 
—aids  by       roads  completed,  and  for  those  in  contemplation,  the  government  has  donated  over 
C«uKre«8.      184,800,000  acres  of  land,  and  to  the  Pacific  roads  over  24,000  [?]  acres  of  land.     He 
speaks  in  detail  of  the  immense  increase  of  the  wealth  of  the  country  by  the  war- 
ranted advance  in  public  lands  bordering  on  all  these  roads.     Mr.  Wilson's  treatise 
Domestic       on  our  domestic  and  foreign  trade,  in  these  papers,  is  .invaluable  to  our  commercial 
tradeSojjoo,-  world.     He  der.u.nstrates  that  our  present  domestic  trade  is  over  $5,000,000,000. 

.'     ■  J'*'   shows   conclusively  that   we    are    bound    to    absorb  the    immense    trade  of 

wmi  Sail      ?"'■"/'''■"  ""-^  i^astern  Asia,  byway  of  San  Francisco   and   New  York.     He  gives 

Fr,.nei..fco      f"''  ^^''uls  about  the  Suez  Canal ;  shows  how  England  has  been  acquiring  immense 

and  N.  y.      wealth  from  Indian  possessions— her  present  income  being   over   £78,000,000  in 

tarifls  for  the  last  year  just  from  that  source  ;  shows  how  we  are  3,879  miles  nearer 

Advanfagpg   to  Melbourne,   Australia,   than   England  or    France;  tells  us  all  about  China  and 

of  wau-r.       Japan,  and  our  increasing  trade   with   those  countries;   gives  the  names  of  all  the 

cities  tor  trade,  and  how  the  shipments  are  made  to   San  Francisco,  then  to  New 

iork,   and  then  to   Europe,  and   through  our  own   country;   gives   an   interesting 

account  of  the  trip  of  the  steamer  Colorado  from  San  Francisco  to  Japan  in  twenty- 

Beven  days,  and  her  return  in  three  weeks,  laden  with  rich  freight.     The  same  trip 

irom  London  or  Paris  would  take  sixty  days  each  way.     Rapidity  of  travel,  Mr. 

Wilson  contends,  will  draw  the  travel  and  the  trade.     The  teas  and  silks  of  China 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  123 

and  Japan  must  come  through  us  to  the  rest  of  the  worM.     The  trade  was  worth  ■"■"  Kd  this 
$260,000,000  last  year  to   our  European  neighbors.     AVe '11  get  this  trade.     It  is  "■■"'"• 
rapidly  coming  to  us. 

Mr.  Wilson's  learned  and  instructive  digest  of  the  trade  of  the  world  since  the  Anci.nt 
time  of  Alexander  the  Great  up  to  the  present  time  is  altogether  tlie  best  written  "•';'•"''»- 
article  on  the  subject  we  have  ever  had  the  pleasure  of  perusing.      Jlis  description""'"'  " 
of  our  great  country,  its  railroads,  rivers,  canals,  and  other  internal  iinprovemi  nis  ;  aIs..  .mr 
his  full  description  of  the  Pacific  slope,  with  its   100,000,000  acres  of  undisposed  country, 
public  lands,  and  its  great  Pacific  railways,  is  a  State  paper  which  every  man  in 
this  country,  desirous  of  being  informed  of  our  true  national  greatness  and  pros- 
perity and  prospects  of  the  future,  will  eagerly  seek  for.     Mr.  Wilson  reports  that 
there  is  room  enough  on  the  Pacific  slope  for  torty  new  States.     He  thinks  that  by  To  Imvo  loo 
the  commencement  of  the  next  century  we  will  be  a  united  country  of  one  humlred  Ptatcn  l.y 
States,  with  the  control  of  all  the  great  treasure  shipments  of  the  world.      He  says  ^'^^^~ 
this  country  has   commenced   her   grand  imperial    course,  with   the  control  of  tlie 
Eastern  trade  in  her  power,  and  that  the   immigration  and  natural  growtli  of  the 
country  will  place  us  at  over  one  hundred  millions  of  people  by  the  year  1900.     He— 1 00,000,000 
speaks  of  the  civilizing  influence  of  our  great  democratic  institutions,  and  their  l"'°i''"'- 
effect  upon  the  rest  of  the  world. 

Mr.  Wilson  has  been  a  long  time  preparing  this  elaborate  paper,  with  the  accom- xhorouK'h 
panying  map  of  the  world,  which  has  also  been  so  well  prepared.      lie  has  consulted  reBeurcli. 
over  one   thousand   different   volumes,  been   in   constant   correspcmdcnce   with    the 
principal  officers  of  the  European  Governments  who  could  give  him  information  on 
the  various  subjects  of  which  he  treats,  received  much  information  and  data  from  Much  aid. 
the  State  Department,  and  our   Ministers  and  Consuls  throughout,  the  world  ;  has 
had  the  assistance  of  the  surveyors  and  mineralogists  of  our  Interior  Department, 
and  now  lays  before  the  people,  through  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  one  of  the  Vnlnable 
most  valiuible  public   documents   this   country   has   ever  received   from  any  of  its  document, 
public  officers. 

In  preparing  this  paper,  the  facts  outside  of  the  General  Land  Office  matter  have  Vuiueof 
been  detailed  by  Mr.  Wilson,  so   as  to   show  the  value  and  influence  of  our  public  I»nils  iie- 
lands,  and  their  great  wealth  throughout  this  country  for  years  to  come.     We  hope  ^*'"I'*"'>- 
to  see  the  report  and  accompanying  manuscripts  printed  by  order  of  Congress  and 
freely  distributed  throughout  our  country. 

With  the  power  of  the  entire  railway  systera  east  of  the  Mississippi  to  Menns  to 

..  fixT'i/^  •  \.     \.       secure  trade 

urge  requisite  hberahty  oa  the  part  01  the  JNational  (jovernment ;  with  that  being 
liberality  well  inaugurated  by  judicious  grants;  with  the  whole  public 
inciting  to  rapid  railway  extension ;  with  strong  competition  between  these 
gigantic  corporations  of  the  East  to  extend  their  Hues  into  this  mining 
region,  really  the  ultinij,  thule  to  most  of  them ;  and  with  the  certainty  that 
she  is  the  centre  of  that  million  miles,  Chicago  will  make  her  arrangements -ciiipr©- 

'  "  ...  pnres  to  re- 

to  receive  that  trade  ;  and  thousands  who  wish  to  engage  in  it,  will  locate  ceive  it. 
at  Chicago   as  the  place   to  get  it.     With   that  energy  and  enterprise  for  Enerfc.y 

^10  o./  J.        ^  given  to  it. 

which  she  has  credit,  will  not  her  merchants  and  manufacturers,  and  railway 
interests,  together  with  the  power  behind  the  throne,  be  very  sure  to  make 
whatever  effort  and  sacrifice  the  invaluable  prize  may  render  needful  ?  That 
their  eyes  are  fixed  upon  it  is  evident  from  the  previous  article  from  the 
Journal^  and  here  is  another  from  the  Chicago  Republican : —  -m.  ittp. 

Chicago  and  the  Territories.— Theve,  is  a  very  prevalent  belief  among  Chicago  resi-  ci.i.  and 
dents  that  the  Garden  City  is  so  weighty,  and  under  such  tremendous  headway,  that  Territories, 
it  will  run  itself.     This  is  true,  if  the  distance  to   which  the  city  will  run  itself  be  Headway 
limited.     An  immense  fly-wheel,  driven   at  a  high  rate  of  speed,  will,  if  nicely  "^ong. 

—17 


130  The  Northcest  is  (he  Prize — Its  Extent  and  Resources. 

-yet  fly-  balanced,  continue  in  motion  for  a  very  long  time.  Chicago,  being  immense  and 
wheel  may  ^^n  balanced,  will  likewise  run  a  very  long  lime.  But  if  the  propelling  power  *  ; 
^^''^'  taken  from  the  wheel,  it  will,  in  time,  stop  ;   the  same  is  true  of  Chicago. 

Chicago,  without  the  building  of  another  mile   of  railroad,  or  the  lifting  of  the 
St'be^*       finger   of  anybody   to   extend   its   business   or  connections,  would   keep   in  motion 
louder  than  any  other  city,  under  similar  circumstances,  in  the  United  States.     To 
— likeSt.  L.  sit  still,  and  allow  the  machine  to  run  itself,  would  be  to  imitate  St.  Louis.     Pos- 
sessed of  a  good  deal  of  water  power,  that  city  has  been  under  the  impression  that 
How  trade     it  needed  no  effort.     It  had,  for  three-quarters  of  a  century,  no  rival,  and  hence  it 
comes  to  Chi.  jjgygj.  appreciated  the  necessity  of  exertion.     It  waited  for  trade,  and  growth,  and 
wealth;  and  they  came.     To-day  they  are  still  wailing  for  trade,  and  growth,  and 
wealth;  and  they  are  coming — to  Chicago. 

Now   what  we  want  in  Chicago,  is  not  to  fall  into  the  belief  that  our  wonderful 

^rweiu^rate.  prosperity  will  always  continue  so  prodigious  without  being   urged    or   assisted. 

We  can  sit  entirely  still  and  grow  faster  than  the  most  enterprising  city,  outside  of 

Chicago,  in  the  country  ;  but  this  is  not  sufficient.     We  must  keep  up   our  present 

high  rate  of  progress,  and,  to  secure  this  result,  effort  is  necessary. 

Chi.  to    ex-      With   the  return    of  business,   Chicago    ought  to  be   extending   its    connections 

tend  her        through  every  territory  in   the  West.     The  Union  Pacific   railroad,  is  of  course,  a 

'"**■  Chicago  railroad,  and  Chicago  will  reap  all  its  benefits.     We  shall  get  all  its  trade, 

if  we  do  nothing ;  we  can  do  more  than  this  by  a  little  effort.     We  can  keep  in 

advance  of  the   building  of   the  road,  and  secure  all  the  streams   which   may  be 

Keep  in  ad- induced  to  run  into  it.     Whenever  a  construction  train  advances  three  miles,  it 

v.ince.  should  find  a  Chicago  agent  there,    waiting  to   send  an   order   to    Chicago.     We 

Riverbranch  should  be  ready  to  run  branches  from  the  main  line  up  and  down  every  valley,  till 

®°-  we   have   taken  in   Denver   and   the    gold   mining   regions    of  Colorado,   the    rich 

deposits  and  heavy  trade  of  Montana,  and  the  silver  mines  and  other  valuables  of 

A  little  effort  Nevada.     A  very  little  effort  is  all  that  is  needed  to  give  Chicago  exclusive  control 

"ureg  all.     ^f  every  square  inch  of  territory  west   of  the   Mississippi    and    Missouri    rivers 

Beyond  the  Missouri  river  lies  a  country  the  richest  in   all  the  world.     There  is 

scarcely    a  known   fruit,  or  wine,  or    mineral,  or   fur   that  it  does    not   produce. 

Chicago  must  be  made  the  reservoir  into  which  the  Pacific  streams  of  this  domain 

must  pour  their  golden  wealth. 

How  these  things  must  be  brought  about,  any  one  knows.  Nature,  position,  have 
accomplished  already  three-fourths  of  the  task.  There  remains  to  Chicago  to 
build  here  and  there  a  branch  railroad,  and  to  establish  at  every  point  its  agents. 

i^obecove"^      '^^^^  great  Northwest,  of  such  diversified  and  abundant  resources,  both 
agricultural  and  mineral,  is  beyond  doubt  the  prize  coveted  by  every  section  J 
and  what  sort  of  a  people  would  they  be  who  were  indifferent  to  its  posses- 
6houid"  hale  ^'^"  ^     Would  it  be  unnatural,  however,  to  give  it  to  a  city  within  its  own 
»t-  limits,  could  one  be  found  sufficiently  central  and  accessible  ?     Has  not  com- 

merce natural  laws,  vibrating  toward  its   centre  as   does  the  needle  to  the 
Trade  obeys  pole  ?     What  obeys  laws  if  trade  does  not  ?     Is  forced  trade  reliable  or  pro- 
fitable?    Nor  does  distance  impair  effects;  so  there  be  but  one  centre,  as 
there   is  but   one    positive  pole.     The  nether  is  of  no  account  in  either. 
26  Engiandg.  Although  the  1,500,000  square  miles,  would  make  twenty-six  such  countries 
7  Frances,     as  England  and  Wales,  and  seven  of  France;  and  although  London  is  em- 
porium of  the  former,  -and  Paris  so  completely  of  the  latter  that  she  rules 

No  centre         i       -r<         •  •  r  J 

oi''n'w""'*        Empire;   yet  neither  has  as  many  spokes  in  its  wheel  of  commerce,  as 

has  the  Great  West  in  its  hub. 
N.  w.aMeto     That  the  Northwest  has  its  centre,  and  that  not  of  mere  o-eoGrraphy,  we 

build   up  iu    ,     ,,  •        •/.  G      o      r    J> 

euiporium.  Shall  ascertain,  if  we  yet  have  not,  and  we  shall  learn  the  power  of  internal 
commerce  to  build  up  great  cities.  What  other  section  is  able  to  impart 
eminence  to  its  commercial  and  manufacturing  emporium,  should  the  Great 
Northwest  fail  ?     Although  certain  as  the  rising  and  setting  of  the  sun,  that 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Tnvsfnicnfx.  131 

of  this  1,500,000  miles,  Chicago  is  to  be  the  centre,  inado  so  both  by  iiatiiir 

and  art,  without  power  in  any  ordinary  '-race  of  liiunaiis"  to  work  a  chan"e  ;  i'''i"P«:t 

.        ,  ''  •  ■       '  (iimcult  to 

yet  the  magnitude  of  prospect  renders  realization  difficult.     li'  in  the  judg- "-tHiizo. 
ment  of  more  moderate  citizens,  the  vision  is  too  grand  I'or  accomplishment, 
too   chimerical   for   earnest  thought, — in   sliort,    too  much   like   St.   Louis' 
"general  prediction" — let  us  come  down  to  a  plain  mattor-of-i'act  view,  that —  a  modcrnto 

estimate. 

600,000  SQUARK  Miles  of  arable  Land  and  Water  coursks,  UNE-oid  n.  we»t 

,  eOU.OUO  Sq. 

QUALED  IN  Advantages  natural  and  acquired,  rapidly  settling  mucs. 

WITH  THE  BEST  OF  MeN,  MUST  GIVE  UNEXAMPLED  GROWTir  TO  THEIR 

Emporium. 
Adding  less  than  15,000  miles  for  the  Pacific  railway  west  of  Nebraska,  Tiii«  a!i«'<"i.v 

,  ''  Kf-cureil  \>y 

and  the  above   statement  only   includes  the   area  already  directly  bound  to  '•"iiromJs. 
Chicago  by  these  11,000  miles  of  iron  bands;  of  which  over  two-thirds,  as 
we  have   seeu,  are  specially  Chicago  roads;  and   every   mile  more  or  less 
beneficial.     From  Ohio  to  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  with  the  country  interme- 
diate, has  been  styled  the  Northwest.     Yet  with  this  cuttiug  down,  the  areaoid  N.  West 

...  a  1  p^iijj,  j^  ^ 

would  give  ten  kinodoms  like  England  and  Wales,  and  two  and  three-ouarters  Kiigiiuid-s. 

^  »  »  '  ^  i%  France's. 

01  in-ance. 

Of  the  abundant  testimony  concerning  the  unequaled  natural  advantages  Testimony 
of  this  area,  we  choose  that  which  is  most  likely  to  be  disinterested,  because  it. 
outside  the  region.     Where  shall  one  find  an  inquiring,  capable,  honest  mind 
within  the  bounds  of  this  Republic,  who  is  not  interested,  deeply  interested,  ^?^^^^j;y^''^y 
in  the  development,  prosperity  and   relating   facts  of  the  Great  Northwest? 
From  a  report  of  the  Board   of  Trade  of  BuflFalo  in  18G3,  copied   into  that  Repon  J^//- 
standard  work,  Hunt's  Merchants  3Iagazine^  the  following  is  extracted  : —      of  ^'''«'«- 

In  1800,  in  all  the  territory  west  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  and  Northwest  PnpuiatiuD 
of  the   Ohio  River,  there  were  no  considerable  settlements,  except  in  Ohio,  which  l*'^'>— 
was  then  territory  containing  a  population  of  only  45,365.     There  was,  by  the  cen- 
sus of  1800,  in  the  lake  basin,  a  population  of  9,474,358,  against  4,100,425  in  1840, -isflo,  '-iO,- 
und  6,080,609  in  1850.  ''^■ 

The  cereal  product  of  the  lake  basin  States  was,  in   1840,  267,265,877  bush.;  in  Cereals  of 
1850,  434,862,061  bush.;  in  1860,  079,031,559  bush.;  in  1862,  (estimated)  900,000,000.  ^•"''•'  '""""• 

In  1840  the  surplus  cereals  moved  to  the  seaboard  out  of  the  lake  basin  was  about  Surplus  1S40 
6,000,000  of  bushels,  against  145,000,900  bushels  in  1862.  -^^-■ 

The  Erie  Canal  and  the  Mississippi  iliver  were,  from  1825  to  1838,  the  only  ave-  Avenues 
nues  of  transportation  for  the  products  of  the  West  to  the  seaboard.     The  surplus  i^H- 
cereal  products  exported  from  those  States  bordering  on  Lake  Erie,  including  fluiir 
estimated  as  wheat,  were  all  included  in  the  receipts  at  Buffalo,  which  receipts  in  I.^^  ,l^««.^J.• 
1836  were  only  1,239,357  bushels. 

The  first  grain  received  at  Buffalo  from  Lake  Michigan  was  in  1836,  being  a  small  istiiniin 
cargo  of  3,000  bushels  of  wheat  from  Grand  Haven,  Michigan,  by  the  br^g  John  from^.Mich. 
Kinzie,  R.  C    Bristol,  Master.     The  first  grain  received  at  Buffalo,   from  Chicago, 
was  a  small  cargo   of  1,678  bushels  of  wheat,  shipped   by  Newberry   &   Dole,  ot 
Chicago,  Oct.  8,  1839,  on  the  brig  Oceola,   Francis  P.  Billings,   Master,  and  con- -ci.ic.  1S39 
signed  to  Kingman  &  Durfee,  Black  Rock,  now  North  Buffalo. 

In  the  year  1802,  the  surplus  cereals  exported  from  Lake  Michigan,  were  from  Surplus  18C2 
Chicago,   67,676,741   bushels,  from  Milwaukee,    18,723,000  bushels.      Other  ports 
(estimated)  10,000,000  bushels,  making  a  total  of  80,399,741  bushels. 

Such  are  the  changes  of  less  than  twenty-five  years.  With  such  results  he  ore  Changes  2u 
us,  what  may  we  reasonably  expect  will  be  the  increase  of  the  next^  succeeding  .>':ir^^-  ^^^^ 
twenty-five  years,  when  all  the  circumstances  are  so  much  more  favorable  than  were  ..;, , 


132  Tlic  Old  N'orthoest,— 600,000  Square  MUes  ahmdij  S'ceurcd. 

those  of  twenty-five  years  ago?     The  States  bordering  and  tributary  to  the  lakes, 


taken  from  forest  and  prairie  and  turned  into  farms.      During  this  decade  the  popu- 
lation had  increased  3,393,749,  being  55  8-10  percent,  or  an  annual  increase  of  over 

'The  annual  increase  in  the  population  of  the  whole  of  the  United  States,  since 
cp-^e?u*''"'l71tU  has  been  three  per  cent,  and  a  fraction.  By  this  rule  which  has  proved  cor- 
rnion.  rect  through  seven  decades,  applied  to  the  remaining  portion  of  this  century,  the 

ljO.OOO,OO0inpypjjj.^,j^^jj  ^^,jll  jjg  upward  of  one  hundred  millions  in  1900. 

Half  to  be  in  If  this  fertile  region  of  the  country  shall  continue  to  increase  in  population,  at 
lake  and  riv-  the  same  rate  per  cent,  for  the  remaining  portion  of  the  century,  that  it  has  during 
er  valleis.     ^^^  ^^^^^  decade,  more  than  half  of  the  population  of  the  United  States  in  the  year 

1900  will  be  in  the  valleys  of  the  lakes  and  the  Mississippi. 
Increase  of       The    progress   in    internal    improvements   in   these    northwestern    States,   shows 
int. improve- stupendous  results.     There  were  twenty-eight  miles   of  railway   in  1840,  1,354  in 
ments.  1850,  11,782  miles  in  1860.     In  1830  these  States  had  no  artificial  canals.     In  1860 

there   were  completed    and   in   operation  1,556  miles  of  canals,  besides  nearly  one 

thousand  miles  of  slack-water  navigation,  answering  all  the  purpose  of  canals. 
3  divisions—      Within  the  present  limits  of  the  United   States  and   Territories  there  are  three 
rac,  Rivers  millions  of  square  miles,  which  may  be  geographically  divided   as  follows  :    Pacific 
*"•}.  ':'^''''  ,  slope  750,000  square  miles,  Mississippi   and  lake  valleys,  1,350,000  square  miles, 
Atl.  iduif.   Atlantic  and  gulf  slopes,  900,000  square  miles. 

This  great  middle  division  of  1,350,000  square  miles,  embracing  nearly  one-half 
Middle  1  360-^^^  national  domain,  is  drained  by  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries,  and  the  Great 
ouOsq.m.      Lakes;  the  waters  of  the  former  finding  an  outlet  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  the 

latter  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  through   the  River   St.   Lawrence,   extending 

through  20  degrees  of  latitude  and  30  degrees  of  longitude. 
Mineral  This  vast  area  of  country  abounds  with  extensive   deposits  of  iron,  coal,  copper, 

Wealth.         lead,  gold,  silver,  and  quicksilver  the  coal  being  always  near  the  iron  deposits,  and 

the  quicksilver  near  those  of  gold  and  silver;  the  former  being  necessary  for  the 

manufacture  of  the  iron,  and  the  latter  for  economizing  the  gathering  of  the  more 

precious  metals. 
Ri'.h  arable       The  rich  alluvial  soil  of  the  Lake  and  Mississippi  Valleys,  will  make  the  richest 
laad.  and  most  productive  agricultural  district  in  the  world.     By  the  year  1900,  the  fifty 

Division  of  millions  of  people  inhabiting  these  valleys,  dividing  their  labor  between  agriculture, 
Lauor.  manufactures  and  trade,  promoted  and   advanced  by  the  productive  wealth  of  the 

gold  arid  silver  mines  of  the  Pacific  slope,  will,  from  necessity,  give  life  and   vigor 

to  a  domestic  commerce  that  will  be  equal  to  that  of  all  Europe,  and  from  which 

will  result  a  more  extended  foreign  commerce  than  has   ever  been  the  lot  of  any 

nation  to  enjoy. 
No  country       There  is  no  country  on  earth  that  has  so  many  natural  advantages  for  a  large  and 
equal.  extended  internal  trade,  or  can  be  so  easily  made  available  by  artificial  aids,  as  the 

great  West  and  North-west.  *  *  *  * 

Cansls  com-  These  connecting  links  [canals  from  lakes  to  rivers]  in  the  great  internal  water 
peted.  highway  being  completed;   the  proposed  improvement  of  the  Canadian  canals  will, 

St. Lawrence  wl^en  accomplished,  extend  an  arm  of  the  sea  from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  into 
und  .Mi>g.  the  heart  of  the  great  West,  while  from  the  Sunny  South  comes  another  arm  from 
Lake  arms,   ^he  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Also  Va.  Between  these  two  great  water  highways  is  a  projected  canal  from  the  Ohio  river, 

route.  through   Virginia  to   the   ocean ;  besides  the   Pennsylvania  canals,  and  the  canal 

system  of  New  York,  with  its  trunk  line,  the  Erie  and  Oswego.  New  York  need 
Pt.Law.route  never  very  much  fear  this  Southern  arm  of  the  ocean,  but  the  Northern  arm  has 
strongest,      power  now,  and  when  the  plans  and  purposes  of  the  Canadian  Provinces  shall  have 

been  carried  out,  there  will  be  such  an  augmented  power  as  to  sweep  onward  to  the 

ocean,  via  the  St.  Lawrence,  nearly  all  the  vast  prospective  commerce,  the  infancy 

of  which  has  been  shared  by  the  Empire  State. 

ftli^ro*  ^"'        ^^  ^^^^  succinct  statement,  two  points  will  be   specially  observed  ;  rapid 

growth.       increase,  and  small  proportion  of  land  yet  under  cultivation.     The  census  of 

1870  will    no  doubt  exhibit  quite  as  favorable  results  to  the  Northwest  in 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Invcatmnits.  133 

relation  to  growth,  notwithstandiug  the  war,  which  not  only  with(h-cw  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  from  the   plow,  but  enlisted  those  spirited,  active  men, 
who  would  mostly  have  come  into  the  West.     But  the  census  of  1880  will  i^i'^owiii 
exhibit  far  greater  relative  changes,  rendering  certain  tlie  predieti(»n  altove,  '"'if  "i'^' 
that  "more  than  half  the  population  of  the  United  States,  in  the  year  liJOO  iuti'>n.' 
will  be  in  the  valleys  of  the  lakes  and  the  Mississippi."     Ten  years  to  come  10  Years 
will  give  this  region  double  the  increase  of  railways  of  the  past  ten,   and  whjh. 
mostly  direct  extensions  of  Chicago  lines  west  of  the  Mississippi.     As  before 
remarked,  the  gigantic  corporations  from  the  eastward  will  have  fierce  rivalry  Rivalry  of 
in  extending  present  lines  and  creating  new  feeders  in  the  prolific  West;  and 
with  the  mining  business  as  a  rich  object  of  attainment,  will  open  new   lines 
through   the   present  wilderness  to  be  at  once  converted  into   farms  and 
towns. 

Of  the  mass  of  information  gathered  about  the  progress  of  the  "West,  only  Propross  of 
a  little  can  be  given.      Nor   does   the  point  need  amplification.     AVlio    is  known, 
ignorant  of  the  growth  of  the  Northwest  ?     Beginning  in  the  South,  the 
Governor  of  Missouri  says  in  his  Message: —  onv.nf  no. 

Thirty- six  months  have  not  yet  passed  since  that  epoch,  from  which  our  prosperity  ProcroRs 
dates.     An  intelligent,  energetic,  liberty-loving  immigration  has  come  from  older '*""^''"  ^'"'• 
free  States  and  from  foreign  nations,  and  has  materially  aided  to  rcpeople  the  places 
made    waste   by   war.     AVe  have    invited  and    cordially  welcome   free  labor;    the 
churches  have  been  repaired  and  filled  with  worshippers.     On  the  prairies,  in  the  Reli^'inn  ro- 
forests,  and  along  the  rivers,  spires  have  risen,  making  new  temples  and  new  altars  guHlc-d— 
erected  and  dedicated  to  our  God.     The  increase  of  educational  facilities  is  one  of 
the  surest  proofs  of  our  progress.      Four  thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty  schools  —ami  ediiciv- 
are  now  filled  with  over  two  hundred  thousand  children.      The   University  is  being  """• 
crowded  with  students,  and  has  taken  rank  with  the  first  colleges  in  the  nation. 
The  Capital  State  School  Fund  has  more  than  doubled  ;  cities,  towns  and  counties 
have  in   many   instances    trebled  their   population;    the    exchanges    resound    with  Great  pros- 
voices  of  active  men,   the  steamboats  and  long  trains  of  cars  are  bearing  our  pro-  P'-nty. 
ductions  to  markets.     The  prairies,  forests,  hills  and  valleys,  are  being  everywhere 
beautified  with  new-made  homes.     Capital,  by  millions,  has  come  to  us,  and  manu-  Access  of 
factories  have  arisen,  and  are  vocal  with  busy  industry.      The  mines  are  re-opened  •""-•a""- 
and  new  and  valuable  discoveries  of  ore  have  been  made.     Two  hundred  and  forty 
miles  of  railroad  have  been  built  without  thereby  increasing  the  State  indebtedness  ; 
two    hundred  and    ninety-two    miles    are    in    process    of   construction,    and   eight 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  more  are  projected. 

The  debt  of  the  State  has  been  reduced  about  $11,000,000.     Our  population  has  Debt   reduc- 
increased  to  at  least  one  million  five  hundred  thousand,  and  taxable  property  has  "<  ■ 
been   augmented   in   value   by   importations   and   by   additions   consequent    on  our  p(,,,„|a,j,,n 
general   prosperity   to  $4,554,808,895.     Our  credit  as   a  State  has  not  only  been  increased, 
restored,  but  raised  to  a  standard  higher  than  it  has  ever  reached  since  the  recep- 
tion of  the  internal  improvement  debt.     With  these  fruits  of  a  loyal  and  progres- <;,,,n,n.y  ..nr 
Bive  rule  before  us,  we  may  well  be  strengthened  in  our  attachment  to  the  principles  P'^'JI^'^j'"'^^ 
by  which  these  wonders  of  transtormation  have  been  wrought  and  made  firm  in  our  P" 
resolve  to  push  forward  to  new  victories,  fraught  with  new  and  greater  blessings, 
until   we  have  laid  sure  and  steadfast  the  foundation  upon  which  we  mav  safely 
rest  the  future  of  our  State.  g^^,  of  Kan- 

sas. 
Says  the  Governor  of  Kansas  in  his  Message  : — 

The  immigration  to  the  State  since  January,  18G7,  has  comprised  not  less  than  50000 
fift/ thous.and    persons,    and  with    a   reasonable    appropriation,    might   have    been  je^.urs 
increased  to  one  hundred  thousand.     No  State  in  the  Union  offers  greater  lU'H'ce- 
ments  to  the  immigrant  than  Kansas;  with  80,000  square  miles  of  fertile  soil,  well 


134 


The  Old  Nbrfhicesf, — 600,000  Square  Miles  already  Secured. 


Unsurpassed  adapted  to  the  production  of  all  kinds  of  grain,  fruit,  etc.,  with  a  a  mild,  genial 

adviiutii^'es.  (.]iij,ate  as  desirable  as  one  could  wish,  with  an  abundance  of  the  best  quality  of 

tinibfi-,    water,    stone,  marble,  coal   gypsum,  salt,   and   almost  every  other  natural 

advantao-e,  there  is  no  reason  why  Kansas,  with  a  proper  effort  should  not  receive 

a  large  proportion  of  the  vast  immigration  westward. 

As  to  the  extreme  North,  extracts  are  made  from  an  article  in  Hunt's 
Jf-rcM.  Mag.  jj,,,.cJia tit's  Maf/azine,  of  Nov.  1865  : — 


Rapid 
growth. 


In  1865 
250,000. 


Newer  States 
grow  fastest. 


F;icilitie3 
greater. 


One  day 
work  ot  30. 


Minnesota  was  erected  into  a  Territory  of  the  Union  in  1849,  with  a  population 
of  4,049  souls.  Here  it  becomes  a  political  community  and  takes  its  statistical 
start.  Eight  years  later,  when  preparing  to  take  its  place  in  the  sisterhood  of 
States,  a  census  was  taken,  whicli  showed  that  its  population  had  increased  to 
150,037.  In  the  meanwhile  the  assessed  valuation  of  real  and  personal  property 
had  risen  from  $514,936  to  $35,000,000. 

Thus,  in  less  than  ten  years,  had  arisen  from  the  wilderness,  a  State  equaling  in 
population  more  than  one  sovereignty  of  Europe,  the  structure  of  a  thousand  years. 
This  same  State  contains  now  (1865,)  not  less  than  250,000  inhabitants,  and  possesses 
a  taxable  valuation  of  not  less  than  $50,000,000. 

It  took  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Michigan,  each,  thirty-five  years  from  their  foundation 
to  reach  the  same  status.  Illinois  gains  the  same  point  in  twenty-five  years,  Wis- 
consin, Iowa  and  Minnesota  had  each  250,000  fifteen  years  after  being  erected  into 
separate  Territories.  It  would  appear  from  this  that  the  further  we  progress  into 
the  wilderness  the  greater  and  more  rapid  the  influx  of  population.  This,  however, 
may  be  explained  by  the  greater  facilities  now  enjoyed  than  those  vouchsafed  to  the 
immigrants  of  an  earlier  date.  They  had  to  break  theuntrod  wilderness,  unmarked 
by  even  ordinary  roads,  while  the  immigrant  of  to-day  reaches  his  destination  by 
railroad  and  steam  navigation.  So  mucli  for  facilities,  and  as  to  time,  the  work  of 
thirty  days  is  now  compressed  into  a  single  day.  Other  elements  have  also  favored 
later  times, — adverse  policy  has  driven  to  our  shores  millions  of  foreigners,  refugees 
from  tyranny  and  starvation,  and  the  vast  increase  of  population  in  the  older  States 
has  compelled  the  young  and  able  to  seek  new  homes  in  the  West.  It  is  not  won- 
derful, then,  that  the  extreme  portion  should  receive  this  foreign  and  domestic 
overflow,  which,  passing  the  older  settlements,  seeks  new  fields  on  which  to  expend 
its  forces.  The  progress  of  Minnesota  since  it  became  a  State,  in  population,  land 
occupation,  and  wealth,  is  shown  in  the  following  table : 


Progress  of 
Miuu. 


Progress  of  Minnesota  in  Population  and  Property. 


Fiscal    Yea?-. 

Population. 

Land — Acres. 

Beat  Estate. 

Pers'l  Prop'ty 

Total. 

Frotnl858-  1858 

155,000 
163.000 
172,022 
190,000 
215,000 
230,000 
250,000 

5,182,309 
5,957,645 
6,404,491 
7,171,559 
7,274,318 
7,580,161 
8,026,285 

$34,533,144 
28,349,116 
32,021,913 
34,066,830 
24,791,888 
25,100,198 
33,111,956 

$7,313,634 
7,227,176 
4,629,907 
5.914,683 
5,040.831 
6,5(50,570 
8,500,000 

$44,846,778 
35,576,392 
36,758,4f^« 
39  981  513 

1859 

1800 

1861 

18(32 

'?9  88"'  719 

1863 

Q1  i\ai\  7ft« 

-18M.          18(54 

41,611,956 

Irn-Riiiarity       The  above  valuation  is  for  taxation.     The  apparent  falling  off  from  the  valuation 

explainuU.      of  1858  is  caused  by  change  in  the  assessment  laws.     The  depression  in  1862  and 

18(53  is  tlie  result  of  Indian  hostilities  in  those  years,  which  temporarily  disorgan- 

izL'd  tlie  fiontier  counties,  which,  though  appearing  in  the  land  column,  are  absent 

tor  valuation. 


'i  he  shipments  of  wheat  exhibit  the  rapidity  of  growth,  which  are  taken 
m.Dtm.     (>j.,jjjj  jIj^.  Missouri  Democrat,  Jau.  1st : — 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments. 


135 


Wheat  Shqyped  from  Points  in  Minnesota  for  1867.— The  following   table  gives  a^viu-atof 
comparative   exhibit  of  the  exports  of  wheat  from  Winona  for  a  scries  of°years  *'"'"•  ^"*"'- 
commencing  with  1859 : —  "' 


Bush. 


1859 130,000 

.1860 405,000 

1861 993,133 


Year. 


Bush. 


1862 1,203,161 

1863 l,251,cS;)U 

1864 1,854,795 


Year. 


-,     ,  Fri)m  \Vi- 
Bush  uoua. 


1865 2,543,146 

1866 8,256.482 

1867 2,348,759 


From   despatches    sent   by   reliable  persons,  we  compile  the  following  table  of  •^'''«'' PO'i^t* 
shipments  from  other  important  points: — 


Ports. 


Bush. 


Red  Wing 628.535 

Hastings 536,000 

Lake  City 342,622 


Ports. 


Bush. 


La  Crescent 15,200 

Pickwick 36,000 


Wabasha 333,704 

Minneiskee 205,000 

Mendota  (East) 60,897 

Total ■ ■ 2,157,958 

Add  Winona 2,348,759 


Ports. 


Bush. 


Grand  Total* 4,506,717 


The  census  exhibits  the  great  strides  which  the  States  mainly  tributary'  Rap'dstrides 
to  Chicago  are  making,  compared  with  the  rest  of  the  Union,  in  corn   and 
wheat. 


Corn  and   Wheat  Raised  in  Five  States,  as  per   U.  S.   Census. 


States. 

Com— 1860. 

1850. 

1840. 

Wheat— ISGO. 

1850. 

Indiana 

Illinois 

71,588,919 

115,174,777 

7,517,300 

42,410,686 

72,892,157 

52,964,363 

57,646,984 

1,988,979 

8,656,799 

36,214,537 

28,155,887 
22,634,211 

16,848,267 

23,837,023 

15,637,458 

8,449,403 

4,227,586 

6,214,458 
9,414,575 
4,286,131 

Iowa 

1,406,241 
17,332,524 

1,530,581 

Missouri 

2,981,652 

Total  U.  S... 

309,583,839 
838,792,740 

157,471,662 
592,071,104 

69,526,863 
317,531,875 

69,019,737 
173,104,924 

24,427,397 
100,485,944 

Increase  of 
whi-at  anil 
.  corn. 

—1840— 'CO. 


It  will  be  noticed  that  these  five  States  produced  in  1840  about  one-fifth  in  P'"'JP''^^''°« 
corn,  in  1850  about  one-fourth,  and  in  1860  over  one-third  the  entire  crop 
of  the  Union.     In  1850  they  produced  about  one-fourth  of  the  wheat,  and 

^  .-,_       T>,.       .  /'/'i     •      ii       TT    •  •     — of  Illinois. 

in  1860  nearly  forty  per  cent.     In  18o0  Illinois  was  fifth  in  the  Union,  in 


*The  financial  editor  of  the  Chicago  Republican,  just  returned  from  a  long  visit  to  Slinuosota,  saj  a  ^^^   ^^^^ 
their  exports  of  wheat  were  about  6,000,000,  of  which  4,500,000  came  to  Chicago,  despite  Milwaukee  s„ys  6,000,- 
endeavors  to  shorten  its  transit  to  the  Lake. 


136  The   Old  Northwest  — 600,000  Square  31iles  Ahead  1/  Secured. 

wheat ;  and  first  in  1860.     In  18i0,  she  was  seventh  in  corn,  in  1850  third, 
and  in  1860  first,  producing  about  one-seventh  of  the  entire  Union. 
General  Que  uiaj  travel  over  the   entire  Northwest,  and  wherever  he  stops  to 

of'setuel-r  enquire — and  if  he  stop  long  enough  to  hear  a  word,  he  is  sure  of  the  infor- 
mation— that  all  things  considered,  that  is  the  very  best  site  that  can  be 
found.  Usually  quite  well  informed  about  the  country,  they  admit  that  that 
location  is  advantageous  for  such  a  reason,  and  that  for  some  other ;  but 
considering  every  advantage,  this  is  the  choice  of  all ;  and  reasons  are  as 
Reasons  plenty  as  blackberries.  Nor  are  their  reasons  baseless;  and  hence  the 
^°°^'  universal  satisfaction   which   every  man   has  all  over  this  600,000, — this 

1,000,000, — this  1,600,000  square  miles,  that  he  is  in  the  very  garden-spot 
of  creation. 
Has  the  N.        For  such  a  land  we  are  endeavoring  to  ascertain  whether  it  has  a  business 
centre,  and  where  it  is ;  and  under  the  nest  topic,  we  shall  have  quite  good 
evidence  that  as  to  commerce  the  centre  has  been  found,  and  is  already  well 
established;  and  the  topic  succeeding  will  exhibit  like  results  as  to  manu- 
influence  of  facturcs.     But  thcsB  pursuits  depend  almost  entirely  upon  the  well  ordering 
"^''"~        of  government.     Political  influences  should  therefor  have  equal  considera- 
— equal  with  t'^u  with  physical.     They  have  not,  however,  for  the  very  abundant  reason 
physics.       ^.j^j^j.  ^g  ourselves  have  had  no  knowledge  of  the  fundamental  principles 
whereby  our  compound  system  of  State  and  Federal  Grovernments  is  operated. 
j„^^j.j,jjpg  jjf  Ignorant  ourselves  of  the  very  basis  upon  which  our  grand  superstructure 
principles—  pests, — a  Federal  arch  spanning  a  continent  from  ocean  to  ocean,  and  stretch- 
ing from  torrid  to  frigid  zone, — how  could  we  show  foreigners  its  strength 
and  beauty  ?     Indoctrinated  with  heresies  in  the  very  origin  of  our  Grovern- 

— its  cause.  •'  jo 

ments;  *  no  old  and  sound  text-books  reprinted  to  inform  ns  concerning  prin- 
ciples of  political  science,  in  the  application  of  which  the  excellence  of  our 

Govt,  not  system  consists,  and  overwhelmed  with  a  flood  of  errors ;  very  little  has  the 
superiority  and  beneficence  of  our  Grovernments  been  employed  to  bring 
immigrants  from  less  favored  nations. 

Ignorance  Imperfectly  as  we  ourselves  have  understood  the  relations  and  obligations 
war.  ^i"  ^j,gg  ^^^  independent  States  in  National  Union,— so  imperfectly  that  igno- 
rance at  the  bottom,  and  passion  to  inflame,  generated  a  conflagration  unex- 
ampled in  civil  wars — it  could  not  be  expected  that  foreigners  would  take  the 

Foreigners    ^^^^  ^^  developing  essential  diff"erences  in  forms  of  Government,  displaying 

'lay' ul-il""  t'^'^iJ'  0^"  vast  inferiority.     Therefore,  the  chief  operative  influence  hitherto 

in  bringing  settlers,  has  been  the  natural  advantages  of  the  country;  nor 

lias  that  been  a  weak  inducement.     The  U.  S.  census  gives  the  following 

u^ures : — 


will  not 
I'l 

in   infVri 
ority 


If  true,    iin-     *  ^"^'"^  'mwilling  to  make  such  a  charge  as  this  without  offering  some  evidence  that  it  is  not  baseless, 
purtant!  ""  Appcmlix  is  added  to  consider  in  short  this  and  kindred  topics;  which,  if  true,  it  will  be  admitted 

must  have  very  great  inlluence  upon  this  question  of  immigration. 


Pa^t,  Present  and  Future  of  Clucarjo  Investments. 


137 


Total  annual  Immigration  from  1841  to  1860. 


Anniiul   iiii- 
uiigrutioti. 


1841 80,289 

1842 104,565 

1843 52,496 


1846 154,416 

1847 284,968 

1848 226,572 


1844 78,615  1849 297,024 

1845 114,371 1 1850 869,980 


1851 379,466 

1852 371,608 

1.S58 3(;8,645 

1854 427,833 

1855 200,877 


1856. 
1857. 
1  K58. 
1  859. 
1850. 


...200,436 -1841-'00. 

...251.306 

...123,126 

...121,2.H2 

...153,640 


Total,  20  years 4,811,465 

Total  from  1820  to  1840 750.949  From  1820— 

'40. 

Total  immigrants  for  40  years 5,062,414  Totul  40 

yearrt. 

As  approximating  the  immigration  since  1860,  we  can  compare  with  the 
above  those  of  New  York  as  given  by  the  New  York  Journal  of  Commerce : —  k.  y.  Jour. 

Com. 


Immigrants  arriving  annually  at  New  York,  from  1848  to  1867 


Imniijrratinn 
ill  N.  Y.  1848 
—■67. 


1848 189,176 

1849 220,791 

1850 212,603 

1851 289,601 


1852. 


1853 284,945 

1854 319,223 

1855 136,323 

1856 142,342 


.300,99211857 183,773 


1858 78,589 

1859 79,322 

1860 105,162 

1861 65,529 

1862 76,306 


1863 156,844 

1864 225,916 

1865 196,347 

1866 233,398 

1867 242,371 


Last  year  Germany  sent  117,591,  Ireland  66,134,  England  33,712,  Scot- From  eeverai 
land  6,815,  Sweden  4843,  etc.,   nor  are  we   without  accessions  from  con- states, 
tiguous  territory.     One  of  our  papers  gives  the  following  item : — 

Emigration  from  the  Canadian  Dominion  to  the  United   States  has  been  so  large  Ciinadian  im- 
within  the  past  few  months  that  the  Canadian  authorities  manifest  signs  of  alarm,  ""oi""""— 
In   the  Legislative  Assembly,  at  Quebec,  on  Thursday  last,  notice  of  a  motion  was 
given  that  the  Committee  on  Emigration  be  instructed  "to  inquire  into  the  primary  """''^"■'^^*''*- 
cause  of  the   emigration  of  citizens  from  the   Province  of  Quebec  to  the   United 
States,  and  that  necessary  means  be  taken  to  prevent  the  same." 


The  tide,  it  will  be  observed,  largely  fluctuates.  But  if  war  retarded,  its 
results  will  accelerate  immigration.  Who  can  doubt  that  causes  hitherto  so 
eifective  will  operate  with  increasing  power  ?  Almost  every  immigrant  draws 
others ;  and  now  to  natural  advantages  of  rich,  cheap  land,  are  to  be  added 
the  increasing  facilities  of  intercourse;  and  far  above  them  will  political 
considerations  have  power.  No  confidence  has  hitherto  been  possessed  in  the 
stability  of  our  institutions ;  so  that  not  only  superiority  has  been  ignored, 
but  no  calculation  could  be  based  upon  perpetuity.  Those  who  have  con- 
sidered the  subject,  as  few  have,  were  satisfied  in  the  belief  that  such  a  people 
as  we  were  known  to  be,  would  have  some  sort  of  tolerable  government. 
But  our  war  has  demonstrated  the  strength  of  our  National  Union,  as  well 
as  the  inherent  power  of  a  government  of  the  people,  proving  it  stronge.>^t  right 
where  De  Tocqueville  pronounced  it  weakest.  Now  being  compelled,  in 
order  to  reconstruct  our  shattered  but  not  destroyed  Union,  to  thoroughly 
study  into  the  principles  of  State  Sovereignty,  it  will  be  seen  that  a  like 
danger  can  never  arise  in  future ;  for  we  have  been  taught  a  lesson  that  will 


Immi^atiOD 
to  increase. 


One   draws 
others. 


Cnnfiilenco 
in  our  iusti- 
tutiuus. 


PtrenRfh  of 
fiovt.  (li'iuon- 
struteii. 


State  Sover- 
eignity to  be 
upprebended 


13S  The    Old  XurtJaoest  — 600,000  Square  Miles  Already   Secured.  ^ 

l-,sf  for  -ill  time  aud  coufidence  uubouuded  will  be  inspired  iu  the  perpetuity 
strong.         ^^.  ^^^j.  institutions. 

The  South  we  hope  will  receive  more  settlers   than   hitherto,  for  a  large 
e^"»-  cotton  product  gives  strength  to  the  entire  country,  while  it  makes  a  larger 

demand  upon  the  Northwest  for  bread-stuffs  and  meats,  and  a  draft  upon  the 

Benefit  other  ""^     'i  ,,,  i^i  j.i       ixr     i. 

seciious.       j;^gt;  f^^i-  manufactures,  which  compels   them   also   to  draw  upon  the  West. 
Yet  the  West  as  hitherto  is  to  have  the  chief  part  of  foreigners,  so  that  the 
haTepoiiticai  f^jgj  iucreasiug  political  power  of  the  Northwest,  is  an  important  item  in  these 
^"""^  calculations.     She  has  never  had  justice  done   her,  not  even  by  New  Eng- 

land, *  which  ought  to  be  foremost  upon  every  occasion  in  her  offspring's  cause 
when  ri<'ht  and  just.     But  power  will  soon  be  ours;  so  effectively,  that  one 
Ros  onsibi-  trembles  at  the  fearful  responsibility  inevitably  to  devolve  upon  us,  to  the  weal 
Vie#ri86i  or  wo^  of  the  entire  Republic.     The  following  topic  was  considered  in  1861  : — 

Increasing  ^  Census  Returns  of  Illinois,  Iowa  and  Wisconsin. — The  recent  United  States  Census 
power  of  N.  ^.^^^  valuable  indications  toucliiuo;  this  subject  of  Western  investments.  Since 
1850,  Illinois  has  increased  860,487 — more  than  any  other  State;  Iowa,  482,704; 
Loss  of  other  ^j^j  Wisconsin,  470,490.  Thei/  have  gained  ten  Members  of  Congress,  while  all  the  other 
sections.        ^^^^_  Slates  have  gained  only  nine,  and  the  old  States  have  lost  twenty-four,  which  indicates 

fairly  and  clearly  the  relative  changes  in  the  Union  now  progressing. 
Same  to  con-      Probably  in  1870,  these  three  States  will  again  have  proved  the  largest  gainers, 
tiuue.  and  in  the  same  order,  for  they  are  still  i<parsely  settled,  and  no  newer  region  more 

Chief  stay  of  inviting  can  be  opened  to  occupation.     They  are  the  chief  dependence  ot  Chicago, 
•L'bicago.        though  much  business  must  here  concentrate  from   other  States,  and  their  aston- 
ishing growth  shows   the  increase  of  their  metropolis  is  not  in  advance  of  the 
IleUtive   in- country.     Their  total  population  now  is  3,162,745,  to  1,349,075  in  1850,  being  an 
crease   ':"'"- increase  of  134  per  cent.     The  gain  throughout  the  Union  has  been  about  35  per 
cent.,  but  in  New  England  was   only  14^  per  cent.,  in  the  Middle  States,  37  per 
cent.,  and  in  the  whole  Northwest,  from  Ohio  to  Kansas  inclusive,  and  north,  and 
containing  9,091,984,  was  over  68  per  cent. 
Mr.  Scott's        To   accomplish  Mr.   Scott's  predictions,   hereinafter  presented,  that  "  the  great 
prediction—  intgriQ^  plain  would,  in  fifty  years,  have  seventy  millions,"   the  per  cent,  of  annual 
increa-^e  can  be  largely  diminished.     Suppose  the  present  decade,  instead  of  68  per 
— its modera- cent.,  the  Northwest  increases  only  sixty  per  cent.,  gives   in   1870,    14,547,174;   the 
*^°°-  next.  55  per  cent.,  gives  in  1880,  22,548,119  ;  the  next,  50  per  cent.,  gives  in  1890, 

33,822,178  ;  the  next,  45  cent.,  gives  in  1900,  49,042,158  ;  and  the  next,  40  per  cent., 
gives  in  1910  68,659,021.      These  per  cents,  are  surely  moderate,  and  the  addition 
"^^(ly'^S^^^-  ai  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  etc.,  included  by   Mr.  Scott,  will  make  a  larger  aggregate 

than  seventy  millions. 
Of  this  Chi.      Of  tills  '"great  interior  plain,"  it  is  claimed  that   nature  has  indicated,  and  art 
already  established,  Chicago  as   soon  to  be  the  largest  city,  probably  excelling  in 
only  twenty  or  thirty  years  any  two  or  three  within  its  broad  and  rich  domain. 

Another  important  topic  was  also  noticed  in  18lJl  : — 

Charactor  of      ^''^"'"'^'^^^'^  °f  '^"^  Settlers. — To  develop  and  employ  the  advantages  so  bountifully 
Bottlers.^'  "  bestowed  by  nature,  Providence  has  sent  a  suitable  people.     A  Western  traveler  is 

*  I  speak  not  without  knowledge.  When  the  Illinois  Central  land  grant  was  passed,  I  was  in  Washiug- 
A  Ma«B.  M.  ton  for  three  weeks  laboring  for  it.  Massachusetts  members  I  saw  repaatedly,  aud  as  a  son  of  the  Bay 
111  "cent'll'  ^'"'*'  """^  ^  ^^'''°'  ''''"^'  ^'''*^''  ""^'"  '"  make  her  vote  a  unit  in  favor  of  a  bill  so  important  to  us  and  the 
R.  mil.    "     *  wliole  country.    One  of  them  acknowledged  it  was  right  and  expedient,  but  refused  to  vote  for  it  because 

weateru  ni-inbors  would  vote  against  the  tariff.     I  finally  told  him  about  these  words,— for  I  have  repeated 

them  many  times  since,— you  are  a  pretty  Represent itive  of  Massachusetts.  A  man  of  your  cloth— he 
Why  ho  op-  wiw  a  clergym.iu- to  violate  your  oath,  and  vote  ag  linst  a  bill  you  admit  is  every  way  desirable  and  just 
V"*^    '■         becauHO  western  men  will  not  violate  their  oaths  aud  f  ivor  protection  which  they  conscieiitiou.sly  believe 

to  bu  wrong.    If  Massachusetts  expects  to  make  Whig  and  t arilf  votes  out  of  the  West,  she  must  send  to 

Congress  dilferent  men  from  you. 
Aa'hmiir'r"^'^''     *^""'  ""'"  '"^''  'li""«>'ent  men  there,  and  an  adroit  movement  of  Hon.  George  Ashmuu,  saved  our  bill, 
fricDdly.         which  Uia  colleague  would  have  been  glad  to  kill. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chivago  Investments.  139 

always  impressed  with  the  superiority  of  the  settlers,  and  often  is  the  remark  made 
concerning  them,— "No  wonder  the  West  crows  so  fast." 

Ill  enterprise,  intelligence,  activity,  energy,  they  are  unsurpassed,  sehlom  er,uaU-d.  Truvr-i  .ivc 
^ly  long  connection  with  the  Prairie  Farmer,  and  extensive  aciuainluiice,  enuhle  me  knowltHlgo. 
to  speak  uuderstandingly  on  this  point.     Immigrants  also  have  greater  wenltli  than 
formerly.       Capital    being  liberally    rewarded   as    well    as   labor,    more    and    n.ore 
wealthy  settlers  come  in  as  the  advantages  of  the  West  are  made  known 


The  character  of  American  imiuigrants  cannot  be  improved.     For  twenty  B.-st    mou 
to  thirty  years,  the  most  active,  enterprising,  intelligent,  liberal-minded  men '""'° *""'" 
of  the  East,  have   been   pouring  into   the   West.     This  is  what  gives  the 
West  a  uniform  character  for  energy  and  progress,  excelling  all  other  sec-  For-i^  im- 
tions,  as  is   universally  acknowledged.*     But  foreign  immigration  can  and  '"'»'''''""°- 
will  be  changed  immensely  for  the  better.     Not  that  we  refuse  a  welcome  to 
the  poorest  or  most  ignorant,  so   that  they  come  with  a  strong  hand  and 
honest  heart.     We  want  them,  and  shall  have  tens  where  w-e  have  had  units.  ■*"  weicom- 
But  this  land  of  ours  offers  inducements  to  men  of  character,  in  the  superi- 
ority of  its  political  institutions,  quite  equal  to  its  physical  advantages.    We  Hiniicr  diui. 
have  not  used  this  influence  as  it  should  have  been,  because  unaware  our- 
selves of  the  truth.     Proud  of  our   country,  and   zealous  in  our  claims  to  n.-ive  not 
precedence,  it  has  been  wholly  zeal  without  knowledge,  as  I  propose  to  show  vanuigeH"! 
in  the  Appendix  before  referred  to.     When  difference  between  the  forms  of 
government  shall  be  demonstrated,  and  the  superiority  of  our  own  estab- 
lished as  never  having  been  equaled ;  who  can  doubt  that  the  knowledire  Knowledge 

^  i-  >  r     of   uiir   eu- 

will  have  an  influence  upon  immigration  never  before  known,  especially  in  perj'"- O'jvt'g 
the  higher  circles  of  society,  who  can  appreciate  the  importance  of  this '( B«"ier8. 
And  in  large  measure  it  will  seek  the  West. 

Besides,  instead  of  the  African  who,  in  two  generations,  will  have  almost  Coniiea  to 

...  .  come. 

disappeared,  we  shall  have  millions  of  Coolies ;  and   the  South   with  that 
labor,  will  again   produce   cotton,  rice  and  sugar,  enjoying  a  prosperity  as  south  to 
much  superior  to  the  past,  as  the  Chinaman  is  superior  to  the  Negro.     They  '"''"'''""■ 
cannot  afford  to  turn  their  labor  to  produce  food  and  manufactures.     These  ~'°  ,''*°*^' 

^  Noitb. 

will  again  be  supplied  by  the  North;  the  latter  by  the  Northeast,  until 
gradually  the  Northwest  shall  have  attained  the  ascendant,  by  its  advantages 
in  obtaining  raw  materials  and  food,  as  we  shall  soon  see. 

*Nearly  twenty  years  ago  Dr.  M'Guffey,  that   eflSciont  patron  of  common  schools,  as  well  as  accom-  Pr.    M'Gnf- 

plished  Professer  of  a  University,  visited  Chicago  with  reference  to  investments.     After  spending  a  few  *^^y'j,- '.'I'".''"" 

^  .         J       .         ,  L  of  Illinois 

days,  he  desired  to  see  the  country  and  people,  and  asked  me  for  letters  of  introduction  along  the  route  gettlere. 

^rom  Elgin  down  Fox  River,  and  thence  to  Alton.     Visiting  him  at  the  University  of  Virginia  a  year  or 

two  after,  he  informed  me  that  on  arriving  at  a  village  he  presented  liis  letters,  and  offered  to  deliver  a 

lecture  upon  education.     Notices  were  at  once  posted  and  inforinatiun  circulated,  and  in  the  evening  he 

would  have  a  good  audience  in  the  church,  or  school  house,  or  court  house.     He  said  that  he  hail  never 

lectured  to   such  audiences,  displaying  equal   intelligence,  energy,  and  noble  character;  adding  with 

emphasis,  "  It  is  no  wonder  that  Illinois  grow^s  so  fast." 

Having  travelled  with  my  horse  and  Imggy  all  over  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  Iowa,  before  the  Prairie 

advent   of  railways,  to  interest  the  farmers  in  their  paper,  and  make  them  write  for  it,  I  am  able  to  ^'«7"<t  ex- 

confirm  Dr.  M'Guffey's  opinion.    Never  was  any  country  blessed  with  an  agricultural  population,—  •"* 

the  controlling  power,  thank  God— equal  to  that  of  the  Northwest. 


140  The    Old  Xorthwest  —  600,000  Square  Miles  Alreadt/  Secured. 


Benefits  of        The  predictions  of  1861,  (p.  18)  as  to  the  nature  of  the  war,  were  not 

^"^'  more  correct  than  as  to  its  effects.     Confirming  those  expectations  to  the 

y.  r.  Evn.    full,  one  of  the  best  newspapers,  the  New  York  Evenimj  Post,  says  of — 
Kit 

StroDgN.W.      The  Strong  Northwest. — While  the  Southern  States  send  up  a  piteous  cry  for  relief 
from  almost  universal  destitution,  and  the  manufacturing  and  commercial  States  of 
the   East  are  pervaded  by  a  general  feeling  of  depression,  it  is  a  comfort  to  know 
that  there  is  one  part  of  the  country — and  that  a  considerable  one. — where  prosper- 
ity and  financial  soundness  are  the  rule,  and  poverty  and  depression  the  exceptions. 
Rt        in-      ^^  refer  to  the  Northwest,  and  include  in  tliis  designation  the   States  of  Indiana, 
eluded..         Miciiican,  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Iowa  and   Minnesota — formerly  included  in  the  old 
"  Northwestern  Territory,"  and  now  the  homes  of  between  seven  and  eight  millions 
of  the  most  energetic  people  within  the  United  States. 
Prosperity         A  friend  who  has  just  returned  from  a  visit  to  this  region  confirms  our  previous 
general.         reports  as  to  the  general  tlirift  and  prosperity  which  pervade  it.      The  main  interest, 
of  course,  is  agricultural,  and  this  is  in  a  position  of  peculiar  independence.     During 
Out  of  debt,   the  war  the  high  prices  paid  for  products  of  the  farm  enabled  the  agriculturalists 
of  the  West   to   get  free  from  debt.     Tens  of  thousands  of  mortgages  for  purchase 
money  and  improvements  were  lifted  from  their  farms  during  tlie  tirst  three  years 
dependent,     of  tlie  War,  and  since  then  good  crops  sold  at  higli  rates,  have  enabled  the  farmers 
to  improve  their  farms,  buy  stock,  and  otlierwise  intrench  themselves  against  the 
contingencies  of  the  future.     Thus,  as  a  class,  they  occupy  an  unusually  strong  and 
safe  position.     If  a  general  financial  storm  should  arise  they  are  fully  prepared  to 
weather  it  in  safety  and  even  comfort. 
Feel  N.  W.       The  pulse  of  the  Northwest  can  be  felt  better  at  Chicago  than  anywhere  else,  and 
pulse  at  Chi.  j^jjgj.g  q^j,  informant  found  among  business  men  a  feeling  of   staunchness  and  confi- 
dence that  was  decidedly  comforting.     The  business  of  that  city,  sinf^e  the  gather- 
Injury  to       ing  of  the  last  crops,  has  been  enormous.     The  very  causes  which  have  damaged 
East  helps     (jjg  manufacturers  and  wholesale  merchants  of  the  East  have  helped  the  merchants 
of  Chicago.      With  a  falling  market  the  small  dealers  in  the  interior  have  preferred 
to  make  small  and  frequent  purchases  near  home,  rather  than  to  lay  in  large  stocks 
at  the  East.     The  numerous  large  and  handsome  stores  that  are  building  in  Chicago 
attest  the  great  increase  in  its  trade  from  this  and  from  more  permanent  causes. 
Increase  of  Among  other  indications  of  the  growing  commercial  importance  of  that   city  is  the 
commerce,     fact — pretty  well  authenticated — that  the  largest  of  the  new  stores  now  in  course 

of  erection  there  is  to  be  used  as  a  branch  by  Mr.  A,  T.  Stewart,  of  tliis  city. 
Miuufac-  With  the  prosperity  of  the  agricultural  and  mercantile  intersts  of  the  Northwest, 

tures  grow-    of  course,  the  manufacturing  interests  have  not  sutfered.     By  the  simple  operation 
"'^"  of  the  laws  of  demand  and  supply,  manufactures  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  peo- 

ple  have  sprung  up   along   all  the   water-courses   of    this  locality,    and   have  now 
obtained   an  importance  and  stability  hardly  to  have  been  expected  in  so  young  a 
Rock  River   Country.     In  some  parts  of  the  Northwest,    particularly  along  the  benutiful  Rock 
\  alley.  River  valley,   the   number  of   manufacturing   establishments  reminds   one  of   the 

busiest  inland  districts  of  New  England. 

Such  is  the       Such  is  the   Old   Northwest,  such  its   resources,  and   its  connection  with 

N.  W.  '  " 

that  city  which  it  has  already  made  its  emporium.  Whatever  merit  this 
Reasoning  paper  possesscs,  is  due  to  the  one  means  employed,  of  reasoning  from  the 
future!'"    **  past  and  present  to  the  future.     As  evidence  of  the  power  of  this  region 

to  continue  what  we  have  so  well  begun,  let  us  look  at — - 

Commerce  of 

Chi.  &St.  L.  THE  COMMERCE  OF  CHICAGO  COMPARED  WITH  ST.  LOUIS. 

Com.  iniiis-  Whatever  apparent  advantages  a  city  may  have,  commerce  is  indispensable 
to  their  development  and  profitable  use.  Why  it  proves  effective,  is  not 
easily  answered,  especially  with  modern  improvements  for  handling  merchan- 
dise and  produce  of  all  kinds.     Manufactures,  we  can  readily  perceive,  build 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chim.jo  Livegtmrntg.  141 

up  cities,  because  employment  is  aftorded  to  a  inultitude.      I5ut  a  A-w  por-^^' """»•' "P 
sons  can  liandle  an   indctinitc  amount   of   nieohnniKm  or   a-^ricultunil    pro-"'"* 
ducts.     Yet  mere    commerce   has  always,  and   always   will,  build   up  citit-s, 
according  to  its  magnitude. 

The  highest  civilization,  begetting  the  greatest  divi.Viun  and  .subdivi.Mon  ,,.„„.„„  ,„ 
of  labor,  renders  commerce  an  indispensable  adjunct.     Some  countries.  Hoinc  '■'^'~ 
sections  of  a  country,  are  best  adapted  to  certain  pmdiiction.s.  a.s  is  the  South 
to  cotton  and  sugar  and  rice.     They  can  better  aflord  to  buy  grain  and  m.-at 
from  the  Northwest,  and  manufactures  from  the  Northea.st,  than  to  turn 
land  and  labor  to  their  production.     The  merchant  comes  in  to  facilitate  _rr,|uir«i 
exchanges  to  their  mutual  advantage.  No  one  thing  more  bespeaks  superiority  •■""""'^•• 
of  modern  civilization  to  that  of  Greece  and  of  Home,  than  their  degrada-  k"^-m  il  *" 
tion  of  commerce  and  our  exaltation  of  a  labor  absolutely  necessary  to  high 
culture.     Heathen   as  they  were,  they  knew   not  that  God  had  ennobled  (J.Hjrunobiw 
labor,  setting  man  at  work  even  in  Eden,  '■  to  dress  it  and  to  keep  it."    Nor 
was  commerce  without  honor  among  other  nations  renowned  in  antiquity.  T>r.TcnowD- 
Tyre  was  a  great  city  before  Athens  and  Sparta;  and  Hiram,  its  Kin"-,  was '^  ' 
a  friend  of  Solomon's.     Said  Ezekiel  concerning  Tyre  : — 

0  thou  !  that  art   situate  at  the  entry  of  the  sea,  EtfJn'fl.xxrU 

Which  art  a  merchant  of  the  people  for  many  isles,  8,8,  tt,  la-U. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God. 

The  inhabitants  of  Zidon  and  Arvad  were  thy  mariners : 
Thy  wise  men,  0  Tyrus,  that  were  in  thee,  were  thy  pilots. 
The  ancients  of  Gebal  and  the  wise  men  thereof  were  in  thee,  thy  calkers  : 
All  the  ships  of  the  sea  with  their  mariners  were  in  thee,  to  occupy  thy  merchandise. 

Tarshish  was  thy  merchant  by  reason  of  the  multitude  of  all  kinds  of  riches  ; 
With  silver,  iron,  tin,  and  lead,  they  traded  in  thy  fairs. 
Javan,  Tubal,  and  Meshech,  they  were  thy  merchants  ; 
They  traded  the  persons  of  men  and  vessels  of  brass  in  thy  market. 
.  They  of  the  house  of  Togarmah  traded  in  thy  fairs 
With  horses  and  horsemen  and  mules. 

The  whole  of  that  grand   description  could  be  appropriately  quoted,  for  Appropmie 
this  city  is  also  beside  this  inland  sea,  and  its  commercial  power  is  to  be  the 
means  of  drawins;  manufactures,  and   the   cause  of  all   its  greatness.     Its  Monhanu 

1111  •  •  J        1  culitiol. 

merchants  will  continue  to  be,  as  they  already  are,  its  princes ;  and  they 
will  mould  its  character  more  than  any  other  class.     Let  them  realize  their 

.    1      TliWr  TMiion- 

responsibilities  to  Gob  and  country;  remember  always  that  "a  just  weight Mbinty. 
and  balance  are  the  Lord's;"  and  constantly  "  bring  all  the  tithes  into  thcT..  nive 


tithe*. 


Storehouse,"  *  and  they  will  draw  down  upon  themselves  and  this  city,  the 

*Since   this  article  was  written  it  has  been  my   good   fortune   to  hear  Rev.  Mr.  Martin,  of  Xevacla>  It.-v.   Mr. 
present  the  claims  of  the  mining  country,  and  I  cannot  forbear  sugResting,  especially  to  these  liberiil-  ^)"^^*  J^" 
minded,  sagacious  merchants  and  manufacturers,   the  propriety   of  giving  largely  for  a   few  yearn  to 
establish  religious  institutions  in  that  region.     Truly  as  that  God  is  Author  of  Mnlachi's  dcclanitionu— 
what  a  befitting  close  to  the  pn  phetic  and  ushering  in  of  the  Gospel  Dispensation !— will  He  bleM  tlietn  pi^jp^^jj^  j^, 
who  pay  Ilim  the  tithes  on  the  increase  which  He  gives.     Who  can  doubt  that  if  Chicago  would  speml  ^j^^,  ,„,„(„. 
$100,000  in  that  way— and  if  she  spent  five  times  that,  and  twico-told  all   that  she  now   gives  to  kindred  iug  regiouB. 
objects,  still   the   tithes  would  not  be  given— yet,  if  she  would  spend  in  that  important  tleld,  whoso 
commerce  is  here  to  converge,  $100,000  annually,  who  doubts  that  it  would  be  a  judicious  investment  f 
"If  you  like  the  security,  down  with  the  dust." 


U2 


Commerce  of  Chicago  compared  icith  St.  Louis, 


blessings  of  a  covenant-keeping  God,  averting  curses  that  came  upon  Tyre 

for  pride  and  self-confidence;  offenses  still  more  rank  in  Heaven's  sight,  in 

Thereby       tliis  nineteenth    century  of  the   Christian    era.       While   we   glory  in   our 

^urJ.'"'"'"  uncqualed  blessings,  let  it  be  with  heartfelt  acknowledgments  to  the  Giver  ; 

and  let  our  acknowledgments  be  more  in  dollars,  and  our  words  will  have 

more  heart  and  weight. 

Res  onsibie       Weighty   is   this   responsibility  to  God  and    country,    for  the  improve- 

fot^  impro^-  ment  of  the  unequaled  commercial  advantages  here  bestowed.     Nature,  as 

vantages,      ^g  Yxaxe  Seen,  has  made  it  one  of  the  most  prominent  cities  of  the  world  for 

trade  ;  and  art  has  wonderfully  manifested  its  wisdom  in  following  nature's 

ordinations.     No  city  could  possibly  have  such  commercial  facilities  without 

Commerce  •'  i  ./  •  ■>  t  i  i 

Riready  largo  g^  respcctable  commerce  J  and  to  afford  some  evidence  that  art  has  made  no 
mistake  in  its  endeavors,  and  that  nature's  benefactions  are  not  wasted,  it 
will  be  well  to  look  at  some  of  the  statistics.  A  comparison,  too,  with  St. 
Louis  as  far  as  possible,  will  serve  to  show  whether  the  relative  decline — not 
actual,  for  we  hope  always  to  see  St.  Louis  prosperous — does  not  sustain 
previous  views  and  declarations. 
Int.  Revenue  The  auuual  rctums  to  the  Commissioner  of  Internal  Revenue,  afford  a 
^JTrHbane.  true  index  to  the  relative  business  of  American  cities.     The  Chicago  Tribune, 


Relative 
duties  of  St. 
Louis. 


Jan.  8th,  1868,  publishes  the  following  :- 


Chi  whole- 
sale trade. 


Wholesale  Trade  of  Chicago.— 1h.Q  Report  of  Special  Revenue  Cotnmissioner  David 
A.  AVells,  which  appears  in  our  columns  this  morning,  contaiis  a  table  giving  the 
gross  returns  of  sales  by  wholesale  of  goods,  wares,   and   merchandise,  for  the  last 

Tax  1  mill,  financial  year,  in  all  the  chief  cities  of  the  Union.  A  tax  of  one  mill  on  the  dollar 
is  levied  on  the  sales,  and  by  multiplying  this  tax  by  1,000,  the  total  value  of  the 
sales  at  wholesale  are  accurately  arrived  at.     According  to  the  figures  in  Mr.  Wells' 

Mr.  Wells'     report,  the  business  of  Chicago  stands  eighth  on  the  list  of  American  cities — stands 

errorinmak- even  below  St.   Louis  and  Cincinnati,  and  but  little  above  that  of  San  Francisco. 

ingChi.  Sth.  23gj-g^jjjg  jjjg^^  ^  gross  error  existed  in  the  Commissioner's  figures,  we  sent  to  the 
Assessor's  office  for  an  abstract  of  the  wholesale  returns  made  to  that  office,  and 
subjoined  is  the  result  of  the  examination.  The  sales,  as  reported  by  Mr.  Wells, 
are  as  follows: 


Im-nt'of%     ^^^  York. ..$1,976,565,000  Baltimore $307,076,000 

chief  cities.  Philadelphia      616,697,000  New  Orleans...    367,591,000 
Boston 646,407,000  St.  Louis 234,891,000 


Cincinnati $180,753,000 

Chicago 174,245,000 

San  Francisco    161,225,000 


Chi.  only  f.,r      The  return  for  Chicago  is  evidently  made  for  but  six  months,  and  must  be  a  blun- 
6  months.      Jer  of  the   copying  clerk  in  Washington  who  furnished  the  figures  to  the  Special 

Commissioner.     Here  are  the  amounts  returned  each  month  for  the  year  past  on 

which  taxes  have  been  paid  by  our  wholesalers : 


Ueturnn 
from  Dec. 
1866— Nov. 
1867. 


Dec.  1866 $22,340,000  April,  1867. 

Jan.  1867 24,286,000  May,       "    . 

Feb.      "    25,905,00(1  .June,      "     . 

March"    25,718,000  July,       "    . 


.$31,024,000 
.  37,918,000 
.  52,817,000 
.   46,764,000 


August,  1867. 
Sept.  "  . 
October,  "  . 
Nov.  "     . 


..$21,433,000 
..  23,059,000 
..  39,532,000 
..   40,791,000 


Total  s.ales $391,587,000 


Clil.  4th  city      From  these  figures  it  is  seen  that  Chicago  stands  fourth  on  the  list  of  American 
cities   in  respect   to  magnitude  of  business.     New   Orleans   and  Baltimore  stand 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments. 


143 


much  higher  than  we  supposed.     But.  both  arc  below  Chicago.     The  traile  of  l^^iiG  DlniiniNlied 
was    better  in  this  city  than   in   18(i7,  and,if  our  monthly  returns  had   begun  witli  "''"''' ^''''^• 
July,  186G,  instead  of  December,  18GiJ,  the  year's  business  would  foot  up  nioru  than 
four  hundred  millions:  but  we  give  the  figures  as  they  were  furnished,  it  being  loo 
late  to-night  to  get  them  for  the  last  six  mouths  of  1866. 

The  3Iissouri  Democrat  published  this,  Jan.  16th  : —  Mo.Dcm 

The  Large  Cities. — For  some  reason  or  other,  the  newspapers  of  Chicago  and  Cin-  Tra.li>  of 
cinnati  have  not  given  especial  prominence  to  the  following  table  of  stati.stics  given  in  '"''t'''  <='"'*• 
the  last  report  of  Special  Commissioner  Wells.    It  is  a  statement  of  the  nggreguie  busi- 
ness transacted  in  the  leading  cities  of  the  country,  by  wholesale  and  retail  dealers 
in  merchandise  and  liquors,   and  by  auctioneers  and  merchandise  brokers,  during 
the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  18<)7.     The  figures  are  obtained  from  ofiicial  sources, 
from   the  returns  of  taxes  on  "sales"  and  "licenses."     From  this  talde  it  appears  •''•p- exceeds 
that  St.  Louis  exceeds  both  Chicago,  Cincinnati  and  San  Francisco,  in  the  amount 
of  its  business.     The  table  is  as  follows: 


New  York.. ..$1,976,565,000 

Philadelphia.  616,697,000 

Boston 646,407,000 

Baltimore 307,076,000 

New  Orleans.  367,591,000 

St.  Louis 234,891,000 

Cincinnati  ...  180,753,000 


Chicago $174,245,000 

San  Francisco.  161,225,000 

Providence 78,904,000 

Pittsburg 76,240,000 

Louisville 72,949,000 

Brooklyn 61,448,000 

Milwaukee 58,165,000 


Cleveland $56, 11 7,000  20  Cities. 

Mobile 54,291.000 

Buffalo 51.783.100 

Detroit 50.471.000 

Charleston 36,574.000 

Newark 34,396,000 


From  this  table  it  appears  that  the  business  of  this  city  exceeds  that  of  Cincin-  St.  L.  e.xulta. 
nati  over  fifty-four  millions,  and  that  of  Chicago  over  sixty  millions,     r.altimore 
and  New  Orleans  are  fourth  and  fifth  on  the  list,  and  Boston  and  Phihidolphia  com-        ^  ^^ 

pete  very  closely  for  the  second  place.  A  single  fact  like  this  is  a  sufficient  reply  <^'-"-"'^'^"* 
to  all  the  blowing  of  our  friends  in  Chicago,  for  in  spite  of  the  rapid  growtli  and 
boasted  enterprise  of  that  city,  and  in  spite  of  the  reasonable  anxiety  of  St.  Louis 
people  not  to  be  out-maneuvered  in  the  work  of  internal  improvements,  the  fact  still  j^^_^  '^^  ' 
stands  that  St.  Louis  continues  to  lead  both  her  rivals.  To  hear  Chicago  men  talk, 
one  would  suppose  that  Cincinnati  was  a  mere  village,  but  though  Cincinnati  brags 
less,  it  does  more  business  than  Chicago  with  all  its  boasting. 

With  the  fio-ures  of  the  previous  year  to  warn  St.  Louis,  superabundant  st.  l.  should 

o  I  •>  be  cautious. 

caution  was  not  requisite  to  prevent  hasty  use  of  a  statement  that  our  papers 
had  already  corrected;  which  correction  could  not  have  been  overlooked  by 
St.  Louis  editors,  who  give  Chicago  papers  more  attention  than  any  others,  SJmrp  after 
and  are  perpetually  on  the  sharp  scent  after  any  mistakes  of  fact  or  argu- 
ment. The  same  day  (16th  January,)  that  article  appeared  in  the  Democrat, 
the  Chicago  Tribune  had  the  following :—  ^'''-  ^"^■ 

The  Business  of  the  Cities— Important  Correction.— y^\^G^^  we  published  the  report  Conj^Jion^of 
of  the  Hon.  D.  A  Wells,  Special  Commissioner  of  the  Kevenue,  we  called  attention  ^^^^ 
to  what   appeared   to  us  an  important  error  in    the  table  exhibiting   the  aggregate 
amount  of  business  transacted  in  the  leading  commercial  cities  of  the  country,      llie 
comparatively  low  figures  placed  to  the  credit  of  Chicago  we  were  certain  were  in- 
correct, and  we  so  stated  at  the  time.     It  appears  that   the  Commissioner  accepted 
the  compilation   of  the  table  from  a  clerk  in  the  Treasury  Department  as  correct 
but,  upon  revising  the  whole  report,  the  errors  in    that  table  were  discovered,  and 
the  statement  will   appear  in  the  printed   volume  correctly.     In   the  meantime,  we 
spread  before  our  readers  the  table  as  it  originally  appeared,  and  as  upon  revision 
and   correction   the  facts  really  exist.     It  will  be  seen  that  there  is  a  very  large  Change  as  to 
change  in  the  figures  showing  the  business  of  Chicago.     In  the  table  as  just  pub- 
lished Chicago  ranked  the  eighth  in  the  amount  of  business,  and  below  Baltimore, 


144 


Commerce  of  Cliicago  compared  with  St.  Louis. 


Why  New 
Orleans  is 
larKcr. 


Was  8th,  is  St.  Louis  and  Cincinnati,  when  in  point  of  fact  Chicago  ranked  fifth  in  the  amount 
6th.  jjC  business,  and  hirgely  exceeded  the  three  cities  named.      The  fact  that  New  Or- 

leans shows'  a  larger  return  than  Chicago  is  due  to  the  sales  there  of  the  large  cotton 
crop  of  1806,  with  portions  of  that  of  I860,  at  prices  ranging  from  forty  to  forty- 
five  cents  per  pound.  The  sales  of  New  Orleans  which  will  be  returned  for  the  fiscal 
year  1868,  will  probably  fall  below  one-half  of  those  of  1867,  as  the  price  of  cotton 
has  fallen  to  fifteen  or  sixteen  cents  per  pound.  On  the  other  hand,  the  fine  crops 
of  1867,  which  are  being  marketed  in  Chicago,  at  high  prices,  will  carry  the  sales 
of  this  city,  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  July  1,  1868,  far  above  those  returned  for  the 
Boston  trade,  last  fiscal  year.  The  immense  returns  of  Boston  are  due  to  the  fact  that  nearly  all 
the  raw  materials  for  the  manufactures  of  New  England  are  purchased  there,  and 
nearly  all  the  goods  and  wares  made  in  those  six  States  are  sold  and  handled  there. 
The  buying  and  selling  of  all  New  England  are  done  in  Boston. 
Changes  in  Cincinnati  gains  by  the  correction  and  St.  Louis  loses.  Louisville  and  Milwau- 
other  Cities,  kee  gain  largely.  Buffalo  stands  ahead  of  Pittsburg,  but  her  trade  consists  chiefly 
of  the  grain  shipped  from  Chicago,  on  which  her  warehouse  owners  receive  a  com- 
mission for  removing  it  from  the  lake  vessels  into  the  canal  boats. 
Tradersinclu  The  following  is  the  table,  as  originally  published  and  as  officially  corrected, 
showing  tiie  aggregate  amount  of  the  business  transacted  in  the  leading  commercial 
cities  of  the  country,  by  wholesale  and  retail  dealers  in  merchandise  and  liquors, 
and  by  auctioneers  and  merchandise  brokers,  during  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30, 
1867,  as  deduced  from  the  returns  of  taxes  on  "sales"  and  "licenses,"  the  tax 
being  one  mill  on  the  dollar: — 


ded  in  list. 


Cities. 


Trade  of  20 
cities. 


New  York 

Boston 

Pliiladtlphia.. 
New  Orleans., 

Chicago 

Baltimore 

Cincinnati 

St.  Louis 

San  Francisco 
Louisville 


Correct'Am't. 


$.3,.313,60S,068 
928,173,0110 
662.1)97,1100 
526,795.000 
3-t2,182,0ll0 
324.966,  00 
213,254,000 
213,033,900 
151,367,000 
116,216,000 


As  originally 
published. 


$1,976,565,000 
646.407,000 
616,6;<7,000 
367,591,000 ! 
174,245,0001 
8ll7.ll76,0i)0| 
180,753,000, 
2^4,891,0001 
161,225.000 
72,949,000 


Cities. 


Milwaukee 
Providence 

Buffalo 

Pittsburg.., 

Mobile 

ISrooklyn... 

Detroit 

Cleveland.., 
Charleston. 
Newark 


Correct  Am't. 


$110,675,000 
9l,S76,000 
81,350,000 
80.H39,Ono 
77,383,000 
69,676.000 
62,757,000 
55.302.000 
46,769,000 
36,128,000 


As  originally 
published. 


158,165,000 
78,904,000 
52.783,000 
76,240,000 
54,291,000 
61,448,000 
60,471,000 
66,117,000 
36,574,000 
34,396,000 


Is  St.  Louis 
malicious  'I 


A  Chi.  story. 

Denies  Mr. 
Wells'  re- 
port. 


Authority 
demanded. 

Chi.  pretends 
to  make  ci>r- 
reclioti. 


Mere  blow- 
ing. 

No  vo\iclicr. 


One  would  imagine  that  St.  Louis  would  avoid  further  ventilation  of  this 
subject,  lest  she  become  a  stench  in  the  nostrils  of  other  cities,  which  admire 
generous  emulation  and  despise  malicious  misrepresentation.  Although  her 
editors  had  seen  that  correction  of  Mr.  Wells'  first  statement,  as  this  article 
proves,  the  Missouri  Democrat  has  the  eflfrontry  to  publish  the  following  edi- 
torial 4th  February : — 

A  Chicago  Story— K  Chicago  paper  complains  that  St.  Louis  people  publish  as 
correct  the  table  given  by  Mr.  Wells,  the  Commissioner  of  the  Revenue,  in  hia 
official  annual  report,  showing  the  business  of  the  cities  of  the  country.  From  that 
table  it  appeared  that  the  aggregate  business  of  St.  Louis  was  much  larger  than  that 
of  Cincinnati,  and  that  of  Cincinnati  much  larger  than  that  of  Chicago.  The  Chicago 
paper  now  says,  "the  fact  is  as  all  intelligent  readers  know  that  Chicago  and  Cin- 
cinnati lead  St.  Louis." 

We  demand  authority  for  that  statement.  The  table  given  in  the  official  report 
referred  to  cannot  be  disproved  by  the  mere  assertion  of  any  newspaper. 

A  Chicago  paper  not  long  ago,  came  out  with  a  statement  that  Mr.  Wells'  figures 
were  erroneous,  and  giving  what  it  called  a  corrected  table,  which  differed  from 
tliat  of  the  official  report  very  largely,  the  figures  for  New  York  alone  tieing  changed 
several  hundred  millions.  But  for  this  pretended  "corrected  report"  no  authority 
has  been  given,  and  it  rests  as  far  as  we  know  upon  the  mere  assertion  of  the  news- 
papers of  a  city  more  given  to  "blowing"  than  any  other  in  that  country.  If  the 
fctatement  is  correct  it  can  be  substantiated  by  official  records,  and  the  signature  of 
the  proper  officers  of  the  government.  In  that  case,  it  will  appear  that  Mr.  Wells 
IS  precisely  wliat  the  whole  country  now  thinks  he  is  not— so  gross  and  careless  a 


Fust,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investment. 


145 


bungler  as  to  incorporate  statements  wildly  inaccurate  in  liis  official  reports.     If,  on 

the  contrary,  the  statement  cannot  be  officially  substantiated,  lh*-n  the  report  of  isir 

Wells  will  continue  to  command  general  confidence,  and  the  Chicago  papers  will  be  hmrcbicJo 

called  upon  to  tell  an  admiring  public  who  it  was  that  invented  a  table  to  hide  the  uukeduoBa. 

nakedness  of  the  Garden  City.     Let  the  statement  be  substantiated  or  frankly  own 

that  it  is  a  mere  advertising  dodge. 


Our  "beautiful  rival"  should  keep  her  temper  in  the  contest,  for  "  whom  u-tst. Louis 
the  gods  would  destroy,  they  first  make  mad."     If  we  are  to  judge  of  her  So?."' 
prospects  from  her  spleen,  she  must  be  nearer  destruction  than  we  believe,  or 
desire.     Her  malevolent  charges  have  been  treated  with  due  contempt ;  that  Proper  con- 
article  never  having  been  noticed  by  one  of  our  papers,  that  I  have  observed.  *"'"'"" 
But  bringing   together  full  information  touching  the  subject,  and  in  form 
for   preservation,   it  appears  judicious  to   present  an  official  endorsement 
notwithstanding  the  offensive   demand.     Gleneral  Mann  favors  me  with  the 
following  note : — 

United  States  Internal  Revenue,  Collector's  Office,  l 
1st  District,  Illinois.  I 

Chicago,  Febuary  Slst,  1868.      J 
J.  S.  Wright,  Esq. 

Sir:  In  reply  to  your  note  of  this  date,  making  inquiry  in  relation  to  the  amount 
of  sales  returned  to  this  office  for  the  past  year,  I  respectfully  submit  the  following 
statement  taken  from  the  records  of  this  office.  This  exhibit  embraces  sales  of  auc- 
tioneers, which  were  omitted  in  previous  report  made  by  one  of  my  Deputies,  and 
published  in  several  of  our  papers. 

You  will  observe  that  this  statement  is  for  the  calendar  year — hence  the  discrep- 
ancy between  this  and  the  report  of  Special  Commissioner  Wells,  who  estimates  for 
the  fiscal  year. 

Sales  in  Chicago,  \st  Dist.  of  Illinois,  for  the  year  ending  Dee.  31«<,  1867,  upon  which  the 
tax  of  %1,  per  thousand  was  paid  into  this  office. 


Ocn.  Mann's 
oflioiiil  Rtato- 
niont  for 
1867. 


January $24,635,520 

February 25,987,640 

March 25,792,760 

April 31,109,870 


May $38,837,870  September $23,357,920  Sales.  $406,- 

.June 44,764,090|  October..., 40, 176, 380  "*>**^- 

July 48,115,0901  November 41,174,510 

August 21,863, 620l  December 40,758,770 


Total .-. $406,574,040 

Respectfully  Yours, 

0.  L.  MANN,  Collector. 

Will  that  satisfy  the  Queen  of  the  Rivers  ?     Quite  self-satisfied  that  s^e  ^t^T-^^^^^ij 
has  distanced  both  ;  she  finds   greatest  comfort    in  that  Cincinnati,   too,  of  Chi. 
should  lead  Chicago.     How  hkes  she  marching  down  herself  to  the  third 
place  ?     However  absurd  the  truth  may  be  in  her  estimation,  by  what  rule 
of   ethics  does  she  hold  us  responsible  for  merely  copying  the  absurdity 
from  a  responsible  source  ? 

St.  Louis  beino;  Queen  of  the  Rivers,  her  sex  makes  her  splenetic ;  for  she  want* 

o     ^  '  _  ,  philosophic 

Mr.  Cobb  says,  "  Alas  !  St.  Louis,  that  used  to  he  a  Samson  in  strength  :  endurauco- 
Whatever  she  was,  she  now  must  be  a  feminine  to  exhibit  such  weakness. 
She  discredits  the  Great  West,  to  make  up  fiices,  insinuate  shameful  conduct, 
and  call  bad  names  in  this  way.  How  much  better  to  follow  the  example  of 
that  other  city  of  the  West,  whose  philosophic  endurance  does  honor  to  the 
—19 


l^Q  Commerce  of  Chicago  Compared  with  St.  Louis. 

-like  cin.    old  Eoman  whose  name  she  bears  !     The    Cincinnati  Enquirer  generously 
^"'  ^'^'     admits  the  truth,  and  wisely  endeavors  to  find  reasons  for  the  growing 
disparity  :  — 

We  know  that  the  old  saying,   "Comparisons  are  odious,"  pertains  very  strictly 
e'uaTio Chi  whenever  an  attempt  is  made  to  state  the  relative  position   of  Cincinnati  and  Chi- 
***"     "      'cago  ;  but  fear  we  can  no  longer  compare,  that  we  can  only  contrast. 
Trade  sales        The  list  of  sales  of  Chicago  merchants,  published   a  few  days  since,  leaves  no 
less.  room  to  doubt  that  we  have  a  formidable  rival  in  the  Illinois  giant,  which  threatens 

to  leave  us  far  behind  in  the  race.     It  is  humiliating,  indeed,  to  think  that  with  all 
our  advantages  to  enable  us  to  maintain  our  present  position  as  the  greatest  com- 
y-u       ,       mercial  city  of  the   West,   we  may  be  compelled  to  yield  the  palm  to  our  more 
^*°         enterprising  Northern  sister.     Why  is  this  so?     Why,  with  a  better  geographical 
position  naturally,  and  a  more  extensive  field  of  resources  at  our  command,  with 
almost  a  half  century  start,  are  we  to  be  superseded  by  a  city  recently  founded, 
and  with  not  a  tithe  of  our  advantages? 
Press respon-     We  believe  that  the  press  are,  to  a  certain  extent,  responsible  for  the  general 
Bible.  apathy  which  exists  in  regard  to  our  public  enterprises,  by  the  constant  propensity 

Old  Hunkers  to  cater  to  the  old  hunker  element.  AVhen  go-ahead  citizens  attempt  sojue  project 
rule.  for  benefiting  the  city,  the  Old  Hunkers  raise  a  cry  about  taxes,  these  newspapers 

Chi.  not  80.  echo  the  cry  and  the  enterprise  is  speedily  killed.     It  is  not  so  in  Chicago — they 
are   wide  awake  to  their  interests,  and  the    press   and  people  accord.     Chicago 
j,._  tunnels  for  two  miles  under  the  lake  to  get  pure  water  for  her  citizens,  while  we 

continue  to  sip  our  decoction  of  Deercreek  sewer.     While  Chicago  is  on  the  alert 
for  any  rail  road  connection  to  increase  her  trade,  and  ready  with  the  money  to 
secure  it,  we  are  blind  to  the  great  advantages  of  a  Southern   railroad  connection, 
and  allow  other  places  to  step  in  and  carry  oif  the  prize. 
Chi.  makes  a     While  Chicago  scoops  out  her  prairie  mud,  and  rides  the  largest  lake  vessels  in 
harbor—  .     her  manufactured  river,  Cincinnati   allows  Millcreek  to   overflow  its  banks  once  in 
two  or  three  years,  and  render  nearly  valueless,  hundreds   of  acres   of  desirable 
land  almost  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city.     While  Chicago  builds  wharves  and  docks 
— bnilds        ^^^  ^^^  shipping,  we  cannot  get  our  press  to  favor  an  appropriation  for  the  con- 
wharves,       struction  of  our  West  End  wharf,  a  necessary  outlet  for  the  carrying  trade  of  one- 
third  of  the  city  and  of  five  rail  roads,  whose  depots  are  within  one  square  of  that 
location. 

Room  for  all     All  these  cities  have  plenty  of  room,  and  each  will  be  large,  nor  cease  to 

3  citisfj. 

grow  for  a  century,  if  ever.  But  while  Cincinnati  gracefully  yields  to  her 
fui—  fate,  being  content  with  what  she  cannot  prevent,  St.  Louis  vents  spite  and 

— St.  L.  malice.  Even  a  calamity  like  our  recent  fire,  destroying  a  large  block  of 
''"  " "  ■  iron  fronts  and  other  beautiful  buildings,  some  $3,000,000  of  property,  is 
Jfo.fiep. cor.  attributed  to  a  desire  to  sell  to  insurance  companies.     The  Missouri  Eepub- 

lican  publishes  the  following  from  a  Springfield  correspondent  :  — 

Sell  to  In-  Much  of  the  business  of  our  metropolis  is  based  on  want  of  capital,  or  borrowed 
BuranceCo's.  money.     When  sales  are  slow,  and  creditors  sharp,  there  is  no  alternative  but  to 

sell  to  insurance  companies.     One  considerable  portion  of  the  i-ecent  great  fire  is 

said  to  be  such  a  sale.  Buildings  in  Chicago  are  neither  more  frail  nor  combusti- 
Chi.  safe  ^^^'  ^^°^^^f  °^  goods  no  more  inflammable,  than  such  buildings  or  stocks  elsewhere, 
from  fire—    "^^^  Security  of  the  buildings,  the  eSiciency  of  the  Fire  Department,  the  vigilance 

of  the  Police,  and  the  inexhaustible  supply  of  water  from  the  lake  tunnel,  have 
—yet $3 000-^"'°^'*'"^'^  themes  on  which  the  press  of  that  city  have  immeasurably  enlarged. 
000  burnt.  '"Yet,  on  the  first  serious  check  of  trade,  $3,000,000  of  property  is  destroyed  by  fire 

in  less  than  three  hours.  The  alarm  of  fire  is  given  after  some  of  the  buildings 
fire^puT^out. '^'■^  destroyed,  the  fire  steamers  arrived  late,  the  water  supply  was    short.     The 

■  public  mind  outside  of  Chicago,  and,  as  is  suggested  there  also,  has  hit  upon  one 
Inimrancfl  solution ;  it  is  hinted  in  these  paragraphs  ;  Chicago  was  compelled  to  sell  to  some- 
C<*'s.  buy.      body,  and,  as  no  buyers  were  in  the  market,  insurance  companies  were  constrained 

to  purchase. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Clilcago  Investmnita.  147 

Truly  must  a  city  conceive  herself  hard  pushed  in  the  contest,  to  publish  ^""""1"^"' 
such   base  stuff,  whether  paid  for   or  gratuitous.      It  was  very  satisfactory  """ 
to  cut  the  two  preceding  extracts  from  the  Clwaijo  Post,  of  February  5th, 
inserted  together  without  a  word  of  comment*  under  the  caption,  "Cliicago 
abroad.     The  late  fire.     Chicago  and  Cincinnati  contrasted." 

Lest  our  unamiable  neighbor,— uneasy  in  her  position  at  the  extremity  of  Pt.L.  wuu 
one  of  our  spokes,  which  she  imagines  a  secure  hub, — having  faith  in  nothing 
except  her  "  natural  location,"  should  also  call  for  a  verification  of  General 
Mann's  figures,  we  give  a  partial  statement  of  returns  of  leading  firms   to 
the  Commissioner  of  Internal  Revenue  for  two  years,  compiled  from  lista  in  Retunm  of  2 
the  Republican  and  Tribune.     The  former  presented  that  of  last  year  as  ^''*™  int. 
well  as   this ;  the  latter  classified  them   as  to  business,  and  here  they  are  rTiiunt. 
combined.    The  Tribune  prefaced  its  list : — 

From  partial  returns  made  to  the  Assessor  of  Internal  Revenue  for  this  district,  Retuma  of 
we  present  the  following  list,  comprising  a  trifle  more  than  one-half  of  the  firms  in  '^'.'"  |^"™* 
Chicago   whose  sales  for   1867   exceed   half  a  million  of   dollars.     Scores  of    the"^^*^^" 
heaviest  firms  in  the  city  are  not  included,  as  will  be  observed,  their  returns  not 
having  been  made.     As  the  law  does  not  require  returns  to  be  made  until  just  before  — i«t  Mtiy  to 
the  1st  of  May,  it  will  be  impossible  to  give  anything  like  a  complete  list  until  that  nmko  re- 
time.    The  following  will  serve,  however,  to  illustrate  to  rival  villages  the  ordinary  *"■"""• 
run  of  business  in  Chicago  : 

The  Republican  remarked: —  Republican. 

The   figures  show   that  twenty-one  firms  transacted  a   business  exceeding   two  21  ovi>r 
million  dollars  each,  and  seventy-six  exceeding  one  million  dollars,  within  the  year;  '->'^'^*""'- 
while  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  make  returns  surpassing  half  a  million. 

Fifty-nine  firms  did  business  in  this  city  in  1866  to  the  extent  of  one  million  BiiRiness 
dollars  and  over,  and  fourteen  exceeded  two  millions.     The  highest  return  was  that 
of  Field,  Palmer  &  Leiter. 

We  also  publish  for  the  purpose  of  comparisons,  the  returns  of  as  many  of  theTwo  y«-ar?. 
firms  in  question  as  were  published  in  the  Republican  of  May  21,  1866,  for  the 
year  1866. 

In  this  latter  exhibit,  several  omissions  will  be  seen.     These  are  caused  in  several  Cnnse  of 
cases  by  changes  in  the  firms,  and  in  the  instance  of  the  live  stock  brockers  doing  °™"''"'^°  ' 
business  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  from  the  fact,  ihat  owing  to  some  mistake,  their 
sales  were  not  included  in  the  regular  business  returns  made  for  the  year  1866. 

*We,  in  Chicago,  have  a  good  deal  to  be  proud  of,  and  by  no  means  least,  is  our  newspaper  press.    We  J|]'p^^"''° 
little  realize  how  much  we  are  indebted  to  our  editors,  not  merely   for  ability,  but   for  their  correct  pregg. ' 
appreciation  of  the  dignity,  courtesy  and  magnanimity  which  becomes  the  Queen  of  the  Nortliweet. 

P.  S.  A  squib  of  the  Times,  which  throws  hard  shot  when  necessary,  opportunely  indicates  tone  and  CVii.  Txmfs 
temper : — 

"The  Chicago  papers  are  the  conduits  of  the  feelings  and  sentiments  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  "goodly 
oity."—St.  Lmiis paper.  ,  ,.,,.■         r  Tirt.n<  i,.  . 

A  "conduit"  is  something  in  the  nature  of  a  sewer;  but  sewers  do  not  perform  the  function  of  wnaiua 
conducting  "feelings  and  sentiments."  A  "conduit"  is.  also,  a  sluiceway,  but  a  sluiceway  does  not  conauit. 
conduct  "  feelings  and  sentiments."  A  "conduit "  is,  likewise,  a  "vessel,  canal,  or  pipe  for  conducting 
water  or  other  fluids ; "  all  of  which  are  different  from  feelings  and  sentiments.  None  of  these  TariouB 
definitions  of  a  "conduit"  seems  to  corrorborate  the  St.  Louis  assumption,  that  a  "conduit  is  a  tliicago 
newspaper.  The  application  of  the  term  "conduits"  to  Chicago  newspapers,  seems,  therefore,  to  be  a 
misnomer,  since  they  are  conceded  to  be  vehicles  of  feelings  and  sentiments  But,  as  the  newspaper 
concerns  in  St.  Louis  are  chiefly  employed  in  conducting  "  water  or  other  fluid,"  it  might  not  be  improper 
to  call  them  "  con<'rits." 


U3 


Commerce  of  Chicago  Compared  with  St.  Louis. 
Chicago  Trade. — Sales  of  some  of  the  Leading  Houses  for  1866  and  1867. 


Dry  Goods 
oud  Clothing 


DRY   GOODS    AND    CLOTHING. 


Grocers. 


Hardware. 


I'jiiitB  and 
OiU. 


Firms. 


Field,  Leiter  4  Co 

Farwell,  J.  V.  &  Co 

Tattle,  Th'inipson  &  Wetmore.... 

Boss  Si  U'jssifie 

Sliay,  J.  B.  &  Co 

Fisk,  D.  B.  &  Co 

Beardslov,  C.  &  Co 

Wills.  Uregs  &  Brown 

Frank  &  Meyr 

Hamlin,   F.  N 

King,  Kell.gg  &  Co 

Bowen,  Whitman  &  Winslow  — 
Kichiirds,  Crumbiingh  &  Sliaw. 

Carson,  I'irie  &  Co 

Fiske.  Kirthmd  &  Co 

King,  George  W.  &  Co. 

Wa.ls\vorth,  P.  &  Co , 

Ilimt,  Barbour  &  Hale 

Keith  Brothers 

Clement,  Oilman  k  Co 

Kohu,  II.  A.  A  Bro 

DeForrest  &  Co 

Hill,  D.  &  Suns 


1866 

,220.967 
i,94-i,328 
583.010 
863,958 
5511,174 
614,728 


252,822 

266,716 


829,539 
;,458,876 
79.S800 
691. 6H 
390,523 
946,468 
804,552 
,012,605 
562  542 


319,650 


1867. 

9,071,-597 

7,109,714 

558,4^8 

551,U2 

.Hi,543 

589,517 

516,899 

693,182 

1,0-24,000 

901,283 

892,979 

2,422.50 

602O011 

733,996 

615  321 

636,250 

5(i6,5ti2 

1.667,946 

1,5.50,762 

639,920 

794,000 

5:2,6110 

581,000 


COMMISSION   MERCHANTS. 


Doane,  J.  W.  k  Co 

Cook,  G.  C.  &  Co 

Reiil,  .Murd.ick  k  Fisher 

Hindsdale,  Siblev  k  Endicott., 

Hoyt,  Wra.  M.  &  Co 

Sprague  &  Warner 

Flanders,  George  W.  &  Co 

Norton  k  Co 

Beckwith,  C.  H 

Day,  Allen  &   Co 

Peck,  Clarence  I 

Shores,  Stilev  &  Co 

Taylor  &  Wright 

Thompson,  II.  M 

Stearns  &  Co 

Gray,  Phelps  &  Co 

Durant,  Bros.  &  Powers 

Swing,  Brigiis  &  Co 

Knowles,  Clove.?  k  Co  

Barrett,  Cossi-tt  &  Co 

Stearns,  Forsyth  &  Co 

McKindley,  Gilchrist  k  Co 

Whitaker,  Harmon  &  Co 

Corbin,  C.  R.  &  Co , 


,957,615 
,589,469 
,250,397 
,362  399 
689,483 
720,000 
,523,000 
888,659 
862,200 
,363,272 


666,740 
,569,687 
766,546 
149,622 
,324,281 
848,589 
590,614 
497,1  50 
347,872 
861,617 
819,130 
,13;i,390 
507,617 


2,605,493 

1.H.S2.474 

1,37.\423 

1,368,897 

1,122,483 

l,0n2,20i> 

2,335,01  >0 

938,076 

937,214 

1,95-3,712 

1,829,826 

618,444 

1,668,425 

9i4,950 

l,fi9S,9«4 

1,405,089 

780,518 

828.706 

527.598 

663,624 

845,815 

840,1  8 

1,498,35S 

727,387 


HARDWARF,. 


Hale,  Ayer  k  Co 

Hibb.ird,  S[x-ncer  A  Co 

Sturgis,  F.  &  Co 

Blair,  William  &  Co..,. 

Jones  k   Laughlin 

Markley,  Ailing  k  Co.. 
Hall,  Kimbark  k  Co.... 


1.521.814 
1,183,387 
851,584 
1,111,410 
805,'i41 
664,&42 
980,858 


.33'<,529 

,4ns,'-94 
947. .584 
,047,852 
770.473 
609,.325 
981,900 


CommiBsion. 


COMMISSION    MERCHANTS. 


Hoard,  Bro.  k  Co 

Ash,  I.  N.  k  Co 

Walbridge,  Watkins  &  Co.. 

Hobbs,  J.  B.  ft  Co 

Wo.Mlrnff.  W.   M 

McCormick,  C.  H.  k  Co 

I'ul-lfcr  k  Magee 

McDonald  A  Trego 


2,105  570 
669,910 
924,039 


793.600 
531,800 


1,167,200 

1.165.430 

1,155,24' 

832,354 

831 ,660 

9.58.14' 


1,0.56,140  1,240,466 
1,684  640 


Firms. 

Armour,  H.  0.  &Co 

Hunger,  Wheeler  &  Co.. 

Hastings,  L.  R 

lliggins,   L.  &  D 

Erwiu,  D   W.  &  Co 

Morse,  Albert  &  Co 

Gregg  &  Hughes 

Oulton  &  Sprague 

Dow,  Quirk  k  Co 

Eichold,  A.  &  Co 

Burton,  Horace 

Underwood  k  Co 

.\Iunn,  Norton  &  Co 

Maitland  &    Scranton 

Hutchinson,  B.  P.  &  Co 

Lyon,  J.  B 

lUunsey  Bros  k  Co 

Culver  &  Co 

Pickering,  A.  H.  k  Son 

Nelson,  Murry  k  Co 

Phillips  k  Bros 

Kelly,   David 

Priestly,  Howard 

Peters,  A.  A.  k  Co 

GoodyoMr,  C.  B 

Davis,  Pope  k  Co 

Robbins,  E.  V 

Bacon,  Eniiis  &  Co.,  (8  months,).. 

Blair,  Densmore  k  Co 

Dole,  J.  M.  k  uo 

ireen,  Harley 

Howe,  G.  M.  &  Co 

Randolph,  Charles  &  Co 

Wright  &  Beebe 

Hamilt(m  &  Mitchell 

Gilbert  &  Field 

Shiek,  Wagner  &  Co 

Uoyington,  Foster  k  Co 

Baldwin,  Stone  &  Co 

Cummins  k  King 

Nichols,  M.  S 

Newhall,  G.  Jr 

Sherman,  Hall  &  Lyman 

Lewis,  H.  F.  &  Co , 

Wright,  A.  M-  &  Co 

Sharp,  J.  S.  &  Co 

Webster  k  Baxter 

Reineman,  Moses 

Low,  Brother  &  Co 

Sturgis,  McAllister  k  Ho 

Ellis,  O'Connor  k  Co 

Hall,  D.   A 

Rog»-rs,  A.  A.  C.  &  Co 

Comstock,   C.    (agent,) 

Chapman,  .1.  &  H.  C 

Lawrence,  Nixson  &  Butler 

Brown.  Thomas  Jr 

Colvin,  W,  H.,  (7  months,) 

Burton  &  Adams 

Hought-lling,  W.   D 

Pettit,  Smith  k  Co 

Jesup,  Kennedy  &  Co 

Loomis,  J.  Mason  (6  months,). - 

Pottle,  J.  W.  &  Co 

Penton,  D.  H 

Dhillips  &  Bros 


1860. 

2,191.324 
1,128,251 

2,324,'488 


959,250 
1,217,683 


1,689,680 


474,654 
2,056,085 
3,:85,468 
2,000,010 
1,468,766 
1,758,2;:0 


1.419,650 


709,835 
254.629 


319  646 

1,450,806 
2,209,079 
2,247,220 
2,237,631 

1,64'2,763 
1,486,073 


632,470 
1,040,919 

451.674 

466,-508 
X,6:36,889 

561,228 


434,299 


659,089 
552,704 

1.267,890 
416,621 
S-37,H91 
216,628 
403.0UO 
4.35,1.50 

1,228,426 
50:^093 
747,310 


284,000 
671,967 


1 ,472,62  i 


257,000 
1,^63,630 
440,423 
931,377 
565,074 
406,027 
362.675 
254,629 


1867. 

2,880,464 

2,614,702 

1,209.200 

2,390,529 

1,209,630 

1,204.710 

l,117.t/26 

1.387,097 

1,625,940 

•717,357 

702,871 

1,979,703 

3,829,670 

3,536,310 

3,277,796 

3,164,310 

3,110,859 

1,885,600 

9 '2.160 

910  939 

905,1.50 

891,910 

887,186 

1,;31,756 

2,488,120 

2,444,356 

2, 1.35  578 

1,356,430 

1,473.645 

1,4G^  604 

1,441.572 

874.960 

1,051,756 

977,163 

9Hs,789 

1,812,020 

1,795,329 

5^5,074 

.583,023 

581,111 

806,119 

80-'. ,397 

1,230,846 

934,424 

845,238 

52*i,042 

1,070,180 

586.552 

78^,270 

531,974 

765,tj39 

562,518 

660,732 

575,826 

615,083 

1,757.3(51 

5.38,880 

647,490 

475,000 

454,367 

430,481 

429,574 

421,000 

493,885 

483,014 

905,050 


PAINTS    AND    OILS. 


Chase,  Hanford  &  Co., 

Page  &  Sprague 

Lewis,  Ham  &  Co 


1,070,606  1,1  f'9.218 

473,785     6.58,104 

730,748 


Faaf,   Present  and  Future  of  Chirajo  Investments.  1  ]9 

Chicago  Trade.— Sales  of  some  oj  the  Leading  Houses  for  18C6  and  1S67.— Continued. 


LIVE  STOCK. 


Conger,  L.W , 

Adams,  Jesse 

Start,   John 

Bentley,  George.. 
Conover.  H.  II.... 
Wallwork,  John. 
Keeuan,  W.  T.... 

Gregory,  A 

Mallory,  H.  E.... 

Adam'',  John 

JD'driJge.  Isa-ic..., 

Adams,  George 

Strader,  Jacob 

Mallory,  H.  C 

Conger,  R.  P 

Conger,  M , 

Reeves,  J.  D 

Waivel,  David 

Waixel,  Isaac 

Adams,  E 


1S66. 


1867. 

,016,8.^ 

,11 S,."?!! 

794,34 

."^45,21 

572,r)(j 

569,7fi 

.495, 

,1<,I8. 

844. 

;in8, 
:,099, 

,03!. 
,631. 
,016, 
,051. 
,053, 

920, 

613. 

612. 

746, 


Hough,  R.  M.  &  0.  S 

Craj^iu  &  Co 

Kreigh.  D.  &  Co 

Kent,  A.  E.  &  Co 

Tobey  &  Booth 

Culbertson,  Blair  &  Co.. 
Burt,  Hutchinson  &  Co., 
Reid  &  Sherwin 


667,604 

1, 244,-510 

1,141,765 

1,079,700 

449,403 


787,604 
2,960,762 

964,671 
l,inn.530 

576,577 


2,721,570|4,277,16n 

750,1.1111     750,000 

1,250,397  1,334,871 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


Meeker,  A.  B 

Ford,  B.  M.  &  Co 

Schwab,  McQuade  &  Smith. 
Fuller,  Finch  &  Fuller 


396,046 
1,955,549 


HISCELLANSOUS — Con. 


Live  Block. 


Firma. 


1,118,629 
517.120 1 
516,445 

1,790,749  i 


Allen  &  Markey , 

Wrisley  A  BroN , 

Smith  '&  Dwyor,  (C  monthi) 

Dake,  J.  JI 

Mitchell.  J.J 

Brown,  W.  F 

Dawson  &  Miller 

Hill,  D.  &  Sou 

Jackson,  S.  D 

Norton,  Tuttle  &.  Co 

Nichols,  Thomas 

Peck,  C.  J ', 

Rogers.  II.  AV.  &  Hro 

Stiles,  Goldy  &  McMahon 

St  John.A  II 

Tliompsop,  E.isha 

Uiuaiiy,  Matthews  &  Co 

Whitak.r,  Harmon  &  Co 

Laflin,  Butler  &  Co 

Uri^rgs,  S.  C.  &  Co 

Lord  i  Smith 

Burnhams  &  Van  Schaack 

.Meats,  Bates  &  Co 

Western  News  Company 

W.B.Kenn  &  Co, 

Brown,  Thomas  Jr 

Matson,  N.  &  Co 

Farr,  James  J 

Beck  &  Wirth 

Holli-ter  &  Phelps 

Holt  &  Balcom 

Fairbanks.  Greenleaf  &  Co , 

McDonald,  J.  D.  K , 

Grant.  Buck  &  Co 

Reed,  J.  H.  &  Co.  (7  months) , 

M'^-se,  Loomis  &  Co , 

Law,  Robert  (Agt.  for  9  months). 

Webster  &  Gage 

Union  Stock  Yards  &  Transit  Co. 

Ryerson,  Otto  *  Co 

Tolman,  Crosby  &  Co 

Wesiecker  &  Co  (4  months) 

Dogget.Bassett  &  Hills 


1866. 
1.042,886 


;;or>,4«8 

202,V.:6 


476,299 


827,781 
888,059 


171,000 


l,;'88.3i>0 
723,290 
4b6,y5" 


70ii.r3; 
926.524 
665,114 
448,334 


278,759 


386,105 
685..')77 
30fi,6S!t 
328,424 


311,874 


44.5,913 


21 4,1  W 
393,229 
990,781 


1867. 

1,319  277 
720,199 

9U.S,9(lO 
•.i'..2o.-,l 
K((i..i;tl 

6ili!,W(H 

."■119,^X3 

0  .1 .370 

73!»,972 

tti7.9'>2 

643.279 

5:*U.:!90 
l.rnS.O'O 

53.S.S78 

845.952 

512.500 
1,49-,:U.8 

742.632 

5a").«n 

573.202 

51.3.013 

K.'i-l,213 

675.476  Packers. 

.'.95  000 

MH,HH<t 

523,659 

497.137 

47.>*,1(.3 

4711.5(11 

475,208 

460,084 

455,:iOO 

4.50,514 

450,188  jij^pll^ 

f"-*"  ni-ous. 
446,089 

4:^5.100 

42\(m 

426,735 

415,776 

4011.061 

840.1.38 


The  Rejmblican  had  this  editorial : — 

Our  Trade  in  1867. — In  another  part  of  this  issue  we  give  a  list  of  sales  by  onr 
leading  houses  in  the  several  departments  of  trade  for  the  past  year,  presenting 
only  those  amounts  in  excess  of  four  hundred  thousand  dollars.  For  the  sake  of 
comparison  we  give  corresponding  statements  for  the  previous  year.  We  readily 
accept  each  and  both  lists  as  inaccurate  and  incomplete.  The  necessity  of  the  cre- 
ation of  such  a  list  is  one  of  the  least  popular  features  of  our  internal  revenue  sys- 
tem. Solid  merchants  are  not  fond  of  exhibits  of  their  business,  and  are  not  inclined 
to  favor  their  publication  by  the  press.  But  as  the  list  is  created  and  a  part  of  the 
current  news,  it  has  in  Chicago  a  present  value  which  even  its  inaccuracies  cannot 
defeat.  It  must  stand  confessed  that  the  errors,  corrected,  would  very  largely  swell 
the  list  in  individual  and  aggregate  statements.  It  would  add  very  many  names  not 
given  at  all.  But  in  the  list  as  it  exists  we  see  very  much  that  is  suggestive  of  the 
growth  of  our  commerce,  and  its  distinctive  features  during  the  past  year  of  depres- 
sion and  financial  disturbance.  There  has  been  in  that  period  an  immense  accession 
to  the  trade  and  business  of  Chicago.  Our  field  as  a  wholesale  center  has  widened 
and  our  merchants  in  a  better  and  more  thorough  manner  have  filled  it.  it  is 
discouracring,  indeed,  to  have  handled  these  immense  stocks  of  goods  in  the  past 
year  with  so  little  profit  or  perhaps  a  heavy  loss.  The  market  has  tended  steadily 
downward,  and  houses  of  great  prosperity  and  solidity  in  former  years  have  seen 
their  business  largely  increased  without  other  compensation  realized  than  hat  they 
have  held  and  widened  their  field.     And  this  is  the  morale  of  the  exhibit,  given 


C^i,  Rep. 

Remarks 
upon  trade 
list. 


Imperfect. 


Still   valu- 
able. 


Rusiness   in- 
creaai*. 


Prenent 
trade  hard  . 


150  Commerce  of  Chicago  Compared  with  St.  Louis. 

lucrease        elsewhere  in  the  list  referred  to  of  the  extension  and  development  of  the  business 
natural.         ^f  ^^j.  city      In  this    there  is  nothing  spasmodic,  but  steadily  cumulative.     This 
increase  of  trade  has  sought  us  on  natural  and  irresistible  grounds,  which  will  con- 
tinue to  help  its  accession,  reserving  its  harvest  of  advantage  for  the  general  revi- 
Puy  by  ana    ^^^  ^^  mercantile  prosperity  when  values  are  once  more  settled.     As  surely  as  the 
latter  period  is  to  arrive,  so  surely  is  the  advantage  to  follow.     Chicago  has  put 
forward,  year  by  year,  more  prominently  its  claims  as  a  center  of  trade  second  only 
CUi.a  centre  ^^  ^^^  other  in  the  country,  and  this  it  will  become,  helped  by  causes  to  which  each 

season  is  lending  increased  force. 
Map  shows        The  study  of  the  map,  with  its   features  of  climate   and  natural  resources,  its 
it.  routes  by  water  and  rail,  gives  the  best  of  all  keys  to  our  destined  prominence  as  a 

trade  center.     This  is  to   be  the  market  of  the  great  staples  of  the  Northwest,  and 
for  the  supply  of  the  Northwest.     More  than  this,  we  are  soon  to  be  one  of  the 
Trade  of        principal  stations  on  the  world's  greatest  route  of  intercontinental  commerce.     In 
Orient.  less  than  five  years  the  trade  of  the  East  Indies  will  Meek  this  route  to  the  markets 

of  both  hemispheres,  and  this  current  once  established,  as  old,  in  its  first  concep- 
tion, as  the  dreamings  of  Columbus,  we  shall  see  iu  our  mercantile  community  the 
best  and  strongest  representatives  of  the  branches  of  trade  thereon   dependent. 
No  chimera  This  is  no  chimera.     It  is  being  soberly  discussed  and  accepted  in  older  cities  by 
veterans  in  commerce  who,  not  long  ago,  were  gravely  deprecatory  of  undue  ambi- 
Old  houses     ^^""^  ^'^  °^^  joung  city.     If  there  is  one  thing  more  marked  than  another  in  the  gen- 
coming,         eral  aspects  of  the  trade  of  the  country,  it  is  this  growing  conviction,  and  its  early 
promised  fruits  in  the  tendency  of  old  houses  on  the  seaboard,  and  in  cities  once  our 
rivals,  to  make  their  branch  or  principal  establishments  here.     It  is  a  fixed  fact 
that  notable  pioneers  of  this  class  are  to  occupy  some  of  our  business  palaces  now 
in  process  of  erection  or  projected.     We  are  at  no  distant  day  to  find  our  miles  of 
QoQjnjgyggtQ  lumber  yards,  our  immense  grain  warehouses- and  live  stock  and  provision  enter- 
increase,        prises,  only  a  portion  of  the  framework  of  our  mercantile  undertakings,  which  will 
include  silks  and  teas  and  their  kindred  merchandise  in  the  hands  of  original  im- 
porters, giving  us  a  market  unsurpassed  iu  breadth  and  variety,    with   marvelous 
facilities  for  its  handling  and  delivery  to  all  parts  of  the  country.     If  any  doubt 
this,  let  them  file  away  this  forecast  of  our  future,  which  will  not  grow  old  among 
their  memoranda,  until  it  is  fulfilled  to  the  letter. 

Unfortunately  I  have  no  statistics  of  St.  Louis  houses  for  this  last  year. 
Chi.  Th-ibuwThe    Chicago   Tribune  made  the  following  preface  to  its  list  of  1866-67, 
annexing  names  of  houses  in  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis  whose  sales  exceeded 
a  million :  — 

Comparison      .^^f  present  below  a  highly  important  comparative  exhibit  of  the  trade  of  Chicago, 

•f8t.L.        Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis.     The  subjoined  lists   give    the  names  of   all  wholesale 

Cm.  4  Chi.    dealers  in  the  respective  cities  just  mentioned,  whose   sales   for  the  year  May   1, 

1860,   to  May  1,  1867,   amounted  to  one   million  dollars  or    upwards.     They  are 

copied  from  the  Government  revenue  records,   and,  being  certified  on   oath,    the 

contrast  wliich  they  afford — however  surprising  their  comparisons  may  be  to  the 

ast^onished  burghers  of  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis— cannot  be  disputed. 

No  rivals.  Hereafter,  the  preeminence  of  Chicago  as  the  Metropolitan  city  of  the  Northwest 

will  be  a  matter  of  record.     Figures  sometimes  do  lie,  but  the  truth  of  these  must 

be  so  indubitable  that  we  suspect  we  shall  hear  no  more  from  either  of  the  rival 

wood-stations  on  the  Ohio  and   Mississippi,  about  their  aspirations  to  be  reckoned 

as  rivals  of  Chicago. 

Milwaukee        We  omit  from  this  interesting  comparison,  Milwaukee,  because  we   have  not  the 

excepted,      space   for   a  list  of  Chicago  re/ail  merchants,  any  one   of  whose  sales   exceed  the 

returns  of  the  heaviest  wholesale  dealer  in  the  village  up  the  Lake. 
Amt«  com-       The  following  figures  show  that  last  year  in  Chicago   there  were  fi,ftij-7itne  firms 
pared.  who>,e  gales  exceeded  one  viiUion  dollars  ;   in  Cincinnati  fifiee.n  ;   and  in  St.  Louis  sixteen. 


nati,/our;  and  in  St.  Louis,  one 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments. 


151 


Cincinnati   Houses  over   $1,000,000,  18GG-7. 


Cin.  honixa 
over  |1;000,- 
000. 


Glenn,  Wm.  &  Sons $2,700,000 

Grotenkcmper,  H.  &  Co 2,600,000 

Shillito,  Jno    &  Co 2,504.247 

Bishop,  R.  M.  &  Co 2,405,289 

Addy,  Hull  &  Co 1,469,000 

Gibson,  Daniel  &  Co 1,395,000 

Pearce,  Tolle,  HoUon  &  Porter  1,326,855 
Moore,  Robert  A.  &  Co 1,282^889 


Schwab,  Peter  &  Co $1,236,900 

McAlpine,  Polk  &  Ilibard 1,191,835 

Kiueskopf  Bros.  &  Co 1,1(K),500 

SHx,  Louis  &  Co 1,100,100 

Gibson,  Early  &  Co 1,069,332 

Tweed  &  Sibley 1,032,800 

Lowry,  Perrin  &  Co 1,000,517 


St.  Louis  Houses  over  $1,000,000,  1866- 


St.  L.  bonaea 
over  $1,000,- 
000. 


Lamb  &  Quinlan $3,127,223 

Roe.  J.  J.  &  Co 1,841,640 

Jameson,  Cotting  &  Co 1,790,039 

Ames  &  Co 1,700,000 

Barr,  Duncan  &  Co 1,686,378 

Taeger  &  Co 1,676,354 

Weil,  J.  &  Bro 1,384,162 

Whittaker,  Francis  &  Sons 1,383,788 


Homeyer,  H.  A.  &  Co $1,350,000 

Benton,  W.  H.  &  Co 1,272,557 

Bell,  H.  &  Sons 1,243,748 

Dodd,  Brown  &  Co 1,203,000 

Davis,  J.  C.  &  Co 1,200,000 

Merriman,  J 1,180,000 

Green  &  Co 1,103,221 

Underbill  &  Eaton 1,100,846 


The  following  table  from  the  newspapers  is  confirmatory,  showing  the  amount  of  Confirmation 
sales  made  in  six   Western   cities  in  1867.     The  figures   give  the  sales  of  general 
wholesale    dealers,  general  retail   dealers,    wholesale  liquor  dealers,  retail  liquor 
dealers,  auctioneers,  and  commercial  brokers  : 

. Trade  6  \T. 


$250,607,830 

88,830,968 

17,564,980 

30,462,920 

2,154,930 

2,551,100 

$342,172,708 


PITTSBURGH. 


$35,859,330 

20,307,640 

2,113,420 

7,404,645 

658,240 

14,066,320 


$114,999,100 

84,286,706 

29,015,750 

24,989,662 

6,273,320 

8,470,420 


$80,409,595   $213,034,958 


^32,145,490 

12,371,814 

2,995,585 

14,308,290 

237,210 

698,820 


$62,757,209 


$52,275,800 

10,313,010 

6,170,865 

13,035,820 

408,540 

96,980 


CLEVELAND. 


$24,032,630  J'holfsa'e, 
12  415  972?,:;'^,'    , 

2,708;33o  ivsr"** 

13,344,780  Retail  do. 
377  010  Auctioiiopm. 
2,264^160  Com.  Broker 


$81,301,015,  $55,142,882 


St.  Louis  kept  tlie  lead  for  several  years  iu  jobbing,  after  losing  largely  in 
grain  trade,  as  they  admit.  No  doubt  the  war  aided,  as  predicted  in  1861, 
(p.  19,)  to  expedite  changes,  which  were  inevitable.  Still,  the  immense 
increase  is  a  marvel  to  ourselves.  The  report  of  the  Board  of  Trade  iu 
1860,  said  :— 

We  present  the  following  valuation  of  property  which  has  arrived  at  and  departed 
from  our  city,  with  a  great  deal  of  reluctance.  It  has  been  compiled  at  the 
request  of  many  of  our  business  men  interested  in  such  statistics.  The  best  judges 
in  such  matters  pronounce  our  estimates  low.  .  .         f   t    t 

The  table  has  been  prepared  with  great  care,  under  the  supervision  ot  J.J. 
Richards,  Esq.  In  valuing  the  articles  enumerated,  the  receipts  and  shipments  for 
each  month  are  valued  at  the  average  prices  during  the  month  ;— this  has  been  a 
work  requiring  much  labor,  but  insures  its  correctness.  tt   •.    i    c  . 

The  value  of  our  Imports  and  Exports  in  1858,  as  reported  to  the  United  States 
Government,  by  Col.  Graham,  was  $174,896,011,70.  We  see  no  reason  why  the 
figures  presented  herewith  should  fall  short  of  that  year,  unless  Mr.   Richards 


Relative 
cbaDgeS. 


Trade  Btatls- 
tico  1860. 


Fair  estfanato 


FlgTirea 
siuall. 


■^-2  Commerce  of  Cldcago  compared  loith  St.  Louis. 

Lowvalua-    places  a  lower  valuation  on  property   where  the  value  cannot  be  correctly  ascer- 
tion-  tained   than  was  fixed  by  Col  Graham;  our  commerce  in  the  products  of  the  soil 

as  well  as  in  most  other  articles  of  trade  in  1860  having  greatly  exceeded  that  of 

1858. 

Value  of        Valuation  of  Property  Received  and  Forwarded  by  Lake,  Canal  and  Railroads,  in  1860. 


commerce 
1860. 


Description  of  Property.       Imports.  Exports.       DescriptionofProperty.      Imports.  Exports. 


Imports  and  Flour.. 


exports. 


Wheat 

Com 

Oats 

Rye - 

Barley 

Live  Stock.. 
Provisions... 

Hides 

Lard 

Tallow 

Grass  Seed.. 
Lumber 


$.3.2S6, 
12  579, 

7,215, 
52.5, 
184, 
841, 

9,349. 

1,051, 

1,235. 
530. 

1^, 

424. 

4,166, 


,646.14 
,249.48 
,278.96 
547.78 
291.10 
,022.14 
,9i6.10 
,780.92 
,730.98 
,759.02 
,153.30 
,264.44 
,340.01 


Forward $40,901,990.37  $:i6,679,618.65 


S3,3S5, 

11,048, 

6,781, 

295, 

94, 

153, 

5681, 

2,349, 

1,634, 

1,144. 

284, 

363. 

3,462. 


,940.20 
,611.53 
,555.74 
161.92 

606.28 
,342.37 

,207.87 
,2  .'8.88 
,986.54 
,171.93 
,483.00 
,3S3.7S 
,988.61 


Brought  forward.. . . 

Salt , 

High  Wines 

Fish 

Wool 

Coal 

Wood 

Pig   Lead. 

Butter 

Broom   Corn 

Mill  Stuffs,  Meal,  &c.. 

VegetalilfeS 

Other  t'roperty 


Total $97,067,616 


),901,990.37 
482,814.59 
698,807.50 
154,366  .'.0 
300,736.80 
786,480.O(J 
373,819.00 
658,9 15.60 
188,943.89 
161,511.04 
40.140.OS 
64,450.74 

2,274,640.78 


$36,675,618.65 
327,320.10 
733,758.75 
22,029.75 
293,732.15 
122,184.00 

"563,523.96 

208,300.67 

186,315.52 

36,501.02 

25,966.53 

33,574,716.14 


$72,713,957.24 


Total  value  of  Imports .$97,067,616..S9 

Total  value  of  Exports 72,713,9.d7.'»4 

Aggregate  value  of  Imports  and  Exports $169,781,574.13 


Remarks, 
1861. 

Jobbing 
trade. 


Keeps  pace 
with  produce 


Advantages 
of  Chi.  over 
N.  Y. 


My  paper  of  1861,  liad  these  observations,  now  still  more  applicable  : — 

The  Jobbing  Trade. — The  same  report  gives  amounts  as  follows :  dry  goods, 
$15,000,000;  groceries,  including  sugar  refinery,  $8,200,000;  iron  and  hardware, 
$3,650,000;  and  boots,  shoes,  clothing,  etc.,  (estimated)  $5,000,000.  Total,  thirty- 
one  millions,  eiglit  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  The  Report  says,  "Our 
advantages  as  a  commercial  city  are  equal  if  not  superior  to  any  inland  city  on  the 
continent." 

It  is  a  gratifying  fact  that  our  jobbing  trade  is  almost  four-fifths  the  amount  of 
all  our  produce  exports,  which  are  about  forty  millions  of  the  above  list,  showing 
that  the  trade  of  the  country  follows  the  channels  of  produce  and  centers  here, 
instead  of  going  chiefly  to  New  York,  as  is  generally  supposed.  It  should  do  so, 
for  each  of  these  thousands  of  merchants,  scattered  all  over  the  West,  can  step 
into  a  car  at  night  and  be  here  in  the  morning,  and  replenish  his  stock,  and  be 
home  again  the  next  morning.  These  frequent  supplies  of  fresh  goods  are  always 
desirable,  and  economical  of  interest.  Then,  too,  the  saving  in  expensive  trips  to 
New  York  is  an  item  ;  and  the  Chicago  jobber  saves  something  in  rent  and  other 
expenses  over  the  New  Yorker  ;  and  shipping  in  large  quantities,  can  often  save  a 
trifle  in  transportation  and  insurance.  Also,  manufacturers  in  the  East  are  fast 
learning  their  interests.  For  western  supplies,  it  is  a  useless  expense  to  pay  trans- 
portation to  a  sfca-board  city,  and  commission  there,  which  could  all  be  saved  and 
more  by  shipping  directly  hither.  Besides,  a  Chicago  house,  that  by  railways  and 
telegraph  is  in  constant  communication  with  every  town,  can  know  the  condition 
of  its  customers — watch  "lame  ducks"  and  guard  against  losses — far  better  than 
any  New  York  concern,  however  sharp. 

now  smair*      ^^'^8®  ^^  ^'^   deemed  these  figures  only  eight  years   ago,  they  are  small 
now.     That  Chicago  should  so  soon  have  become  the  fifth  city  in  gross  com- 
merce, abundantly  substantiates  the  above  reasons  ;  though  I  have  to  confess 
to  having  followed  the  common  notion,  that  other  trade  follows  the  channels 
«i'',Tio.bir  ^^  produce.      Ilaviug   been  presented    mainly  as  against  New  York,    the 
aK.in«  St.    positions  are  far  more  easily  sustained  as  against  St.  Louis.     Ten  years  ago, 


Fast,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments. 


153 


when  competition  really  began,  she  had  the  whole  trade  along  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  west  of  the  Illinois  river,  and  of  Central  and  Southern  Illinois. 
Against  her  established  trade  and  large  capital,  the  work  of  the  last  decade 
■has  been  very  severe  compared  with  what  it  is  to  be  henceforth.  True  it  is, 
as  before  remarked,  that  the  war  came  to  our  aid,  shaking  off  the  hold  of 
both  St.  Louis  and  Cincinnati.  But  time  enough  has  elapsed  to  show  that 
neither  can  regain  its  hold. 

Having  already  completely  distanced   both  these  old  colts,  we  shall  lead  a  raco  ai.emi 
them  a  race  upon  a  track  of  business  trying  both  wind  and  pocket.     St.  Louis, 
to  her  own  shame,  boasts  of  superiority  in  the  latter ;  and  would  feign  believe  gj  j,  ,,on8u 
that  our  strength   lies  mainly  in  the  former,  in   "blowing"   up  our  trade "' ^''''''''''■ 
statistics.     Let  her  hug  delusion  to  her  heart's   content.     It  is   her   sole 
reliance.     Time,   however,  will  soon  be   called  for  the  winner   by   a   long 
misjudging  public  :  and  another  decade  will  cause  St.  Louis  herself  to  acknowl-  J^-^""*  S'^" 

*^  '^  _  kuowu. 

edge  her  secondary  position.     Having  considered  trade  in  general,  let  us  look 
at  some  of  the  details. 

The  Grain  Trade. — The  ninth   Eeport  of  the   Board   of  Trade,  for  the  Grain  trade, 
year  ending  30th  March,  18C7,  gives  the — 

Shipments  of  Flour  {reduced  to  Wheat)  and  Grain  from  Chicago,  for  the  past  Twenti/- chi.  ehip- 

nine  Tears.  ism'"  *'°*^* 


Year. 


1838 

1839 

1840 

1841 

1842 

1843 

1844 

1845 

1846 

1847 

1848 

1849 

1850 

1851 

1852 

1863 

1854 

1855 

1856 

1857 

1858 

1859 

1860 

1861 

1862 

1863 

1864-5 

1865-6 

1866-7 


Fl'r.  &  Wh't. 
Bushels. 


78 

3.678 

10.000 

40,000 

586,907 

688,907 

923,494 

1,024,620 

1.59r',919 

2,136.994 

2,286,(1(10 

2,192,809 

1,3S7,9S9 

799,380 

941,470 

1 ,080,998 

2,744,800 

7,110,270 

9,419,365 

10,783,292 

10,909,243 

10,759,359 

15,892,S57 

23,855,553 

22,50<*,143 

18,298,536 

10,687,055 

15,718,348 

21,330,484 


Corn, 
Bushels. 


Oats. 
Bushels. 


Rye. 
Bushels 


67,135 

38,892 

566-160 

65.280 

044,848 

26,849 

252,013 

186,054 

3.221,317 

605,827 

2,757,011 

2.030,317 

2,780,253 

1,748.493 

6,f'37,s99 

3,239,987 

7,5.47,678 

1,888,533 

11,129,(158 

1,014,547 

6,814,615 

316,778 

7,493,212 

1,498,1.34 

4  217,654 

1,174,177 

13,700,113 

1,091,607 

24,372,725 

1,633,237 

29,452,610 

3,112,366 

24,906,930 

9,9o:!,175 

12,740.543 

16,470,929 

25,228,526 

10,598.(61 

32,953,530 

9,664,223 

31 ,453 

22,872 

19,997 

127,028 

120,'J75 

14S,421 

92,023 

19,051 

17,993 

127.(108 

134,404 

1  ,^,6  642 

39SS13 

871.796 

683.946 

89S,.'i36 

1,022.200 

1,489,895 


Rarley. 
Bushels. 


17,315 
82,162 
41,lf3 
20,132 
590 


7,669 
486.218 
267,449 
226,534 
.532.195 
943,252 
c.27.4ol 
645,0-9 
1,398,528 


Total. 
Bushels. 


8,678 

10  000 

40,000 

5S(i.907 

68s,9(i7 

92:1,494 

l,O24,ii20 

1,599,619 

2,243.201 

l,,(Hll,740 

2.769,111 

1,830,938 

4,«46.291 

6,873,141 

6,112.181 

12,932.320 

16,i33.7'l0 

21  583.221 

18,(  32,678 

20,085,166 

16,771,812 

31,108.7.59 

50,-l81,S62 

56,484,110 

54,741,839 

47,124,494 

63.212,224 

66,736,660 


Some  flour  and  <rrain  comes  from  the  east  to  go  directly  back.      The  main  supriies 

,  ,  1  •    1        -n  •  11  4.  '■'""ni  South 

currents,  however,  are  from  the  south  and  west,  which  will  rapidly  augment  a„dwe«t. 
as  new  acres  along  present  lines  are  brought  under  the  plough,  and  as  the 
power  of  the  chief  grain  market  of  the  world   shall  be  applied  to  distant 
regions,  and  facilities  of  access  be  increased.     Compare  these  with  the  iul- 


154 


Commerce  of  Chicago   Compared  with  St.  Louis. 


St.  L.  trade  lowiu'',  taken  from  the  "  Annual  Statement  of  the  Trade  and  Commerce  of 
reports.        ^^  Louis,  for  the  year  1867,  reported  to  the  Union  3Ierchant's  Exchange,  hy 

Geo  H.  Morgan,  Secretary,"  to  whose  politeness  I  am  indebted  for  copies  of 

that  and  the  previous  year : — 
j^^g.  Receipts  of  Flour  and  Grain  at  St.  Louis  for  Twelve  Years. 

Flour  and 
Gnkia  12  jts. 


Tear. 

Flour,  bbls. 

Wheat,  bu. 

Corn,  bu. 

Oats,  bu. 

Rye,  bu. 

Barley,  bu. 

Total.* 

1867.. 

944,075 

3,571,593 

5,155,480 

3,445,388 

250,704 

705,215 

17,848,755 

1866.. 

1,208,726 

4,410,305 

7,233,671 

3,567,000 

375,417 

548,796 

22,178,819 

1865.. 

1,161.038 

3,452,722 

3,162,313 

4,173,229 

217,568 

846,229 

17,657,251 

1864.. 

815,144 

3,315,828 

2,369,500 

4,105,040 

140,533 

326,860 

14,331,481 

1868.. 

689,242 

2,621,020 

1,361,310 

3,845,876 

205,918 

182,270 

11,662,404 

1862.. 

047,419 

3,550,336 

1,734,219 

3,135,043 

253,552 

290,925 

12,201,170 

1861.. 

484,000 

2,654,738 

4,515.040 

1,735,157 

117,080 

201,484 

11,643,499 

I860.. 

443,196 

3,555,871 

4,249,782 

1,832,634 

159,974 

339,974 

12,354,215 

1859.. 

484,715 

3,568,732 

1,639,579 

1,267,624 

123,058 

242,262 

9,264,830 

1858.. 

687;451 

3,835,759 

892,104 

1.690,010 

45,900 

291,660 

10,162,688 

1857.. 

573,664 

3,281,410 

2,485,786 

1,624,058 

30,442 

176,062 

6,466,078 

1856.. 

323,446 

3,747,224 

938,546 

1,029,908 

7,333,908 

Years  not 
correspond- 
ing. 


Ciii.  items, 
1867. 


Is  trade  from 
same  region  ? 


Boutcs  and 
receipti  at 
Chi.  1866  'C7. 


*This  is  an  addition  of  my  own  to  compare  above  aggregates,  the  flour  being  multiplied  by  five.     The 
Chicago  table,  it  will  be  noticed,  is  only  of  shipments,  and  St.  Louis  of  total  receijjts. 

The  Chicago  Board  of  Trade  Reports,  being  now  made  up  from  1st 
April,  1866,  to  March  31st,  1867,  the  last  three  years  do  not  exactly  com- 
pare as  to  time.  The  Chicago  Republican,  in  its  annual  statement,  January 
1st,  gave  for  1867,  of  flour  received,  1,814,286,  bbls. ;  shipped,  1,859,985 
bbls.  Of  wheat  received,  13,090,868  bushels;  shipped,  10,360,458 
bushels.  Of  corn,  23,018,827  bushels ;  shipped,  20,213,790  bushels.  Of 
oats,  10,988,617  bushels  ;  shipped,  9,732,146  bushels. 

The  respective  amounts  speak  for  themselves.  With  such  disparity,  it 
might  be  imagined,  notwithstanding  all  we  have  seen  about  St.  Louis' 
cfi"orts  to  obtain  the  trade  of  the  Northwest,  that  Chicago  had  a  more 
highly  productive  region  tributary  than  St.  Louis.  But  comparing  routes 
and  supplies  to  both  cities,  exhibits  the  same  sources  in  the  main. 
Routes  and  Receipts  of  Flour  and  Grain  at  Chicago,  1866-7. 


By 

Flour, 
Barrels. 

Wheat, 
Bushels. 

Corn, 
Bushels. 

Oats, 
Bushels. 

Rye, 

BushL-ls, 

Barley, 
Eu^hels. 

L:ike 

47,752 

45,317 

179,316 

80,173 

1,386,913 

173,473 

51,379 

82,4S4 

2,676 

6«4 

15,l.'i6 

«,737 

236,832 

83,834 

1,420,1(13 

892,260 

8,078,061 

1,190  004 

131,347 

2-10,162 

1.396 

568 

10,873 

735 

2,210 

9,575,569 

4,279,190 

5,929,080 

8,042,561 

8,324,281 

2,572,520 

346 

170,740 

28,448 

4,434 

259 

4,041 

l,417,-)36 

982,761 

2,375,520 

3,792,178 

1,714,.687 

257,275 

5,011 

99,002 

44,606 

20,5i8 

916 

412 
67,423 
813,0.i9 
171,611) 
591,210 
508,524 
30,190 

5,.546 
24,691 

484,927 
366,500 
586,824 
300,810 
45,870 
25 

III.  and  Mich.  Canal.... 

C.  R.  Land  P.  K.  R 

I.  C.  R.  R. 

C.  and  N.  W.  R.  R 

C.  B.  and  Q.  R.  R 

('..  and  A.  R.  K 

C.  and  Mil.  R.  R 

C.  and  (It.  K.  R.  R 

P.,  Ft.  W.  and  C.  R.  R.. 
M.C.  R.  R 

578 
384 

585 

1,125 

600 

M.  S.  R.  R 

9,081 

TcHni8,(eBtin)ated) 

2,022,060 

12,286,287 
15,000 

33,929,632 
50,000 

10,713,981 
120,000 

1,683,925 

20,000 

1,834,418 
45,000 

Flour  nianutactured  in 
Chica);o 

452,528 
23,616 

In  hl.iru  Mar.  31,   1866. 

1,075,602 

499,754 

984,897 

112,827 

■269,624 

Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments. 
Routes  and  Receipts  of  Flour  and  Grain  at  St.  Louts  for  1867, 


155 


St  L.  ^hId 
roiitoH  uuiJ 


From 

Floiir,  bbls. 

Wheat,  bu 

Corn,  bu. 

Oats,  bo. 

Rye,  bu. 

roci' 
Barley,  bu. 

Upper  Miss.  River 

Lower  Miss.  River 

Illinois  River 

119,106 

71,849 

83,074 

3,366 

95 

169 

694 

183,848 

85,604 

228,094 

19,419 

22,807 

1,184 

124,771 

1,194,563 
120.149 
439.049 
462,616 

909,620 

14,290 

1,510,118 

329,697 

1,584,844 

5,820 

819,799 

109,536 

122,987 

81 

54,750 

11,052 

322,317 

11,319 

107,529 

8,722 

546 

Missouri  River 

Ark.  and  White  Rivers.. 

Cumb.  and  Tenn.  Rivers. 

Ohio  River 

1,154 

51,547 
228,891 
252,563 
322,163 
134,614 
9,464 
355,320 

3,571,593 

162 

545,582 
840,021 
683,788 
166,865 

62,657 
30 

92,650 

5,155,480 

506 

Ohio  &  Miss.  R.  R 

193,652 
253,851 
248,590 

89,400 

127,332 

2,564 

10,000 

3,445,388 

6,117 
17,488 
19,401 

5,963 

6,262 
103 

7,500 

250,704 

57.664 
35,005 
86,490 
57  117 

Chicago,  A.  St.  L.  R.  R.. 
St.  L.  A.  &  T.  H.  R.  R.. 
Pacific  R.  R 

North  Missouri  R.  R 

Iron  Mountain  R.  R 

Wagons 

6,937 

1,033 

10,000 

Total  Receipts 

944,075 

765,298 

53,687 

705  215 

Flour  Manufactured 

In  store  Jan.  1,  1867 

285,809 

40,000 

20,000 
3,465,388 

52,000 

250,704 

1,763,060 

3,857,402 

5,195,480 

757,215 

The  doubling  up  of  transportation  to  and   from  an  important  commercial  Trade  scoks 
centre,  is  worthy  of  notice.     Parties  who  wish   to  purchase  go  thither,  and  djBtributior. 
take  back  What  sellers  have  just  sent  over  the  same  road.     More  and  more 
will  this  be  the  case,  though  largely  so  already,  as  will  be  observed  by  com- 
paring  the  following  with  receipts  on   opposite   page.      Amount  of  lake 
shipments,  and  variety  of  ports,  will  be  observed. 

Routes  and  Shipments  of  Flour  a?id  Grain  from  Chicago,  186G-7. 


By 

Flour, 
Barrels. 

Wheat, 
Bushels. 

Corn, 
Bushels. 

Oats, 
Bushels. 

Rye, 
Busiiels. 

Barley, 
Bushels. 

Lake— 

To  Buffalo 

274,013 

300 

45,.'^80 

139,029 

2,611 

17,335 

50 

3,297,671 

l,i72,3  0 

300,375 

433,600 

82,650 

5,000 

400,900 

2,461,000 

1,406,045 
49o,150 
705,110 

1,602,000 
179,9-5 

1,818,715 
124,800 
203,550 
93,600 
4,400 
125,555 

6,725,545 

894,S04 

917.840 

145,950 
630 
389.618 
21,750 
1,200 
110,170 

32,200 

100 
83,250 
32,0(X1 

To  other  Am'n.  Ports 
To  Ki'n.  and  Mon'l... 

20,000 

To  CoUiorne 

52.875 
1,600 

18,200 

ToGoderieh 

To  other  Cii'n.  Ports. 

To  Hergeii.  Norway... 
Bv  111.  &  Mich.  Canal.. 
By  C  ,  K.  I.  ct  P.  R.  .R.. 
Bv  I.  C  R  R 

2,548 
25 

450 
35,000 

250 

15,500 

218 

27,554 

70.005 

2.562 

2,162 

27,718 

301 

338,4.54 

535,303 

262,072 

419,947 

235,758 

99,182 

8,586 

60 

192,960 

228,567 

171,099 

62,422 

17,279 

l,o:;i  218 

1,390,734 

604.702 

578,9t>4 

350 

110,976 

6,006 

70,606  !           15,900 

67,21  K) 

By  C.  k  N.  W.  R.  R 

By  C,  U.  Si  Q.  R.  R 

By  C   &  A   R  R 

56,893 

10,815 
2,504 

iy.><12 
21,J50 

31,385 
86 
353,959 
692,490 
182,727 
6>2,588 

11,175 

Bv  C  &   M   R   K 

26 

16,190 

180,-312 

434,828 

820.532 

1,020 

By  C.  &Gt.  E.  R.R 

By  P ,  Ft.  W.  &  C.  R.  R 

By  M.  C.  R.  R 

By  M.  S.  R.  R 

130,790 
127,i'15 
124,947 

4.  ,soy 

1.5(1,1  "94 
4\S70 
02.N72 
30,735 

Flour  in  City  Mills 

City  Consumptii.n   and 

unacouunteil  fur 

Used  by  Distillers  and 

2,179,785 

10  341,549 
2,262,040 

295(104 

32,953,530 

9,564,223 

1,489,895 

1,398.628 

237,724 

1,524,473 

703,068 
822,788 

215,575 
11I.2>2 

601,242 

In  store  March  31,  1867. 

6J,693 

477,596 

730,182 

149,:72 

Total 

2,498,204 

13,376,889 

34,479,886 

11,818,878 

1,816,752 

2,149,042 

Routes  and 
sliipnunts  of 
praiii  fmm 
Chi.  1866-7. 


156 


Commerce  of  Chicago   Compared  with  St.  Louis. 


The  following  table  enables  the  reader  to  see  and  judge  for  himself  of  the  extent 
of  St.  Louis  trade ;  and  we  only  regret  that  our  statistics  are  not  kept,  so  as  to 
furnish  a  parallel  :  — 

Receipts  of  Leading  Articles  at  St.  Louis  for  Twelve  Years. 


S?5  I 

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73   "C  *;  s  JS 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chirmjo  TuveMmnits.  157 

Steam  F levators.— Such  amounts  of  grain   could  never  be  handled   in  *"•*">  Kier». 
reasonable  time  for  western  operators,  excei)t  by  steam  machinery.     It  scema'""' 
like  magic  to  compare  present  facilities  with  Mr.  Dole's  horse-power  elevator 
which,  with  Messrs.  Peck's,  Wheeler's,  AValkor's  and  ..ihcrs,  supj-lied  requi- 
site facilities,  till  that  ingenious  spirit,  Capt.  R.  C.  liristol,  erectc-d  in   iH-iH  Kir,t  i.,im.. 
the  first  steam  elevator.     Mr.  Wheeler  says  that  down  to  Jan.  lat,  1855,  the 
whole  storage  room  was  not  over  750,000  bu.shels.     So  that  the  total  only  i<«m.i  i... 
thirteen  years  ago,  was   but  little    over  the  average  of  one  of  seventeen"'"'"""' 
elevators  now,  and  every  one  before  1855  has  gone  out  of  use. 

Along  the  river,  and  south  branch,  and  lake  basin,  these  huge,  sombre  m.kI.,  of 
piles  of  2x6  and  2x12  joisting,  laid  flat,  rise  high  above  surrounding  struc- '"""""" 
tures.     Their  sides  studded  with  iron  plates,  which  arc  heads  of  large  rods 
to  hold  against  lateral  pressure,  bespeak  the  heavy  stores  they  safely  hold. 
Thinking  an  account  of  the  modus  operandi  would  be  interesting,  I  went  for 
information  to  the  elevator  last  built  by  Messrs.  Armour,  Dole  &  Co.,  which  n'l" Tcc'e. 
was  certain  to   have  all  improvements.     An  old  settler,  Mr.  IJaker,  was  in  "'"  '"'• 
charge,  who  began  to  build  in  1854  the  elevator  of  Messrs.  Gibbs  &  Griffin, 
on  a  lot  leased  by  me  to  them.     After  politely  showing  me  through  and 
explaining  the  operation,  I  asked  him  for  the  further  favor  of  writing  out  lu  op«niUon 
what  he  had  spoken,  and  here  you  have  it : — 

Chicago  has  superior  advantages  in   handling  and  storing  grain,  not  only  on  AdvanUitei 
account  of  steam  elevators,  but  in  absence  of  current,  and  the  even  stage  of  water,  ofulie. 
These  are  serious  inconveniences  on  the  Mississippi,  and  other  large  western  rivers. 
Then  the  wide  prairie  affords  ample  yard-room  for  cars,  which  the  railroads  and 
proprietors  of  elevators  have  wisely  provided. 

Few  persons,  however,  even  of  the  old  settlers  in  Chicago,  have  correct  ideas  of  Sp<'<''1  "f 
the  ease  and  speed  with  which  grain  is  handled.    This  is  the  modus  operatidi  of  Messrs.  ""'  '"'*' 
Armour,  Dole  &  Go's  new  elevator  on  the  South  Branch,  running  from  the  C.  B.  & 
Q.  Railroad. 

The  building  is  312  feet  long,  84  feet  wide,  and  130  feet  high,  machinery  driven  Bnlldinnnnd 
by  a  400  horse-power  engine.     It  is  divided  into  150  bins,  G5  feet  deep,  with  storage  luttcliiurry. 
capacity  of  1,250,000  bushels.     The  yard  will  hold  300  or  400  cars.     Two  switch 
engines,  when  in  full  operation,  are  required  to  put  in  and  take  out  cars.     Two  j^  cars  nn- 
tracks  receive  each  ten  cars,  unloaded  at  once  in  G  to  8  minutes,  each  car  having  its  limiU-Jin  8 
elevator,  conveying  the  grain  to  its  large  hopper-scale  in  the  top  of  the  building.  minut««; 
There  weighed,  it  is  spouted  to  the  bin  appropriated  to  that  kind  and  quality.     To 
carry  grain  to    the   several   bins  renders    the  elevation    necessary.     Allowing    15  i-M),ooo  buoh 
minutes  to  unload  each  set  of  10  cars,  400  are  unloaded  in  10  hours,  about  140,0(X) '"  ^^  ''<"»"• 
bushels. 

Shipping   facilities  equal   receiving,  there   being   six    elevators   for   that    work,  PlilpplnR 
handling  each  300  bushels  per  hour,  or  180,000  bushels  in  10  hours.     The  grain  is  fi"-ii"i-<- 
run  out  of  the  bins  to  another  set  of  elevators,  which  throw  into  large  hoppers   at 
the  top  of  the  building,  in  which  it  is  weighed,  and  sent  down  in  spouts  into  the 
hold  of  the  vessel.     The  same  Company  have  another  elevator  on  the  opposite  side  ;^no,herKI*- 
of  the  slip— for  a  slip  at  right  angles  to  the  South  Branch  is  cut  to  lay  vessels  v«tor. 
alongside  the  warehouse — and  ten  other  large  elevators  and  5  smaller,  afford  the  j .,,„<,„, u.-^ 
same  facilities.     Any  one  of  13  of  them,  too,  will  unload  a  canal  boat  of  5.000  or 
of  6,000  bushels,  in  an  hour  and  a  half  to  two  hours  ;    an  aggregate  from  05  canal  ^l^'J^**""" 
boats  alone  of  357,000  bushels  in  10  hours. 


158 


List  of  Chi. 
elevators  and 
capacity. 


Commerce  of  Chicago  Comjmred  toith  St.  Louis. 

Names  of  Owners  and   Capacity  of  Chicago  Elevators. 


Warehouses. 


J.  E.  Buckingham  &  Co.,  A 

J.  E.  Buckingham  &  Co.,  R 

Flint,  Thompson  k  Co.,  A 

Flint,  Thompson  &  Co.,  B 

Munu  &  Scott,  City  Elevator 

Munn  &  Scott,  Union  Elevator 

Munn  &  Scott,  North  Western  Elevator 

Munn  &.  Scott,  Munn  &  Scott 

Armour,  Dole*  Co.,  A 

Armour,  Bole  &  Co.,  B 

Hunger  &  Armour (      Consolidafed  into     ' 

Hiram  VV  heeler <  Munger,  Wheeler  C  Co." 

Galena  Elevator y 

W.  H.  Lunt,  Iowa  Elevator 

0.  Lunt  &  Uro 

Finley  &.  Ballard,  Illinois  River  Elevator 

Vincent,  Nelson  &  Co 


Receive  from 


Illinois  Central  Railroad  and  Canal 

Illinois  Central  Railroad  and  Canal 

Chicago  &  Rock  Island  Railroad 

Chicago  &  Bock  Island  Railroad 

Railroads  and  Canal 

Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  and  Canal 

Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  and  Canal 

Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  &  Canal.. 

Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad 

Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad 

Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad  &  Canal 
Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad  &  Canal 
Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad  &  Canal 

Canal 

Canal 

Railroads  and  Canal 

Railroads  and  Canal 


Total  Bushels    10,680,000 


Capacity. 


700.000 

700,000 

750,000 

l,25u,o00 

1.2.50,000 

700,000 

600.000 

200,000 

1,250,000 

850,0(JO 

600,000 

500,000 

600,000 

300,000 

80.000 

200,000 

250,000 


The  St.  Louis  Elevator. — The  day  of  small  things  is  too   recent  with 

ourselves  to  despise  it  in  our  neighbors.     Therefore  the  following  is  quoted 

with  all  due  respect  from  the   Secretary's  Report  to  the  St.  Louis   Union 

Merchant^  Exchange,  for  Dec.  31st,  18G6  : — 

The  receipts  and  exports  of  grain  show  an  increase  over  1865.  The  receipts  of 
grain  (and  flour  reduced  to  wheat)  for  1865,  were  17,657,252  bushels;  for  1866, 
22,279,072  bushels.  Exports  for  1865,  13,427,052  bushels;  for  1866,  18,835,969 
bushels.  These  figures  may  look  small  compared  with  those  of  some  of  our  neigh- 
boring cities,  but  the  fact  that  our  city  is  yet  deficient  in  conveniences  for  handling 
grain  in  bulk,  will  account  for  the  disparagement.  The  St.  Louis  Grain  Elevator 
has  demonstrated  the  fact  that  grain  can  be  handled  in  bulk  advantageously,  and 
with  proper  facilities  for  shipping  to  New  Orleans  and  transferring  at  that  point  in 
bulk,  grain  can  be  delivered  at  the  Eastern  cities  and  foreign  ports  cheaper,  via  the 
Mississippi  River,  than  by  any  other  route.  The  cost  of  transporting  a  bushel  of 
wheat  from  St.  Paul  to  New  York,  via  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans,  with  four  feet  of 
water  on  the  rapids  above  Keokuk,  and  the  proper  facilities  for  transferring  at  the 
two  points  named,  would  be  at  least  twenty  cents  per  bushel  less  than  by  any 
Northern  route,  and,  it  is  believed,  that  with  a  canal  around  the  rapids,  the  cost 
would  be  less.  The  Mississippi  Valley  Transportation  Company  are  prepared  to 
handle  grain  in  bulk,  and  a  transfer  elevator  for  New  Orleans,  built  by  St.  Louis  parties 
is  now  fast  approaching  completion,  and  will  be  rea-dy  by  opening  of  navigation. 
Efforts  are  being  made  to  secure  facilities  for  the  erection  of  elevators  and  ware- 
houses at  East  St.  Louis  that  will  give  our  neighbors  an  opportunity  to  get  their 
products  to  market  without  the  expense  of  sacking  and  handling.  Experience  and 
the  success  of  other  cities  has  clearly  demonstrated  that  in  no  way  can  grain  be 
handled  so  cheaply  as  in  bulk,  and  if  St.  Louis  would  compete  for  the  grain  trade 
of  the  West  and  Northwest,  her  merchants  must  encourage  and  facilitate  in  every 
possible  way,  enterprises  that  look  to  that  end.  The  bag  system  must  still  be 
retained  in  a  measure,  for  the  interior  trade  of  the  States  south  of  us,  where  grain 
is  not,  and  perhaps  cannot  be  handled  in  bulk ;  but  while  we  may  retain  this  very 
important  branch  of  our  Shipping  demand,  wo  can,  at  the  same  time,  look  to  making 
the  Mississippi  the  great  pathway  of  the  products  of  the  Northwest  to  foreign 
markets. 

In  the  same  Report  is  a  paper  in  advocacy  of  St.  Louis'  extravagant  claims 
Prof.  Water- to  preeminence,  from  the  pen  of  "  Professor  S.  Waterhouse,  of  Washington 

nouKe.  TT    •  •       )i  • 

University,    which  has  this  very  expressive  paragraph  : — 
the"  e"!^au,r.     '^^^  ^^'^'^^  °^  improvements  upon  the  business  of  the  city,  may  be  illustrated  by 


St.  L.  Ele- 
vator. 


Tradt  Re- 
port. 


Wheatstatis- 
tics. 


Lackofhand- 
ling  facilities 


Advantages 
of  river 
route. 


N.  O.  Eleva- 
tor built  by 
StL. 


Grain  to  bo 
bandied  in 
bulk. 


Some  toting, 


thau 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.     ■  159 

the  operations  of  our  city  elevator.  The  elevator  cost  $450,000,  and  has  a  capacity 
of  1,250,000  bushels.  It  is  able  to  handle  100,000  bushels  a  day.  It  beean  to 
receive  grain  in  October,  18G5.  Before  the  first  of  January,  IHGG,  its  receipts 
amounted  to  600,000  bushels,  200,000  of  tchich  were  brought  directly  from  Chicayo 
Grain  can  now  be  shipped,  by  way  of  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans,  to  New  York  and 
Europe  ten  cents  a  bushel  cheaper  than  it  can  be  carried  to  the  Atlantic  by  rail. 

An  honest  Professor  would  of  course  tell  the  whole  truth;  hut  a  sharp  ""•"'"ty 
man  of  business  would  hardly  have  deemed  it  dishonest  to  have  put  in  plain  •'"emu-"' 
type  the  statement  that  one  third  of  the  first  receipts  of  "  the  St.  Louis  Ele- 
vator" came  from  Chicago.     That  italicising  is  truly  no  malice  of  mine.     A 
simpleton  might  wonder  why  St.  Louis,  supposed  to  be  so  much  more  power-  -»"  '-^''"'it 
ful   than  Chicago,  and  competing  with  her  in  drawing  grain  from  the  same  i;'Ndt-nce  on 
primary  sources,  has  to  go  to  her  rival  for  one-third  of  her  wheat.     ]3ut  a  '^^' 
learned  Professor  has  sagacity  to  call  attention  to  the  never-failin^-  source  the 
elevator  has  to  rely  upon. 

But  while  the  Professor  would  thus  honor  Chicago,  it  would  seem  from  the  secretary 
Report  that  the  Secretary  is  not  equally  friendly.     He  remarks  under  the  TrZit. 
caption, — 

Wheat. — The  receipts  of  Wheat  at  this  port  notwithstanding  the  light  crop  of  Wlieat  re- 
1866,  which  caused  a  falling  off  in  receipts  at  other  points,  have  increased,  being  *^'''''"'''^*'^ 
4,410,305  bushels,  against  3,452,722  bushels  for  1865,  an  increase  of  nearly  1,00,000 
bushels. 

The  St.  Louis  Grain  Elevator  Company,  having  given  the  facilities  for  handling  Incroase  <lne 
the  grain  in  bulk  has  no  doubt  added   to  our  receipts.     The  bulk  of  the  receipts  ••*  Klevator. 
have  been  takenby  the  millers,  but  there  has  been  an  export  demand  from  Ciricinnaii, 
Paducah,  and  other  points  on  the  Ohio  River,  and   for  nearly  all   the  country  iiiills 
in  the  neighborhood  of  St.  Louis  ;  and  shipments  have  been  made,  by  Illinois  River 
and  rail,  to  Green  and  Jersey  counties,  Illinois  ;  and  considerable  amounts  have  been  st.  Louis 
sent  by  rail  to  Ohio  and  Indiana.     Prices  have  ruled  as  high  and  oftentimes  higher  nmrket  in- 
than  in  other  markets,  and  have  been  governed  entirely  by  the  supply  and  demand.  <l«P<''"l'""'- 
St.  Louis  has  no  combinations  of  railroad  or  other  interest  to  control   her  wheat 
market,  and   shippers  can  forward  their  grain  to  this  port  without  any  fear  of  its 
being  slaughtered  for  the  benefit  of  speculators. 

Exports  for  the  year  were  635,187  bushels,  of  which  277,976  bushels  were  shipped  Exp'rts  1S66 
by  Ohio  river  bo.'.ts,  and  over  210,000  bushels  by  Ohio  and  Mississippi,  and  St.  Louis 
Alton  and  Terre  Haute  Railroads,  to  points  in  Ohio  and  Indiana. 

Stock  on  hand  at  the  close  285,809  bushels,  about  equally  divided  between  fall  ^'"f*'  <"> 
and  spring  wheat,  of  which  96,515  bushels  spring  and  97,890  bushels  fall  were  in  '""  ' 
elevator. 

A  citv  that  has  been  unable  to  obtain  any  considerable  railways  to  form  st  r-  pochows 
even   one   combination,  may  solace  itself  with  the  avoidance   of  danger  by 
their  absence.     But  we  have  become  so  desperate  in  that  chase  around  Mr. 
Hood's  barn,  and  are  so  involved  in  combinations,  that  we  have  less  fear,  as  cm.  dwper- 

'  _  ate. 

to  their  effect  in  slaughtering  poor  victims,  thau  our  quiescent  sister,  who, 
eschewing  railway  combinations,  is  now  looking  to  barge  combinations  as  a 
dernier  resort,  as  we  shall  see.  Nor  are  we  sharp  enough  in  tricks  of  the 
trade  to  see  how  the  holder  of  a  Chicago  warehouse  receipt  is  to  be  now  m  ^o 
slaughtered  bv  "combinations  of  railroad  or  other  interest  to  control  herASt.  l.  i-»- 
wheat  market,"  which  would  not  victimize  the  holder  of  "  the  St.  Louis  ele. 
vator  "  receipt.  Her  large  milling  facilities,  which  honesty  requires  should 
be  considered  under  the  topic  of  manufactures,  no  doubt  enable  her  to  pay 


160 


Chi.  likes  a 
etalile 
market — 


Commerce  of  Chicago  Compared  with  St.  Louis. 

when  she  is  short  something  above  market  price.  But  how  long  will  her 
lar--e  capital  suffice  for  that?  Suppose  that  some  month,  a  week's  Chicago 
receipts  were  cast  upon  her  market,— and  does  she  not  expect  to  grow  at 
least  to  that  ? — would  prices  then  rule  high  ? 

St.  Louis  and  Chicago  differ  essentially  in  what  constitutes  a  market's 
superiority.  Stability  when  other  great  markets  stand;  ponderosity,  so 
that  the  wants  of  a  few  millers  make  no  impression ;  rise  and  fall  with  the 
markets  of  New  York,  and  Liverpool,  we  are  proud  to  say  are  our  charac- 
teristics, invariable  except  as  means  and  cost  of  transportation  vary.  Nor 
can  our  market  be  moved,  without  moving  other  chief  markets  of  our 
country  and  world.  On  the  contrary,  St.  Louis  even  boasts  of  an  independent 
market ;  one  so  independent  that  it  vibrates  with  the  necessities  or  caprices 
of  its  millers.  What  other  market  knows  or  cares  for  the  difference  ?  The 
difference  of  opinion,  however,  concerning  a  market's  essentials,  is  to  be  cared 
for,  which,  as  would  be  exoacted,  corresponds  with  the  difference  in  figures. 
One  is  genuine  commerce ;  the  other  a  peddling  concern.  But  even  for  a 
peddler  she  must  lack  in  some  essential  qualities,  for  if  so  independent,  and 
able  to  pay  "  oftentimes  higher  than  in  other  markets,"  why  are  receipts  so 
small  ?  Has  she  already  more  than  she  can  handle  ?  We  hope  so,  for  if  a 
city  280  miles  from  Chicago,  with  the  pretensions  which  St.  Louis  has  had 
to  the  trade  of  the  whole  Northwest,  and  with  so  productive  an  agricultural 
region  immediately  contiguous,  cannot  show  better  figures,  and  a  demand 
for  increased  fiicilities  beyond  what  "the  St.  Louis  elevator"  can  supply j 
it  will  be  lamentable  evidence  that  we  err  upon  the  main  premise,  the  great 
productive  power  of  the  Northwest.     The  trade  report  gives  the — 

St.  L.  "BAeyor -^i-momit  of  Grain   Received  and  Disbursed  by  the  St.  Louis  Grain  Elevator  Co.,  from 

tor  receipts,  October  24,  1865,  to  January  1,  1868. 

Oot.  '65 —  '  "^     ' 


— St.  Louis  a 

vibrating 

one. 


Tlie  differ- 
ence. 


St.  L.  wants 
Mure  than 
otie  Elevator 


—Jan.  '6S. 

Receipts. 

Disbursements. 

Balance  Jan 
1,  1868. 

Wheat 

1,877,272.35 

382,623,35 

130,870.17 

268,238.15 

37,986.31 

1,364.04 

1,776,254.37 

382,623.27 

130,289.12 

266,655.24 

37,986.31 

1,364.04 

101,017.58 

Corn  

Oats 

581.05 

Hiirley 

1,582.39 

Rye 

Malt 

2698355  bn           Total  bu.shels 

2,698,355. 

2,595,173. 

1          103.182. 

Another  ele- 
vator— 


Fortunately,  it  appears  from  the  Trade  Report  for  1867,  that  the  subject 
of  increase  has  consideration  : — 


— at  EaBt  St.      The  East  St.  Louis  Elevator  Company,  organized  during  the  past  year,  is  vigor- 
''•  ously  at  work   erecting  an  elevator  and  warehouse  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river, 

It»  benefits,  opposite  the  foot  of  Pine  street.     This  enterprise  is  destined  to  be  of  great  benefit 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chlcncjo  Investments.  161 

to  our  city  in  the  saving  of  draynge  and  ferriage  on  merchandise  destined  for  re- 
shipment  South,  as  well  as  attracting  the  grain  trade  of  northern,  middle  and 
southern  Illinois  to  our  city,  by  ofl'ering  facilities  for  handling  in  liiilk.  That  tiiia 
can  be  accomplished  was  demonstrated  during  the  past  year,  and  only  failed  of  suc- 
cess from  the  fact  that  there  were  no  facilities  at  East  St.  Louis  for  unloading  tlie 
cars,  which  so  retarded  the  business  of  the  railroad  companies  that  shipments  in 
bulk  were  prohibited. 

To  count  in  receipts  at  East  St.  Louis,  in  Illinois,  is  a  good  deal  like  our  J^t- 1--  in  Mo. 
reckoning  those  of  Milwaukee,  in  tlie  State  of  Wisconsin,  which  we  are  not  t..  i.uii'j  an 
yet  compelled  to  do  to  maintain  a  respectable  lead.     But  we  tru.st  that  now  imr. 
they  are  alive  to  the  fact  that  "  toting"  days  are  over,  something  by  the  name 
of  St.  Louis,  either  in  Illinois  or  Missouri,  will  do  its  part  towards  maintaiti- 
iog  the  reputation  of  the  West,  by  drawing  grain  to  such  an  extent  as  tliat 
at  least  one  new  elevator  shall  be  built  annually  for  some  years.     And  even  Biir-o8  thr-n 

■^  •  .  cuinu  to  Chi. 

then,  when  the  barge  system  shall  be  well  introduced,  as  it  speedily  will  be, 
she  will  have  to  show  more  commercial  energy  than  hitherto,  or  five  times 
the  number  of  river  barges  will  come  to  Chicago  that  will  go  to  St.  Louis. 

A  gigantic  trade  of  50,000,000  or  GO, 000,000  bushels  of  grain,  would  of  oimr.is 

1  1  Tl  AT  11-1  •  "(.'"'"St 

course  breed  speculators,  and  some  dishonest  ones,     ^Nor  would  it  be  surpris-  fruud. 
ing,  amidst  constant   examples  of  fraud  and  defalcation  in  large  sums,  and 
with  opportunities  which  this  immense  warehouse  system  affords ;  that  Chi- 
cago should  in  this  respect  also  be  equal  with  other  cities.     Yet  the  first  None  yet. 
instance  of  that  sort  in  the  elevator  business  is  yet  to  come.     Bought  and 
sold  according  to  sample,  the  seller's  grain  goes  with  others  to  the  bin  or  bins 
appropriated  to  that  kind  and  grade ;    and  the  buyer's  grain  is  drawn  from 
these  bins  according  to  his  contract.     The  Chief  Inspector,  Mr.  0.  L.  Parker,  jir.  parker. 
furnishes  this  account  of — 

Grain  Inspection. — All  grain  arriving  by  rail  or  canal  is  inspected  by  inspectors  grain  inspec- 
appointed  by  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade.     This  system,  the  result  of  ten  years'  ex-  tion. 
perience,  is  believed  to  be  the  most  perfect  of  any  yet  established.     Supervised  by  one 
chief  inspector,  the  city  is  divided  into  six  districts,  each  having  an  old  experienced  j^j^  gj^^^^ 
inspector  at  its  head.     All  inspections  into  store  are  made  in  cars  or  on  canal  boats. 
The  kind  of  grain  aud  its  grade  is  marked  on  a  ticket  attached  to  the  car  door,  giv- 
ing date,  name  of  road,  number  of  car,  and  inspector's  name.     These  tickets  are  taken 
oflFand  preserved  by  the  elevator  company  and  the  grain  stored  in  bins  as  these  tickets 
designate,  under  the  supervision  of  an  inspector  stationed  in  the  elevator  and  em- 
ployed by  the  Board  of  Trade.     Books  of  entry  are  placed  in  the  exchange  room 
every  day  during  'Change  hours,  after  which,  they  go  to  the  Chief  Inspector's  olhce, 
and  the  details  are  copied  into  large  books,  accessible  at  all  times.     The  average 
weight  of  wheat  is  also  given,  and  reasons  for  grading  when  necessary. 

All  grain  is   inspected  out  of  store  unless   otherwise   ordered;   the  main  reason  om  of  store. 
being  to  determine  whether  it  comes  out  in  the  same  condition  as  it  went  in.     In  out 
inspection  a  sample  is  saved  and  a  certificate  issued.      If  the  party  owning  the  grain 
requires,  the  inspection  is  made  as  it  runs  on  board  the  vessel  or  cars.     This  record 
is  also  kept  in  the  Chief  Inspector's  office  from  returns  made  by  deputies. 

In  case  of  an   error  in  judgment,  or  difference  of  opinion  between  »°sPfctor  an^  ^'^^J 
owner  of  grain,  it  is  referredlo  a  committee  of   three  members  of   the  Uoar.l  ot 
Trade,  styled  the  Inspection  Committee,  whose  decision  is  final. 

The  full  force  of  inspectors  in  the  busy  season  of  lake  navigation,  is  about  thirty-  Xo.ofin.poo- 
five  men  ;   through  the  winter  about  twenty-three.     The  Inspector's  office  has  a  c.ib-  tors. 
inet  of  distinct  varieties  of  wheat,  and  other  grains,  from  different  States,  which  it  Cut.inct  of 
well  examined  by  producers,  might  be  of  incalculable  advantage  to  improve  seed  B»mpie« 
wheat,  aud  also  benefit  the  buyer. 


162 


Course  of 
houeflt  lueD. 


Inspection 
system. 

Cordially 
sustuiued. 


Some  mis- 
takes. 


Premature 
marketing. 


Grain  dry- 
ing. 


Mr.  Marsh's 
dryer. 


Wheat  cur- 
ing. 


Com  curing 


LoRsee  by 
heating 


Spoilt  for 
food. 


Should  be 
bcit«r  pre- 
jiared. 


Commerce  of  Chicago  compared  icith  St.  Louis. 

Laws,  with  governors,  are  only  "a  terror  to  evil  doers  and  a  praise  of  them 
that  do  well  ;"°and  the  late  Chief  Inspector,  Mr.  T.  T.  Gurney,  remarks  in 
the  last  Annual  Report  of  the  Board  of  Trade  : — 

The  system  of  warehouse  inspection  adopted  December,  1865,  has  met  with  gen- 
eral and  deserved  approval.  My  opinion  is,  that  it  cannot  be  dispensed  with,  while 
your  board  continue  to  superintend  the  inspection  of  grain.  It  is  proper  in  this 
connection  to  state  that  your  inspectors  have  been  cordially  sustained  by  all  the 
parties  to  this  great  interest,  in  no  one  instance  have  they  or  either  of  them  been 
interfered  with  while  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties.  It  is  unquestionably  true 
that  mistakes  in  the  inspection  of  grain  have  occurred,  but  they  have  been  of  a 
character  that  could  not  be  avoided,  neither  can  they  in  the  future  be  avoided 
unless  damaged  grain  be  classed  as  rejected. 

"With  these  unexampled  facilities  for  handling  grain,  and  thorough  means 
of  protecting  buyer  and  seller  against  fraud  in  quality;  yet  these  very 
means  stimulate  endeavors  to  reach  market  prematurely,  especially  in  corn. 
The  chief  grain  market  of  the  country  and  of  the  world,  would  be  deficient 
in  discharging  its  duty  to  producer  and  consumer,  did  it  not  prepare  requi- 
site facilities  for — • 

Grain  Drying. — In  transit  hither,  especially  by  river  and  canal,  in  which 
grain  business  will  have  the  largest  relative  increase,  grain  is  often  wet. 
With  proper  facilities  for  drying,  the  water  would  do  little  injury.  One  of 
GUI  oldest  citizens,  Mr.  Sylvester  Marsh,  early  gave  attention  to  this  and 
obtained  several  patents  for  a  dryer.  A  warehouse  was  built  for  the  purpose 
in  1860,  and  worked  by  Mr.  E.  K.  Hubbard,  who  used  it  with  great  success 
until  burnt  in  May  1867.  In  1865  Messrs.  Munn  and  Scott  attached 
Marsh's  dryer  to  their  elevator,  which  has  not  been  used  in  consequence  of 
extra  fire-risk.  But  a  desideratum  so  great  to  all  grain  dealers  would  not 
long  be  disregarded,  even  if  extra  insurance  required  severance  from  ele- 
vators built  mainly  for  storage. 

Though  valuable  for  wet  grain,  it  also  cured  wheat  too  hastily  marketed. 
Much  is  sent  direct  to  market  without  sweating  in  the  stack  ;  and  by  damp- 
ness in  the  bin  or  vessel,  or  car,  becomes  unfit  for  bread. 

Nor  is  saving  value  of  a  kiln-dryer  in  wheat  at  all  equal  with  what  it  is 
in  corn.  The  liability  of  new  corn  to  heat  is  generally  known.  The  early 
volumes  of  the  Prairie  Farmer  will  show  the  consideration  given  the  subject, 
and  the  enhanced  value  of  the  corn  crop,  when  corn  and  corn-meal  should 
be  duly  prepared  for  long  transit,  especially  on  the  ocean.  One  would 
suppose  that  losses  in  transit  to  New  York,  much  more  to  Europe,  would 
have  brought  into  general  use  a  drying  process.  Corn  is  little  used  as  food 
for  man  compared  with  what  it  would  be  if  supplied  to  house-wifes  in  proper 
condition.  Ordinary  meal  becoming  speedily  stale,  it  is  no  wonder  that  it 
is  little  sought  in  Europe,  little  even  in  the  land  of  its  origin.  One  of  the 
most  palatable,  nutritious,  healthy  articles  of  diet  in  proper  condition,  and 
obtained  at  such  small  cost ;  it  is  unaccountable  that  more  has  not  been 
done  to  prepare  it  properly  for  market. 

It  was  therefore  very  satisfactory  to  learn  upon  inquiry,  that  the  National, 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  ChiaKjo  Inrrafmr.nfg.  103 

one  of  thp  smallest  elevators,  but  with  lar<-e  facilities  to  transfer  -ruin  from  y"'^""«. 
canal  to  lake  craft,  belonging  to  INIessrs.  Vincent  Nelson,  cV;  Co.,  ha.s  a  grain  r-'^grtn 
dryer  attached  by  Messrs.   Murry    Nelson,  &  Co.     With   nuKJi   experience  '"''"■'' 
in  grain  trade  on  the  lakes  and  railways,  after   trying  various  patents,  and 
corresponding  widely  with  others  seeking   the  same  desideratum,  they  have 
erected  a  dryer  at  large  expense  under  II.  H.  Beach's  patent,  whicli  is  already  ""*'"''■"  P"'- 
a  complete  success.     They  do  not,  however,  decry  Mr.  Marsh's  but  prefer  the  "^ 
one  chosen.     Itdrys  1,500  to  2,000  bushels  per  hour  of  new  corn  so  that  it  will  HmuW. 
keep  in  any  climate,  without  changing  the  bright,  natural  appearance  of  tlie  '""■'"""• 
gi-ain,  and  leaving  upon  it  no  smell  of  heat,  or  acrid,  or  parched  taste,  or  appear- 
ance of  having  been  subjected    to  any  mechanical  process  whatever.     This 
machine  is  available  for  wheat,  or  any  grain  damp  or  wet,  or  in  anyway  out  Any  (tmic 
of  condition,  and  is  claimed  to  be  the  first  to  dry  and  cure  grain  on  a  lar-e 
scale  for   commercial  purposes,  having  a  capacity  to  dry  cargoes  without 
unusual  delay.     A  full  account  of  its  operation  would  be  interesting,  but 
space  is  precious. 

A  tower  seventy-five  feet  high,  built  of  brick  and  iron,  fire  proof,  receives  Mo<i«  of 
the  grain  at  the  bottom,  where  it  is  elevated  to  the  top,  and  passes  slowly  "'""^'"  °°* 
down  over  perforated  iron  plates,  the  motion  of  the  falling  grain  being  con- 
stant and  uniform,  regulated  by  slides  or  valves  at  the  bottom.     The  grain 
in  motion  forms  a  solid  column  seven  feet  wide  and  three  inches  deep.    There 
are  two   columns   of  grain,  and  a  furnace  at  the  bottom  supplies  hot  air, 
which  is   evenly  distributed  by  suction-fans,  so  as  to  pass  constantly  and 
equally  through  the  grain  the  entire  heighth  of  the  kiln.     Temperature  is 
regulated  by  thermometers  set  in  the  walls  at  several  points,  avoiding  all 
danger  of  over-heating.     Impurities  or  foreign  substances  are  passed  off  in 
vapor  or  steam.     Then  it  is  thoroughly  cooled  before  being  passed  to  the  bins 
in  the  elevator  by  the  same  process,  except  cold  air  instead  of  hot  is  used, 
which  contributes  further  to  dry  as  well  as  cool.     Every  person  interested — Tiinsc  iute- 
and  who  is  not,  in  all  that  saves  or  adds  to  the  accumulated  industry  and  «!""''J8'^e'i- 
labor  of  the  farmer,  as  represented  in  these  vast  storehouses — should  witness 
for  themselves  this  saving  of  grain,  otherwise  lost  to  the  owners  and  the 
world,  and  the  price  of  bread  consequently  enhanced.     The  time  is  comint;,  Farmc™ 

'  r  I  ,/  '.^     must  save 

if  not  at  hand,  when  our  western  farmers  must  save  very  much  of  what  is 
now  wasted  in  their  fields,  enough  to  make  other  farmers  rich  ;  and  certainly 
not  the  least  of  what  their  hard  toil  has  suceessuilly  garnered,  should  be  Orain  not  to 

be  wiwtwl 

allowed  to  depreciate  or  become  worthless  in  the  hands  of  our  merchants, 
millers,  warehousemen,  or   carriers.     If  this   dryer  suffice  not,  half  a  dozen  wimt  i>  ro<i- 
wul  be  erected;  and  if  a  better  process  can  be  devised,  to  what  other  cityuom-. 
will  it  be  more  valuable  ?     Who  can  and  will  pay  more  for  improvements  in 
grain  trade,  especially  in  corn,  than  the  chief  grain  mart  of  the  world  '! 

Live  Stock   Trade. — When  a  city  counts  swine  receipts  by  the  million,  it  .^j.'^^J'"** 
would  certainly  be  a  distinguishing  feature  had  it  not  others  equally  impor- 
tant.    Although  Cincinnati,  previous  to  1861-2,  when  Chicago  passed    her^ 
had  never    acked  500,000  in  a  season. — and  most  if  not  all  then   received 


1G4 


Commerce  of  Cliicago  Compared  viitli  St.  Louis. 


Chi.  no 
i'oikopolis. 


were  packed, — she  had  the  euphonious  cognomen  of  Porkopolis.     Although 
about  four-fold  her  highest  number  are  here  marketed,  yet  we  escape  the 


Cattle  Trad< 
Trihum. 


Rapid 

growth  einco 
1S60. 


States  tribu- 
tary. 


'55,  10,715 
head  rec'd — 
—•64.  836,- 
627. 


Trade  varies. 


Small  area 
yet  produc- 
ing. 

High 

freights  de- 
range trade-- 


— injure 
roads. 


Hogs  rec'd 
and  bbipped 
ton?  1858-^ 


Cattle,  too,  are  counted  by  the  hundred  thousand.  The  Chicago  Tribune 
in  its  last  annual  exhibit,  thus  describes  the  rapid  growth  : — 

It  is  only  a  few  years  since  the  Live  Stock  trade  of  Chicago  was  considered  of 
but  trifling  importance,  and,  indeed,  aside  from  supplying  the  then  somewhat  limited 
demand  for  home  consumption,  the  trade  in  this  product — prior  to  the  year  1860 — 
had  not  attained  sufficient  eminence  to  be  classed  with  our  leading  commercial 
interests.  But  the  same  causes  which  combined  to  make  Chicago  the  largest  interior 
grain  market  in  the  world,  have  built,  up  the  Live  Stock  trade  to  its  present  gigantic 
proportions.  The  rapid  development  of  the  great  Northwest,  and  the  construction 
of  an  almost  perfect  network  of  railroads,  stretching  out  in  all  directions  from  this, 
the  great  centre — thus  affording  unequaled  facilities  for  the  marketing  of  stock — 
are  chief  among  the  causes  contributing  to  this  result.  The  increase  in  population 
and  wealth  in  the  States  of  Illinois,  Indiana,  Iowa,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  Kansas 
and  Nebraska,  and  the  remarkable  development  of  the  resources  of  these  States, 
have  rendered  Chicago  the  leading  market  for  supplying  the  large  and  increasing 
wants  of  the  East.  It  is  the  chief  collecting  point  for  the  immense  herds  of  beeves 
which  annually  graze  on  the  vast  prairies  of  the  West,  and  for  the  enormous  crop  of 
hogs  which  is  annually  raised  by  the  farmer  and  stock-breeder.  By  reference  to 
table  given  elsewhere  it  will  be  seen  that  in  1855  only  10,715  beeves  were  received 
in  Chicago,  while  in  1864  the  number  amounted  to  336,627.  In  1855  the  receipts  of 
hogs  amounted  to  only  302,068,  which  number  in  1863  had  increased  to  1,990,509, 
and  for  the  year  just  closed — notwithstanding  the  partial  failure  of  the  corn  crop, 
the  arrivals  of  hogs  amounted  to  1,696,748  head.  Such  an  extraordinary  develop- 
ment of  resources,  and  such  an  increase  in  trade  and  commerce,  are  without 
parallels  in  history — ancient  or  modern. 

This  trade,  however,  like  all  other  branches  of  business,  has  had  its  vicissitudes, 
but  each  year  has  added  something  to  its  extent  and  importance,  until  to-day  it 
takes  rank  as  the  leading  Live  Stock  market  of  the  world.  And  when  we  consider 
that  but  a  small  fraction  of  the  territory,  of  which  Chicago  is  the  natural  outlet,  has 
yet  been  populated  and  developed,  the  future  of  the  trade  in  this  product  can  scarcely 
be  conceived.  The  extravagant  rates  of  freight  demanded  by  the  railroads  running 
East  from  this  point,  was  the  principal  drawback  encountered  during  the  past  year. 
Through  the  summer  months,  owing  to  the  "fight"  going  on  between  the  different 
companies,  the  tariff  was  reasonably  low,  and  business  prospered  correspondingly, 
but  in  the  latter  part  of  August  the  spirit  of  soulless  extortion  again  took  possession 
of  these  corporations,  and  the  evil  results  at  once  became  apparent.  Much  of  the  stock 
that  would  otherwise  have  come  here,  has,  on  account  of  the  suicidal  policy  of  the 
railroad  managers — who,  unfortunately,  are  not  gifted  with  penetration  enough  to  see 
that  a  continuince  of  exorbitant  charges  will  kill  the  goose  that  lays  the  golden 
eggs — been  compelled  to  seek  an  outlet  through  some  other  channel.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  this  evil  will  be  speedily  remedied. 

Receipts  and  Shipments  of  Hogs  at  Chicago  for  Ten  Years. 


Year. 

RECEIVED. 

FORWARDED. 

Live. 

Dressed. 

'.Total. 

Live. 

Dressed. 

Total. 

1P58 

416,225 

188,671 

285.149 

549,039 

1,110,971 

1,:M3.863 

1,267,097 

871,468 

1,071,399 

1,696,748 

124,261 
82,533 
1('7,715 
126,863 
237,919 
333,894 
14'',223 
827,364 
270,257 
134,496 

540,486 

271,204 

392,864 

675,902 

1,348.890 

1,677,767 

1,410,320 

1,178,832 

1,341,656 

1,831,247 

159,181 
87,254 
191,931 
216.982 
446,506 
733,213 
517,656 
538,085 
549,499 

32,S32 
22,992 
86,238 
72,112 
44.629 
123,272 
18,781 
125,531 
1'23.270 

192  913 

1859 

110.246 

1860 

227,164 

1861 

289,094 
491,135 

8i6,485 
536  437 

1862 

1868 

1864-.5 

186ft-6 

663  566 

1866-7 

67''  769 

1867  to  Dec.  81.* 

*ThiB  H  taken  from  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Union  Stock  Yard  Co.,  Jan.  15th,  1868. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Cldcago  Investments. 


165 


The  Trade  Report  of  St.  Louis  "Ives  no  receipt  of  Ilo-rs  or  Cattle  for  a  ^'"  ^'  '-  "^ 

'■  o  I  o  tuiiiH  for  u 

eeries  of  years,  and  the  ceneral  table  of  receipts  of  leadiiij'  articles  (p.  15G, )  "'t'""  "f 
does  uot  include  hogs,  though  it  does  cattle.     In  the  last  twu  reports,  (here 
cattle  are  omitted,)  are  these  statements  of — 


Routes  and  Receipts  of  Hogs  at  St.  Louis  for  1866  and  1867. 


Routes. 


Upper  Mississippi  River 

Lower  Mississippi  River 

Illinois   River 

Missouri  River 

Ohio  &  Mississippi  R.  R 

Chicago,  Alton  &  St.  Louis  R.  R 

St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute  R.  R. 

Pacitic  R.   R 

North  Missouri  R.  R 

Iron  Mountain  R.  R 

Drove  in,  estimated 


Total  receipts 

Shipped  during  the  year. 


Taken  by  Packers  and  Butchers. 


1866. 


17,-969 


2(J6 
570 
474 
21.5 

81U 
,765 
117 
510 


217.622 
13,358 


204,264 


1867. 


Rorolpfg  of 
IJoKN  at  St. 
L.  2  yearn. 


Ron  ten  and 
No. 


27,812 

416 

5,l'.i9 

12,882 

29,461 

64.399 

37,560 

56,589 

68,170 

753 

15,000 

313,241 
28,627 

284,614 


The   Missouri  Democrat,  in  its  annual  review,  Jan.  1st,  states  the  monthly  Mo.  Dem. 
'  stHtfs  re- 

receipts  of  stock,  for  lSo7,  this  being  the  aggregate;  cattle,  90,380  ;  sheep,  ccipta  is67. 

90,201 ;  hogs,  224,640. 

The  St.  Louis  Trade  Report,  however,  supplies  this  valuable  table,  enabling 
the  reader  to  ascertain  the  proportion  of  trade  in  hogs  Chicago  has  obtained. 


Entire  Pork  Crop  of  the  Country  for  18  Years,  from  1849-50. 


Entiri  pork 
crop  from 
;  1849-67. 


Year. 


No.  Hogs. 


1849-50 1,652,220 

18.50-51 1,332,867 

1851-52 1,182,846 

1852-53 2,201,110 

1853-54 2,534770 

1854-55 2,124,404 


Year. 


No.  Nogs. 


1855-56 2,489,502 

1856-57 1,818,468 

1857-58 2,210,778 

18.58-59 2,465,-552 

1859-60 2,350,822 

1860-61 2,155,702 


Year. 


No.  Hogs. 


1861-62 2,8f3,666 

1802-63 4.069,520 

1863-64 3,261.105 

1804-65 2,422,799 

1 86.5-66 1,705,955 

1860-67 2,425,254 


166 


Commerce  of  Chicago  Compared  loith   St.  Louis. 


Receipts  nna 
:$)ii|>iiit'nt!i 

of  Cattle  at  

Chi.  from 

1862-68.  Year. 


Receipts  11  Tears  and  Shipments  15  Years,  of  Cattle  at  Chicago. 


Sources  of 
supply. 


1852. 
1853. 
1854. 
1855. 
1856. 
1857. 
1858., 
1859., 


Received. 


48,524 
140,534 
111,694 


Forw'ded. 


77 
2,657 
11,221 
8,253 
22,502 
25,502 
42,638 
37.584 


Year. 

Received. 

I860 

177,101 

1861 

204,579 

,1862 

209,655 

1863 

300  622 

1864-5 

303  726 

1865-6 

1866  7 

348,928 
373  277 

*  1867 

329,188 

Forw'ded. 


97,474 
124,145 
112,745 

187,068 
262,446 
310,444 
260.833 


*  stock  Yard  Report  for  the  year. 


To  compare  sources  of  supply,  the  following  compilation  is  made  from  tte 
Board  of  Trade  Reports,  and  for  last  year  from  tlie  Repiibltcan : — 

Routes  and  Receipts  of  Hogs  and  Cattle  at  Chicago  for  three  seasons,  from  1st  of  April 
1865-6,  1866-7,  and  till  December  31,  1867. 


HOGS. 

CATTLE. 

Koutes. 

1865-6. 

1866-7. 

1867, 
Dec.    31. 

1865-6. 

1866-7. 

1867. 
Dec.  31, 

Lake 

10 

194,534 

166,250 

422.046 

403,949 

104,949 

8,168 

14,956 

19,470 

216 

50,182 

41,264 

92,218 

115,887 

40,462 

543 

3,544 

686 

3,110 

816 

181 

49,099 

39,351 

77.025 

139.291 

58  691 

143 

844 

403 

87 
8,163 

C.  &  R.  1.  R.  R.... 
III.  Cent., 

162,579 
151,682 
348,258 
387,690 
110,351 
4,977 
14,964 

6  0 

7  9 
4    2 

236,959 

289,213 

407,957 

527,839 

151,227 

7,617 

19,939 

35.544 

41,241 

58  882 

C.  &  N.  W.  R.  W... 

C.  B.  &  Quincy 

C.  &  Alton 

50,189 
119,931 

54,143 
1,347 
1,466 
1,056 

C.  &  G.  East 

Mich.  Cent 

Mich.  S.  &  N.  Ind. 
C.  &  Mil 

Pitts.  Ft.  W.  &  C. 
Driven  into  Yards. 

6,854 
470 

8,750 
2,703 

439 
5.500 

1,198,832 

1,341,656 

1,696,748 

348,928 

373,277 

329,194 

I'rovirlc 

adequate 

facilities. 


Chi.  largest 
live  Ht<Kk 
market. 


Rival  rail- 
ways  unite. 


—in  Uiii'Mi 
atock  yardH. 


For  such  a  trade  adequate  facilities  should  be  afforded,  as  they  have  been 
for  other  articles.  A  plan  of  the  stock  yards  will  be  found  preceding  the  title- 
page.     From  a  pamphlet  description  the  following  is  extracted : — 

Not  only  is  Chicago  the  greatest  pork,  lumber  and  grain  market,  in  the  world,  but 
it  is  also  the  greatest  live  stock  market.  This  will  be  established  by  figures,  in  the 
present  article.  The  signs  of  the  times  are  sadly  awry  if  this  child  of  the  prairies 
and  the  lakes  does  not  likewise  become  the  greatest  manufacturing  city  in  the  world, 
ere  its  years  of  .adolescence  merge  into  the  vigorous,  muscular  action  of  middle  age. 
Probably  no  enterprise  in  the  history  of  Cliicago  has  combined  so  many  corpora- 

-lion.s  and  capitalists  together  into  one  great  company,  as  the  Great  Union  Stock 
Yards.  Il:iilroad  companies,  that  have  heretofore  been  rivals  for  the  live  stock 
trade  of  tiie  West,  and  often  at  war  with  each  other  upon  this  subject,  are  now  a 
unit,  w.jrking  together  as  architects  of  this  great  undertaking       Their  tracks  have 

.  been  extended   to  a  common  centre,  and  nine  of  the  former  competing  roads  now 


Past,  Present  am?  Future  of  CMcago  Investments.  167 

connect  directly  with  the  Great  Union  Stock  Yurds.     The  broad  prairie  tliat  stretches 
BonthwardtVom  tliecity  is  now  Iravorsed and  re-traversed  by  their  diffrrent  branches, 
all  tending    toward  the  great  bovine  ciiy  of  the  world.     Puckers  and   coinniissiou 
dealers,    whose    extensive  establislinients   have  heretofore   demanded    (heir   entire 
attention,    are   now   found   at   this   nucleus;   prospecting    \ipon    the   results   of  the 
enterprise,  laying  plans  for  the  future,  and  prognosticating  the  prosperity  that  is  to 
follow  the  opening  of  this  great  caitle  mart.     Their  estimates  for  llie  luluie  niighi  I.nra.«  .•«il 
be  considered  chimerical  by  the  Rip  Van  Winkles  of  other  and  less  go-ahead  cities;  """''"  '"'' 
but  Western  men  know  the  extent  of  the  broad  prairies  of  Illinois,  and  neighboring   "  "'^''"' 
States,  which   stretch  away  like  the  pampas  of  South  America,  yielding  pasturage 
for  innumerable  herds  of  cattle,  found  nowhere  else  in  the  country. 

Among  the  first   business  transactions  of  the  handet,  now  grown   into  (his  great  Knrly oulwi of 
city,  was  buying  and   selling  cattle  and   swine;   large   herds  of  wiiich   were  easily  "'"'^^k- 
driven   to   market   here,   slaughtered  and    shipped   to  other   points.     The  packing 
business  was  only  another  branch  of  this  trade,  and  beef  packed  in  Chicago  was  to  ParkinR  i)uM 
be  found   in  the  marts  of  Liverpool,  long  before   the  growing   Western  town   from  •>'«""» '"■""c'' 
whence  it  came  had  a  "local  habitation  and  a  name"  among  the  cities  of  I  ho 
continent. 

At  the  World's  Fair,  held  in  London  several  years  ago,  the  attention  of  Queen  r..i.  iioiif^h'a 
Victoria  and  Prince   Albert  was  called  to  several  tierces  of  beef,  from  the  packing '".•'''''t 
establishment  of  the  Houghs  in  Chicago;   and  they  were  awarded  apremium.     Thus  ^^ '"'''J""  •'"'''• 
the  produce  of  the  new  city  began  to  grow  in  the  estimation  of  foreign  dealers,  and 
an  impetus  was  given  to  the  trade.     Steadily  advancing,  the  exports  from  our  bar-  iiirrcaso of 
bor  began  to  look  like  those  of  much  older  cities;  and  St.  Louis  and  Cincinnati  lost '-^'''-  trudi-. 
their   laurels — the  latter   ceasing   to  be  the   recognized   "  porkopolis  "  of  the  laud. 
Reaching  out  like  a  young  giant,  the  new  commercial  port  seized  ujjon  the   produce 
of  the  prairies  of  Illinois  and   the  West,  and  put  an  embargo  upon   the  growth  of 
older  towns,  less  centrally  located.     Dealers  in  live  stock  soon  lelt  their  old  landruarks  Denlerscomo 
in    Cincinnati,  St.  Louis  and   Louisville,  and  established  themselves  in   the  Garden  •"•■■■^• 
City;   the  places  that  had  known  them  knowing  them  no  more,  unless  it  was  to  hear 
of  their  prosperity  and   increasing  wealth.     Kailroads   sprang  into  existence,  and  Railroada. 
cut  the  prairies  in  every  direction,  while  the  lakes  were  vvhitened  by  the  unfurled 
sails  of  thousands  of  vessels;  and   the  great  rush  of  business  which  now  blesses 
Chicago  as  a  metropolis,  was  established  permanently,  upon  a  basis  having  for  its  Basia solid, 
founiiations  millions  of  acres  of  productive  lands,  great  natural  resources,  and  untold 
commercial  advantages. 

On  the  first  of  June,  of  the  present  year,  ground  was  broken  for  the  new  yards.  Yanln  began 
The  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  drain  the  land— a  work  of  no  small  importance.     An  liuit  June, 
immense  box  sewer  was  constructed  along  Halsted  street,  to  serve  as  a  main  dis- 
charge for  the  drains  and  sewers.     This  structure  is  half  a  mjle  in  length,  running  Sewcre. 
north  and  south,  and   four  feet  in  the  clear.     Constructed  on  the  most    improved 
plans,  these  drains   and  sewers,  underlying  the  yards   in  every  direction,  perform 
their  work  in  the  most  admirable  manner.     The  soil  is  now  in  gooii  condition,  and 
no  incouvenieuce  will  be  experienced  from  wet  land  or  standing  water.      In  this  par- 
ticular the  great  bovine  city  will  be  far  ahead  of  the  populous  and  crowded  hunmn 
city  which  it  adjoins,  and  of  which  it  is  destined  to  become  an  important  part. 

The  total  length  of  the  drains  and  sewers  is  about  thirty  miles.     Tiiey  have  caused  ."^o  mile« 
a  wonderful  transformation  in  the  level,  wet  land  of  the   prairie,  which  it  has  here-  draius. 
tofore  been  considered  impossible  to  drain.     The  argument  deduced  from  this  is.  tlial 
all  the  low  land  surrounding  Chicago  is  valuable  for  building  purposes,  and  that   it 
can  be  thoroughly  drained,  so  as  to  aiford  a  solid  foundation  for  structures  of  any 
Bize. 

The  Foundalion  of  the   Yards.— IhQ  tract  of  land  selected  as  the  site  of  the  yards  F.mn.lation 
was   now  thoroughly  drained,  and  what  a  short  time  before  was  a   marshy  prairie,  of  jards. 
covered  with  rank  grass,  appeared  dry  andfirm,  admitting  of  (he  passage  of  loaded 
wagons,  and  the  laying  of  railroad   tracks  over  it.     Lines  of  rails  were   soon  con- 
structed,  leading  Irom   dilferent   railroads,  which  were   to  transport   the   immense 
amount  of  lumber  required  for  the  construction  of  the  yards,  to  tlie  spot.     Large 
sills  of  timber  were   placed  upon   the    ground,   across  which  were   laid   three-incii  I'lanking. 
joists.      Upon    this   foundation  the  planking  was  commence<l.     Tliat  portion  of  the 
yards  to   be   used  for  cattle  pens  was  planked  witii    three-inch   pme  plank,  placed 
firmly  upon   the  joists  and  nailed   thereto.     Two-inch  plank   was  similarly  placed 
upon  those  portions  where  the  hogs  are  to  be  kept.     The  planking  being  raised  from 
the  ground  affords  the  water  and  refuse  from  the  yards  an  opportunity  of  draining 


163 


Commerce  of  Chicago    Compared  with   St.  Louis. 


Work 
thorough. 


Streets  and 
alleyd. 

345  acres. 


Main  street 
hlis  Nichol- 
Bon  piive- 
m^-iit. 


Streets  rect- 
angular. 


oTO  yards 
and  peiitj. 


Barns  and 
crilis. 


Hail  way  fa- 
cilities. 

15  miles 
track. 

Various 
roads  accom- 
dated. 


Platforms 
and  8ho<it8. 


Ample  depot 

iirraiigo- 

iiieuin. 


LoiidinK  and 
unloadiug — 


off  to  the  ground,  where  it  immediately  finds  its  way  into  the  drains  and  sewers 
which  underlie  the  whole,  thence  into  the  main  sewer  on  Halsled  street,  and  into  the 
river.  The  entire  planking,  like  the  draining,  was  done  in  the  most  substantial 
manner,  no  espi'n.se  or  pains  being  spared  to  make  it  firm  and  solid,  so  that  no  acci- 
dents ni'ight  result  in  the  future  from  its  sinking  or  breaking  through,  beneath  the 
tread  of  tlie  herds  destined  to  pass  over  it.  A  portion  of  the  planking  was  done  by 
coniraci,  and  the  remainder  by  the  company.  As  many  as  1, QUO  men  were  employed 
upon  it  at  one  time. 

The  Streets  and  Alleys. — The  entire  345  acres  comprised  in  the  yards  are  laid  out 
into  streets  and  alleys,  in  the  same  manner  as  a  large  city.  Through  the  center 
from  north  to  south  runs  a  broad  avenue  which  has  been  named  E  street.  This 
great  central  thoroughfare  is  one  mile  in  length,  and  seventy-five  feet  broad.  It  is 
divided  into  three  sections,  like  a  bridge,  to  facilitate  the  driving  of  cattle  through  it. 
Droves  passing  to  the  south  will  take  one  section;  those  passing  to  the  north, 
another,  meeting  on  the  way  without  the  slightest  inconvenience  or  stoppage.  The 
drover's  whip  will  not  be  called  into  requisition  in  pissing  through  this  avenue,  as 
all  will  be  "  fair  sailing."  This  street  runs  through  the  entire  grounds,  and  is 
paved  with  Nicholson  pavement;  the  blocks  used'  being  the  refuse  ends  of  plank, 
etc.,  which  economy  greatly  reduced  the  expense.  There  is  not  a  finer  or  smoother 
drive  in  Chicago  than  this  well  paved  and  finely  rounded  street ;  and  there  will  be 
no  more  sightly  one,  when  the  yards  are  filled  with  innumerable  herds  of  cattle  and 
swine,  and  teeming  with  the  activity  of  buying  selling  and  transferring  stock. 
Ivunning  parallel  to  avenue  E  are  other  streets,  leading  to  the  railroads  that  surround 
the  yards,  on  all  sides,  but  the  south. 

These  streets  are  crossed  at  right  angles  by  others,  running  east  and  west.  The 
principal  one  of  these  passes  by  the  hotel,  and  has  been  named  '•  Broadway"  by 
the  workmen.  It  is  indeed  a  broad  avenue,  and  will  probably  retain  that  name,  as 
it  leads  from  the  Hough  House  to  the  bank  and  exchange  building,  where  the  life 
and  excitement  of  the  yards  will  center.  It  is  sixty-six  feet  wide,  planked  with 
heavy   timl)er,   and   traversed  on  the  south  by   a  raised  sidewalk. 

The  Yards  and  Pens. — There  are  five  hundred  of  these  enclosures,  all  lying  on 
the  different  streets,  like  tae  buildings  of  a  city,  and  all  properly  numbered.  In 
size  these  inclosures  vary  from  20x35  to  85x112,  while  others  are  precisely  the  size 
of  a  car,  calculated  to  hold  just  one  car-load  of  stock.  The  cattle  pens  are  open, 
but  those  designed  for  hogs  are  covered  with  sheds,  and  so  arranged  as  to  prevent 
the  hogs    "  piling,"  which  they  are  inclined  to  do  in  cold  weather. 

Ilay  Barns  and  Corn  Cribs. — The  yards  are  provided  with  six  hay  barns  and  six 
corn  cribs,  situated  in  ditt'erent  parts  of  the  enclosure,  convenient  to  ditferent 
sections  of  pens. 

The  Railway  Facilities.  Perhaps  the  greatest  feature  of  these  Yards  is  that  of  the 
different  railway  accommodations.  Nine  of  the  principal  railroads  of  the  West 
find  a  coinuiou  center  here.  There  have  been  constructed  fifteen  miles  of  track,  as 
branches,  which  connect  these  roads  with  the  Yards,  besides  many  switch  tracks 
and  siiie  runs.  Upon  the  north  are  tracks  of  four  railroads — the  Great  Eastern, 
the  jNIichig^n  Central,  the  Michigan  Southern  and  the  Pittsburg  and  Fort  Wayne, 
These  roads  all  run  in  from  the  east,  and  their  tracks  are  so  arranged  by  the  side 
of  "shoots"  that  whole  trains  can  be  unloaded  at  once.  On  the  north,  and  parallel 
to  the  "shoots"  belonging  to  these  roads,  are  others,  running  nearly  parallel. 
They  are  for  ilie  accommodation  of  two  roads,  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
and  the  Illinois  Oenlral,  which  also  approach  the  grounds  from  the  east.  The  east 
and  west  sides  of  the  yards  describe  an  inward  curve,  along  which  are  platforms 
and  "shoots."  The  Chicago  and  Hock  Island  railroad  owns  those  upon  the  east, 
and  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  and  ihe  Chicago,  Alton  and  St.  Louis,  those  upon 
tlie  west,  wtiere  their  tracks  are  constructed.  By  the  act  of  incorporation  all  the 
roads  have  the  privilege  of  running  over  each  others  tracks,  but  so  ample  are  the 
arrangements  that  this  will  seldom,  if  ever,  be  necessary.  The  yards  are  provided 
with  water  tanks  for  the  engines,  wood  yards,  turn-tables,  and  everything  that  is 
required  at  a  great  depot,  which  in  fact  these  grounds  are — the  greatest  in  the 
world. 

Loading  and  Unloading  facilities. — The  facilities  for  loading  and  unloading  cargoes 
of  cattle  at  these  Yards  are  unsurpassed.  Each  road  has  1,000  feet  of  platform, 
which  is  provided  with  "shoots,"  leading  directly  into  the  yards  and  pens  of  the 
division  appropriated  to  the  use  of  such  road.  When  a  train  of  cars  loaded  with 
live  Block  arrives,  it  draws  up  in  front  of  the  "shoots."     Gates  are  so  arranged 


Past,  Present  and  Future- of  Ckirwjo  Investmnits.  Ifjg 

that  they  open  across  (he  platform,  exten<linR,„  ,he  cars,  nn.l  thus  form  an  oncloBuro 
through  which  the  stock  passes  directly  into  the  Yards.      These  gates  enable  a  whole  -«n.lre 
tram  to  unload  as  quick  as  one  car.     .Several   of  the  "  shoots  "  are  made  double    so  ""'"• 
that  the  upper  and  lower  tloors  of  a  car  load  of  hogs  can  be  passed  out  at  ih.-  smn- 
tune.     This  arrangement  is  so  perfect  that  there  is  little  chance  for  an  accident  to 
happen  to  the  stock,  as    they  pass  down   the  avenues  formed  by  the  gales    and  are 
thence   driven    into   the  pens.     As  many  as  500  cars  can   be   loaded   or  unloaded  in  6oocar.  .t 
this  manner  at  the  same  time,  the  whole  operation  occupying  only  a  few  moments   "nc«. 
This  fine  arrangement  is  considered  one  of  the  greatest  features  of  the  Yards. 

Su2)plijing  the    Yards  with    Water   is   the    next  topic,    wliich    i.s   wholly  w«.*rKup. 
superseded  by  the  following  from  the  Pejmblican,  March  4th  :—  '''^' 

Artesian    Well  at  the  Stock   Farc?s.— Yesterday  morning    connections   were    made  An-niun 
between  the  new  artesian  well  and  the  water-supply  tanks  at  the  Union  Slock  Yards   " '" 
The  pipe  which   conducts  the  water  from  the  well  is  five  inches  in  diameter,      it  isiiinm  p,l, 
estimated  that  no  less  than  440,000  gallons  of  water  will   flow  into  the   tanks  every  I'"'  »iii<?r  ' 
twenty-four  hours.     The  pipe  is  curved   to  the   top  of  the  receptacle,  which  is  m '"  ■•^» ''"•"■"• 
least  sixty   feet  high.     An   overflow  pipe   is   also  connected  with   the   tank,  which 
carries  off  the  surplus  water  to  the  Chicago  river.     The  Hough  House  is  supplied  """uli 
with  water  from  the  well  in  question,  and  the  guests  express  entire  satisfaction  in  "'"'"""'P 
regard  to  its  excellent  quality.  ** 

In  the  afternoon  the  depth  of  the  bore  v/as  finally  measured,  and  gave  a  return  ^'•1'*!'  ^ilW 
of  1,190  feet.     At  that  distance  is  a  kind  of  seam  or  well — so  far  as  can  be  ascer-  '^^*''" 
tained — eight  feet  deep,  which  is  always  full  of  water,  and  from  which    the  stream 
mounts  toward  the  earth's  surface  through  the  bore.     It  was  at  first  believed  that 
the  water  would  have  to  be  supplied  to  the  tanks  by  the  pumping  process,  but  the 
experiment  of  this  morning  shows  conclusively  that  the  fount  from  which  the  water 
springs  must  be  at  a  height  of  upward  of  sixty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  well's  iif-ad  over  60 
orifiice,   for,  as  is  a  well   known   fact  in  the  science  of  hydrodynamics,  water  will ''^'«•'•• 
always  rise  to  its  own  level  if  unobstructed. 

Then    follows    a  description  of  minor  items,  of  the  hotel, — the  ITou"h  """•«''  , 

r  ;  )  o     Ucjiiiif,  Ac 

House  is  130  by  188  feet  deep,  6  stories  high,  well  built  of  brick,  with  a 
slate  roof, — the  exchange  building  and  bank,  cottages,  stores,  workshops, 
etc.,  for  which  space  cannot  be  taken.  Many  omissions  have  been  made 
where  not  marked. 

Because  stock  trade  is  so  immense,  can  these  unequalcd  facilities  be  sup-  imin.n«<< 
plied   for    its  transaction.     Because  the  energy  and  capacity  of  our  active  |,™|,e  fari'ii- 
business  men  and  of  railroad  directors  keep  pace  with  public  retjuircmcnts, 
are  requisite  facilities  provided.     Because  they  can  be  and  are  here  supplied  None  equal. 
as   they  can    be   at   no  other  city,  must  the  stock-trade  grow  here  indefi. 
nitely  with  the  entire  West.     We  have  little  conception  of  the  herds   that 
will   be   raised   in  Texas  and  the  Indian  Territory,   which  will  chiefly   bo  n.-ni* from  a 

,.,...  .,,  IT  ,        ■■  flislance. 

marketed  here.     Butchers  from  the  chief  cities  will  come  and  buy  a  carload 
or  two,  selecting  just  what  they  want,  and  saving  at  least  one  seller's  profit. 
And  if  any  other  rfnprovements  are  wanted  to  accommodate  the  business,  other  im- 
what  other  city  will  be  more  likely  to  discover  and  employ  them  ^  w>"m.'""*° 

The   paper  quoted   from  speaks  of   the   enhanced  value   of  real  estate.  Knimnres 
Without  a  doubt  the  Company  will  actually  make  more,  perhaps   twice   as 
much,  in  the  rise  upon  its  land  as  in  profits  of  the  business.     That  is  one  of  ^,,„t  „  ^^ 
the  chief  advantages  of  business  here,  that  the  merchant,  manufacturer   or"^"""^^- 
operator,  who  has  sagacity  to  buy  his  place  for  business  and  for  his  home, 
will,  in  that  alone,  leave  a  good  estate  to  his  children.     How  foolishly  our 


170 


Business 
men  sliuiild 

l)UV. 


Lumber 
trade. 


Other  mar- 
kets. 

Woolner  <C 
Garrirk's 
eircular. 


Commerce  of  Chicago  comjoared  ivitJi  St.  Louis. 

citizens  act  in  this  matter,  paying  rents  and  giving  rise  to  their  landlords; 
instead  of  paying  interest  and  keeping  profits  to  themselves — profits  made 
by  their  own  industry,  and  which  few  landlords  are  entitled  to,  either  for 
foresight  in  their  investments,  or  any  efforts  to  promote  public  interests. 

Lumber,  Shingles  and  Lath. — For  many  years  this  young  city  has  held 
the  position  of  the  largest  lumber  market  in  the  world.  Figures  have  been 
so  enormous, — and  last  season  largest  of  all — that  I  designed  to  compare 
receipts  at  the  other  chief  points  with  this.  But  space  cannot  be  wasted 
with  that  superfluity.     A  circular  of  Messrs.  "Woolner  &  Garrick  remarks: — 


Alb.  receipts 
half  those  of 
Clii. 


The  total  receipts  of  lumber  at  this  port  will  more  than  double  the  total*  receipts 
at  Albany,  where,  up  to  the  8th  of  November,  only  357,000,000  feet  were  received 
against  760,000,000  feet  here.  If  we  look  at  the  business  in  a  general  view,  with- 
out going  into  a  detailed  case  here  or  there,  it  may  be  safely  said  that  the  trade 
Trade  fair,  has  been  pretty  fair,  with  a  decent  remuneration  to  all  parties.  The  stocks  on 
hand  here  in  the  spring  were  so  light  that  the  loss  on  them  was  unimportant  to  the 
holder.  A  number  of  speculators  with  limited  means  and  less  capacity  for  or 
knowledge  of  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  but  enticed  into  it  by  the  splendid  results 
of  former  years,  have  paid  dearly  for  their  experience,  and  will  necessarily  retire 
from  the  trade,  leaving  the  business  to  more  able  and  sagacious  hands.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  the  products  of  the  woods  tor  the  coming  winter  will  fall  short  rather 
than  exceed  those  of  last  season. 


807.635.000 
feet  1867. 


730,000,000 
feet  1866. 

647.000,000 
feet  1865. 


Receipts  the  past  season  were  given,  P.  61,  except  of  some  hard-wood 
lumber  by  rail — lumber  eight  hundred  seven  millions,  six  hundred  and 
thing-five  thousand  feet;  shingles  234,818,000;  lath,  145,11(5,000.  The 
last  report  of  the  Board  of  Trade  says  of  the  market  of  1866-7  : — 

The  receipts  of  Lumber  during  the  past  year  were  730,057,108  feet,  against  647,- 
145,734  feet  for  the  year  previous,  an  increase  of  82,911,434  feet.  About  live  per 
cent,  of  the  receipts  were  brought  hither  by  Railroad  from   Indiana  and  Michigan 

consisting    mostly   of   hard    wood  lumber.      Notwithstanding    that  the  receipts 

showed  such  a  material  increase,  the  trade  was  prosperous  and  the  market  was 
very  uniform  throughout  the  season  of  navigation.  The  extension  of  railroads  to 
the  far  West  is  constantly  opening  up  new  sources  of  demand,  and  the  trade  must 
steadily  increase  each  succeeding  year. 


Receipts 
lumber,  4c. 
11  yrs.,  Bhip- 
mcuts  8  jrs. 


Receipts  Lumber,  Shingles,  Lath  11  years,  Shipments  8  years. 


St.  L.  Rep. 
deflrii-iit. 
Ho.  JJ'in. 


RECEIPTS. 

SHIPMENTS. 

Tear. 

Lumber. 

Shingles. 

Lath. 

Lumber. 

Shingles. 

Lath. 

1R56 

441,^61,900 
459,633,000 
278,04:5.1)00 
302,84.-),2()7 
262,494,620 
249,«0H,7ii.5 
305,>i74,04'; 
413.301,818 
.501  J592.406 
647.145,734 
730,057,168 

135,87R,('00 
131,832,000 
I27..;6'i,0(i0 
105,927,' ")0 
l-25,8u4,ll0l) 
7y,366,'(lil 
131,2.^.'),()()() 
172  364,878 
190,1 69,7  ,fi0 
310.897,350 
400,125,250 

79,235,120 

80.13it,OiY, 
44.559,001) 
49,lil2UOU 
3f;,601,ii()0 
32,6".7,Ollo 
23.s8>)  IMIil 
41,768,000 
65  953,900 
66,075,100 
123,992,400 

1857 

1858 

1859 

226,1  \:0,3S9 
.  22:),372,:!;0 
189,:>76  44o 
189.279.079 
221,79>,330 
21.9,496,579 
3 '5,353.678 
422,313,2t:6 

195,117.700 
16>,:()2,52'> 
94  421,lf-6 
55,7 'i  1,630 
102,6.34,447 
13S,49;.256 
258  3.^1.4-.0 
422,339,715 

28,236,585 
3  .',170,420 
31,282,725 
1 6,966  6lJ0 
30,293,247 
;62  2,010 
61,516,.S95 
74,265,405 

1860 

18>;i 

1S62 

1»63 

1864-.5 

186.T-6 

1866-7 

The  St.  Louis  Trade  Report  has  no  lumber  department,  nor  does  the 
Annual  Review  in  the  St.  Louis  Journal  of  Commerce  allude  to  it.  The 
Democrat,  January  1st,  remarks : — 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicajo  Investments.  171 

St.  Louis  is  notat  present  as  important  a  distributing;  point  for  lunibcrassomeof  her  ^'il'ir  cltio» 
near  neigiihors,  yet  considerable  is  marketed  here,  ami  jirices  at  iliis  jioini  are  look.d  ''"*^"'''  '" 
for  with  much  eagerness  by  all  the  raftsmen  in  tlie  upper  country.      We  Imvc  nunirr-  ''""'''-•'"■'"^° 
ous   readers  among  the  pineries  of  the  Wisconsin   ami  Black    rivers   of  Wisconsin, 
and  Minnesota  side  of  the  St..  Croix,  and  awayup  in  the  more  northern  pinerii's  ofihe 
headwaters  of  the  Mississippi  and  Otter  Tail  lake  regions  of  Minnesota,  and  know-  tipixT-MlM 
ing  they  will  read  with  interest  a  statement  of  the  business  of  the  year,  we  give   it 
as  near  as  possible,  without  pretending  to  exactness,  as  there  is  no  record  kept  of 
the  receipts  by  river  which  can  claim  the  merit  of  absolute  pcrfeclion. 

X«?n6er.— Receipts  by  raft  have  been  not  far  from  40,(«)U,U()t)  feet  during  the  year,  ^nmnlm 
Receipts  by  rail  have  been  too  inconsiderable  to  notice,  not  amounting  to  more  than  luL-tl867. 
80,000  feet.  Very  few  changes  have  taken  place  in  the  price  of  lumber  during  the 
year.  In  May  the  new  cuttings  began  to  be  looked  for,  and  as  early  as  the  first 
week  sales  to  arrive  of  over  half  a  million  feet  were  made  at  $24  to  Sl'iJ,  afloat  and 
on  the  bank.  The  floods  everywhere  prevailing  at  this  season  did  considerable 
damage  to  booms  and  retarded  receipts,  but  rather  stiffened  prices.  The  market 
held  up  through  May,  and  into  June,  but  before  July  20  prices  were  sotiiewhat 
depressed,  and  we  note  sales  of  450,000  feet  Chippeway,  at  $lb  to  §!'.»  afloat.  In 
August  the  market  regained  its  tone,  and  $20  in  the  water,  and  $2:5  on  the  bank 
were  paid,  with  light  receipts  and  good  demand.  There  was  an  increase  in  receipts, 
however,  in  the  next  six  weeks,  and  prices  declined  to  $17(>^17  50  afloat  for  Chip- 
peway, at  which  price  the  market  remained  steady  for  the  balance  of  the  season. 

Shitiffles. — Receipts  have  been  very  light,  approximating  10,000,000  by  all  routes,  shingles 

Lath. — Receipts  were  fully  4,000,000  during  the  year,  but  the  demand  was  more  Lm^ 
than  up  to  the  supply. 

That  is,  she  received  ahoxxt  Jive  j^er  cent,  of  the  Chicago  amount  of  lumber,  ■'>  p<t  cent, 
and    still   less  of  shingles    and    lath.     Our   stock    on    hand    in   1858  wascdpu.' 
173,474,033,  in  1867,  171,068,504,  the  two  highest  amounts;  and  interme- 
diate years  the  surplus  runs  down  to  the  lowest  in  1863,  73,000,000.     Allow- 
ing the  average  to  be  120,000,000,  we  carry  over  about  three  times  herentire 
receipts.     She  would  probably  do  better,  had  she  proper  gratitude  for  what  cugratefui. 
she  has.     No  account  seems  to  be  made  of  receipts  from  Chicago.     Could 
shipments    by    rail    and  canal    to  St.  Louis   have    been    ascertained,  they 
would    have    shown    her   indebtedness    here    quite   as   much   for    lumber 
as  for  wheat.      It  is  an  ungrateful   slight  to   run   away  off   to  the    head(>i,i.8iigi,ted 
waters  of  the  Mississippi  to  find  interested  parties,  and  forget  Chicago. 

For  several  years  our  shipments  have  been  only  about  one-half  the  receipts,  ohi.  con- 
showing  consumption  of  100,000,000  to  300,000,000.     How  eouid  Chicago""""'""''' 
grow  as  she  does,  had  she  such  a  miserable  little  lumber  market  ?     With 
neither  capital  nor  time  to  build  of  brick  to  meet  pressing  demands,  it  will 
be  a  cheaper  means  to  stop  her  growth  for  St.  Louis  to  set  her  Aliens  to  buy-  ^  p,„„  ,^ 
ing  and  burning  Chicago  lumber,  instead  of  buying  up  adverse  railroads.  gp^^thT 
And  burning  property  to  make  insurance  money  being  peculiarly  a  Chicago 
trick,  would  it  not  be  easy  for  their  sagacious  business  men  to  arrange  with 
our  lumber  dealers  to  their  mutual  advantage  ?     Evidently  we  arc  in  a  con- 
dition to   need  preservation,   however  it  may  be  with  St.  Louis,  and  we  will 
next  consider — 


172 


Chi.  Salt  re- 
ceipts 12  yrs. 


Commerce  of  Chicago   Compared  loith   St.  Louis. 

Receipts  and  Shipments  of  Salt  at   Chicago,  for  Twelve   Ycafi 


Years. 

Keceived, 
Barrels. 

Forwarded, 
Barrels. 

Years. 

Received,           Forwarded, 
li.irrels.              Barrels. 

170.623 
184,834 
2U(),946 
834  997 
316,291 
255.148 

r    107993 

'"■     8:i,60l 

90.918 

191.279 

2.57.847 

,  172,963 

1861 

390,499 
f  6i2.0u3 

77  >.3  4 
[[6-0.346 

611,025 

496,827 

319,140 

1862 

520,227 

1S63 

579,694 

186V5 

483,443 

1865-6 

444,827 

1866-7 

452,587 

St.  L.  Salt 
receipts  12 


Receipts  of  Salt  at  St.   Louis  for  Twelve    Years. 


Years. 

Barrels. 

Sacks. 

Years. 

Barrels. 

Sacks.J 

1S67 

141,674 
1 34,-542 
170.814 
133.362 
89,683 
102,538 

79,025 
88,013 
83  221 
46,698 
56,118 
107,508 

1861 

No  record. 
86,387 
36,083 
43.'  63 
4-5,665 
36,759 

No  record. 

11-66                 

1860 

399,576 

1869 

328,280 

1864                   

1858 

451,275 

1863                              

18.07 

308,170 

1856 

460,806 

) 

Relative 
changes  in 
trade. 


Chi.  receipts 
Wool  12  yrs. 


The  St.  Louis  Democrat,  it  will  be  remembered,  stated  in  1861,  p.  112,  tbat 
the  contest  with  Chicago  fairly  began  in  1857.  Then  we  were  ahead  even 
in  salt,  supposing  two  sacks  equivalent  to  a  barrel,  and  the  last  five  years  we 
double  and  triple  her.  Our  consumption  in  that  time,  deducting  shipments 
from  receipts,  equals  her  gross  receipts  into  less  than  100,000  bbls;  a  two 
months  stock  for  us,  and  six  for  her. 

Receipts  and  Shipments  of  Wool  at  Chicago,  for  Twelve  Years 


Year. 

Received, 
Pounds. 

Forw'ded. 
Pounds, 

Year. 

Received. 
Pounds. 

Forw'ded. 
Pounds. 

1855           

1,94.3,415 
1,853,920 
1,106,821 
1,053,626 
918,319 
859,248 

2,158,462 

57-5,908 

1,062,781 

1,038.674 

934,595 

839,269 

1871 

1,184.208 
1,523,571 
2,831,194 
4,304,388 
7,639,749 
12,200,640 

1,360,617 

1856 

1862 

2,101,514 

1857 

186.3-4 

3,435,967 

18-58 

1864-5 

7,554,379 

1859. 

1865  6 

9,923,069 

I860 

1866  7  

12,891,933 

St.  L.  re- 
ceipts Wool 
11  yrs. 


Receipts  of  Wool  at  St.  Louis,  for  Eleven  Years. 


1867 12,040  pkgs. 

1806 9,205   " 

1565 10,559   " 

1864 8,129   " 

1863 6,259   " 

1862 6,176   " 


1861 2,608  pkgs. 

1860 7,696   " 

18-59 , .5,121   " 

1858 3,671   '" 

18.57 2,935  " 


St.  L  Trade, 
report. 


In  the  receipts  of  wool  it  is  impossible  to  give  an  estimate  as  to  the  number  of 
pounds,  as  it  is  received  in  different  kinds  of  packagres.  The  exports  being  entirely 
in  bales,  may  be  averaged  at  200  pounds  to  the  bale,  making  the  exports  for  the 
three  past  years  in  pounds,  2,38.3,600  for  1807,  1,711,400  for  1806, 1,878,800  for  1865. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Cliicaijo  Iiiveatmcnts  ITIt 

Here,  too,  we  lead  her,  and  more  than  four-fuld. 

Are  not  these  items  abundantly  suffioioiit  to  establi.-^li   the  correctness  of ''^••"' '••>"• 
Mr.  Wells'  report  as  amended?     Aud  aUhouirh  the  reports  of  Ixith  cities "^'"•"'«" 
have  been  carefully  compared,  I  can  see  no  one  item  except  rcccijits  of  lead, 
and  in  flour  manufactured,  in  which  she  is  ahead.     Doubtless,  however,  in 
some  articles,  as  sugar,  her  trade  is  largest.     I  regret  not  having  fjgurcH  20  ou  fleurM 
years  ago  to  exhibit  her  large  supremacy  which  in  only  about  half  that  time  **"'*■"'• 
— for  railroads  had  little  power  till  185(5  or  7,  when  the  contest  really  began, 
as  they  say — has  not  only  been  destroyed,  but  our  own    established  to  an 
almost  equal  degree.     This,  it  may  be  repeated,  has  been  done  in  the  veryc„„^t  ^^ 
field  which  she  wholly  possessed,  and  felt  herself  as  secure  in  holding,  a.s  that 
of  her  own  State,  or  even  her  own  county.     With  the  current  thu.H  setting 
hither  irresistibly,  are  our  business  men  likely  to  oppose'/     A\'ill  they  not,  — •h»ii  »• 
on  the  other  hand,  be  on  the  alert  to  avail  themselves  of  the  jir'sti</i:  now  ;„"'''''*'' 
our  favor,  which  hitherto  has  been  in  hers  ?     No  one  can  estimate  the  benfits  Pre-tige 
to  her  of  the  hitherto  unquestioned  belief  of  the  public,  that  she  had  an  ^'""'' 
impregnable  natural  position,  and  the  confident  expectations  that  she  uiu.st 
become  the  great  inland   city.     She  was  no  genuine  Samson,  as  Mr.  Cobb 
imagined,  (p.  39);  for  this  her  hair  has  been   proved  false,  in  which  her 
imagined  strength  lay.     Shorn  even  of  this,  her  fancied  supremacy  vani.^hcs. 
Yet   only  supremacy  has  gone.     Even  if  the    city  at    the  Big   Bend   of  stiii  to  gnw 
the  Missouri  also  eclipse  her,  still  she  will   grow  speedily  to  half  a  million, 
perhaps  a  million.     All  depends  upon  her  own  energies.     Cincinnati,  acknowl-  cin.  wu©— 
edging  that  she  is  beaten,  and  realizing  the  necessity  of  great  efibrt  to  resist 
the  Chicago-ward  tendency  of  business,  is  in  a  proper  state  to  maintain  her 
true  relative  position;  and  the  sooner  St.  Louis  comes  to  the  same  condition,  — st.L.tofoi. 
the  better  for  her. 

So  far,  however,  from  realizing  the  force  of  what  they  themselves  admit  ?tiiir.iio« 
on  all  sides,  as  we  have  seen,  and  no  one  of  them  can  deny,  that  whatever  |X 'in uk'-«. 
advantage  they  had  in  the  river  trade  in  the  day  of  steamboats,  has  vanished 
in  the   day  of  railway  ascendancy;  they  still  vaunt  and  rely  upon  their 
"natural   position."      Prof   Waterhouse   published   in    Hunt's  Merchants'  ^^•^^"'^ 
Magazine  July,  1866,  an  interesting  paper  upon  this  grandiloquent  theme, 
which  if  true,  proves  this  paper  false.     It  is  reprinted  with  .some  alteration 
in  the  St.  Louis  Trade  Report  for  18G6  under  the  caption, — 

MISSOURI: 

St.  Lours  the  (^^ommercial  Centre  of  North  America.  5i.  L.com. 

rnnlro  of 
.\.  .\. 

St.  Louis  is  ordained  by  the  decrees  of  physical  nature  to  become  the  grent  inland  or,iiin«j  bj 
metropolis  of  this  continent.  It  cannot  escape  the  magniticence  ot  its  destiny,  nature. 
Greatness  is  the  necessity  of  its  position.  New  York  may  he  the  head,  hut  St. 
Louis  will  be  the  heart  of  America.  The  stream  of  traffic  which  must  flow  through 
this  mart  will  enrich  it  with  alluvial  deposits  of  gold.  Its  central  location  and 
facilities  of  communication  unmistakably  indicate  the  Icadinsr  part  whioh  this  city 
will  take  in  the  exchange  and  distribution  of  the  products  of  the  Missioaippi 
Valley.  *  »  * 


174  Commerce  of  Chicago   Compared  with  St.  Louis. 

Geog. centre.  St.  Louis  very  nearly  bisects  the  direct  distance  of  1,400  miles  between  Superior 
Ci(y  and  the  Balize.  It  is  the  geographical  centre  of  a  valley  which  embraces  1,200,- 
000  square  miles.  In  its  course  of  3,200  miles  the  Mississippi  borders  upon 
Missouri  470  miles.  Of  the  3,000  miles  of  the  Missouri,  500  lie  within  the  limits  of 
our  own  State.     St.  Louis  is  mistress  of  more  than  16,500  miles  of  river  navigation. 

otherpoiDts.  Where  the  asterisks  are  above,  latitude,  lougitude,  etc.,  are  given,  and  a 
table  of  distances  from  other  points  on  the  long  rivers,  Ft.  Benton  on  the 
Missouri,  being  3,100  miles;  and  another  table  of  distances  by  rail  from 

Conclusion    chief  cities  interior,  and  on  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  coasts.     What   else  is 

teaiity.  necessary  to  prove  St.  Louis'  centrality  ?  Hence  the  next  paragraph.  A 
description  follows  of  St.  Louis  as  she  now  is ;  a  list  of  railroads  within  the 
State,  950  miles  including  that  traitorous  Hannibal  and  St.  Joe  road ;  and 
losing  sight  of  this,  and  that  other  routes  might  prove  equally  disadvant- 

Prospective  ageous  to  St.  Louis,  though  serviceable  to  the  State — is  not  that  the  reason 

railways.  a  j  ci 

that  "  Missouri"  heads  the  article  ? — the  Professor  introduces  a  magnificent 
prospective  of  railways,  which  must  prove  St.  Louis'  centrality,  if  it  had  not 
been  done  previously. 

N.  Mo.  road.  The  Directors  intend  to  complete  the  extension  of  the  North  Missouri  to  the  Iowa 
line,  where  it  will  connect  with  the  whole  system  of  Iowa  railroads,  by  the  first  of 
July,  1867.  The  work  upon  the  west  branch  of  the  North  Missouri,  whose  ultimate 
destination  is  Kansas  City  and  Leavenworth,  is  rapidly  advancing. 

10,000  miles       A  vast  enlargement  of  our  railroad  facilities  is  contemplated.     More  than  10,000 

contemplat-  miles  of  new  lines  have  been  projected  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi.     A  quar- 

^^-  ter  of  a  century  may  elapse  before  the  completion  of  these  extensions  ;  yet  the  very 

conception  of  them  shows  that  the  public  mind  is  alive  to  the  importance  of  ampler 
means  of  communication  with  the  States  and  Territories  of  the  Far  West.  Most  of 
these  roads  have  received  grants  of  l:ind  from  the  Government,  and  upon  some   of 

Chief  termi-   th3   lines  the   work   is   already   far  advanced.     The  terminal  points  of   the  most 

nal  points,     important  roads  are  : 

Superior  City  and  New  Orleans,  via  St.  Paul,  St.  Louis  and  Memphis 

LakeSupr-ii       St.  Louis  and  San  Francisco,  via  Kansas  City  and  Salt  Lake. 

Pacific. '~         Kansas  City  and  Ft.  Benton,  via  Omaha. 

Leavenworth  and  Galveston,  via  Lawrence. 

St.  Louis  and  San  Diego,  via  Springfield. 

The  extension  of  this  last  line  from  Rolla,  merely  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Mis- 

maybeTi-"   souri  would  be  an  incalculable  benefit.     The  trade  of  the  northwestern  roads  may 

verted.  be  partially  diverted  from  St.   Louis  by  the  construction   of  rival  lines.     But  the 

Southwest  Branch,  by  its  advantages  of  situation,  will  compel  all  connecting  lines 

S. W.sure.  to  be  subsidiary  to  itself;  and  its  commerce,  constantly  swelled  by  the  traffic  of 
tributary  roads,  must  necessarily  flow  to  St.   Louis. 

s.L.  learning     Railways,  especially  important  lines,  are  not  better  apprehended  than  dif- 
ficulties ;  and  is  not  here  seen  an  inkling  of  following  the  lead  of    Cincin- 
nati, and  depending  upon  trade  south  and  southwest  ?    That  would  be  prudent. 
Then    follows   an    interesting  statement   of   the  present    business  and    its 
■Wonderful    accomodations — which  is  truly  wonderful,  even  if  San  Francisco  and  Chicago 
have  eclipsed  her  in  speed — when  the  Professor  perceives  that,  notwithstand- 
ing this  natural  location,  all  these  river  facilities,  many  railroads  built  and 
Relative  de-]  ^'^fc  prospective,  her  large  wealth,  her  thoroughly  established  trade  ;  that 
crease-       relative  progress  is   not  maintained,  and  that  much  is  to  be  done.     In  im- 
— why?        mediate    connection,    too,  he    considers   why  she    has   deoliued    relatively, 
finding  the  main  cause  in  the  "  rebellion," — 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  175 

The  length  of  these  lines  of  transportation,  the  slowness  of  our  present  means  of  Phc  r<«(l 
communication,  and  the  magnitude  of  our  territorial  population  and  trade,  forcil)ly  "'^•'-■'^'=''- 
illustrate  the  necessity  of  a  Pacific   Railroad. 

The  foregoing  summaries  exhibit  the  commerce   of  the  Mississippi  Valley  with  MininR  trade 
the  mountains.     But  while  St.  Louis  does  not  monopolize    the  trade  of  the  gold  uiunupoliied 
regioiis,  it  yet  sends  to  the  territories   by  far  the   largest  portion  of  their  s^upplioa. 
Even  in  cases  where  merchandise  has  been  procured  at  intermediate  points,  it  is 
probable  that  the  goods  were  originally  purchased  at  St.  Louis. 

During  the  rebellion  the  commercial    transactions  of  Cincinnati   and  Chicago,  Rebellion 
doubtless  exceeded  those  of  St.  Louis.     The  very  events  which  prostrated  our  trade  imrt  St.  L. 
stimulated  theirs  into  an  unnatural   activity.    Their  sales  were   enlarged   by  the 
traffic  which  was  wont  to  seek  this  market.     Our  loss  was  their  gain. 

The  Southern  trade  of  St.  Louis  was  utterly  destroyed  by  the  blockade  of  the.s„iitii.  trade 
Mississippi.     The  disruption   by  civil   commotions   of  our  commercial   intercourse  <i'--'tnjyi-d— 
with  the  interior   of  Missouri  was  nearly  complete.     The   trade  of  the   Northern 
States,  bordering  upon  the  Mississippi,  was  still  unobstructed.     But  the  merchants  of  —North  in- 
St.  Louis  could  not  alFord  to  buy  commodities  which  they  were  unable  to  sell,  andjured. 
country  dealers   would   not  purchase  their  goods  where  they  could  not  dispose  of 
their  produce.     Thus  St.  Louis,  with  every  market  wholly  closed  or  greatly  restricted,  st.  I>.  para- 
vras  smitten  with  a  commercial  paralysis.     The  prostration  of  business  was  general  l.vzfi. 
and  disastrous.     No  comparison  of  claims  can  be  just  which  ignores  the  circum 
stances  that,  during  the  rebellion,  retarded  the  commercial  growth  of  St.  Louis,  yet 
fostered  that  of  rival  cities. 

Nothing  more  clearly  demonstrates  the  geopraphical  superiority  of  St.  Louis  than  Govt,  action 
the  action   of  the   Government  during  the  war.     Notwithstanding  the  strenuous  r"'''\''';<^^°' 
competition  of  other  cities,  our  facilities  for  distribution,  and  a  due  regard  for  its  "^^  '  ^' 
own  interests,  compelled  the  Government  to   make  St.  Louis  the  Western  base  of 
supplies  and  transportation.     During  the  rebellion,  the  transactions  of  the  Govern- 
ment at  this  point  were  very  large. 

That   St.  Louis  should  have  been  made  the   base  of  supplies   was  quite  Prevalent 

n  1  1        •  1  11      absuri'ity 

natural,  because  of  her  contiguity  to  the  seat  of  war ;  though  without  doubt  helps  su  L 
it  was  owing  quite  as  much  to  the   prevalent  absurdity  we  are  endeavoring 
to  combat,  that  she  is  the  natural  centre  of  the  Republic.     ]jut  it  happens  currents 
unfortunately  for  our   "  beautiful  rival "  of  the  rivers,  that  before  the  war  forl^war. 
began,  as  we  ,saw  pp.  Ill — 114,  business  was  altering  its  currents  according 
to  natural  laws.     It  was  predicted  in  1861,  p.  19,  "that  changes  it  would 
have  required  five  years  to  effect  in  the  ordinary   course  of  events,   will 
now  be  made  in  a  year  or  two."     Were  they  not  ? 

But  how  happens  it  that  these  years  of  peace  exhibit  receipts  of  grain  at  J^^yj^.^*- 
Chicago  in  1865,  in  round  numbers,  45,000,000,  at  St.  Louis,  17,000,000  ;p"elicer 
in  1866,  Chicago  53,000,000,  and  St.  Louis  22,000,000;  in  1807,  Chictigo 
66,000,000,  and  St.  Louis  17,000,000  ?     The  inference  is  natural  that  Chicago 
must  have  a  superior  territory  to  St.  Louis,-  from  which  to  draw  her  supplies,  p.^mp  area 
But  this  has  been  provided  against  by  the  tables  exhibiting  the  same  sources.  "^^^''^ 
Directly  against  fact  and  reason,  the  Professor  argues  or  rather  asserts  :— 

The  National  exigencies  forced  the  Government  to  select  the  best^  point  of  distri-  St;l.eon.^^^ 
bution.     The  choice  of  the  Federal  authorities  is  a  conclusive  proof  of  the  commercial  ^  ;„j,j,„y 
superiority  of  St.  Louis.  ....       depot. 

The  conquest  of  treason  has  restored  to  this  mart  the  use  of  its  na  ural  facilities,  p^,^^^  ^o 
Trade  is  rapidly  regaining   its  old  channels.     On  its  errands  of  exchange,  it  visits  «t. ;-' advai.. 
the  islands  of  the  sea,  traverses  the  ocean,  and  explores  foreign  lands      It  penetrates  t«6e.. 
every  State  and  Territory  in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  from  Alabama  and  New  Mexico  to 
Minnesota  and  Montana.     It  navigates  every  stream  that  pours  its  tributary  waters 
into  the  Mississippi. 


176  Commerce  of  Chicago   Compared  with  St.  Louis. 

Is  that  true?  If  t^ere  be  any  truth  in  that,  why  are  directly  contrary  results  witnessed  ? 
Does  not  the  Professor  know  that  truth  is  always  consistent  with  itself?  If 
"  trade  is  rapidly  regaining  its  old  channels,"  the  leading  business  men  and 
papers  of  St.  Louis  have  a  sad  method  of  demonstration,  as  these  pages 
attest.  They  will  do  well  to  seek  instruction  from  this  Professor.  But 
Prof.w.  con- notwithstanding  the  grandiloquence  with  which  the  lie  is  given  to  all  these 
tradicts him- ^^j^^^.  Writers  and  speakers,  the  Professor  himself  goes  directly  on  to  say: — 

^.fl,    ,,.  But  St.  Louis  can  never  realize  its  splendid  possibilities  without  effort.     The  trade 

of St^L."'^     of  the  vast  domain  lying   ea^t  of  the  Rocky   Mountains  and   south  of  the  Missouri 

river,  is   naturally   tributary    to   this    mart.     St.  Louis,  by  the  exercise  of  forecast 

nu-       J.    t.  and  vigor,  can  easily  control  the  commerce  of  1,000,000  square  miles.     But  there  is 

_^i.energe    ^j,ggjj  °  jjgp^   of  exertion.     Chicago   is  an   energetic  rival.      Its   lines   of  railroad 

pierce   every   portion  of  the  Northwest.     It  draws  an   immense  commerce  by  its 

network  of  railways.     The  meshes  which  so  closely  interlace  all  the  adjacent  country 

gather  rich  treasures  from  the  tides  of  commerce. 

Her  rail-  Chicago  is  vigorously  extending  its  lines   of  road  across  Iowa  to  the  Missouri 

roads.  river.     The  completion  of  these  roads  will  inevitably  divert  a  portion  of  the  Montana 

trade  from  this  city  to  Chicago.     The  energy  of  an  unlineal  competitor  may  usurp 

the  legitimate  honors  of  the  imperial  heir.      St.  Louis  cannot  afford  to  continue  the 

Trust  In  na-™a'Sterly  inactivity  of  the  old  Teijhne.     A  traditional  and  passive  trust  in  the  efficacy 

ture  not        of  natural  advantages  will  no  longer  be  a  safe  policy.     St  Louis  must  make  exertions 

safe.  equal  to  its  strength  and  worthy  of  its  opportunities.     It  must  not  only  form  great 

plans  of  commercial  enterprise,  but  must  execute   them  with  an  energy  defiant  of 

failure.     It  must  complete  its   projected  railroads  to  the  mountains,  and  span  the 

must  do.*      'Mississippi  at   St.  Louis   with  abridge   whose    solidity  of  masonry  shall  equal  the 

massiveness  of  Roman  architecture,  and  whose  grandeur  shall  be  commesurate  with 

the  future   greatness  of  the   Mississippi  Valley.     The  structure  whose  arches  will 

bear   the  transit  of  a  continental  commerce  should  vie   with  the  great  works  of 

all  time,  and  be  a  monument  to  distant  ages  of  the  triumph  of  civil  engineering  and 

the  material  glory  of  the  Great  Republic. 

Why  does         I^  ^^  naturally  tributary  to  St.  Louis,  why  this  indispensable  effort  ?     Is 

gt^^^j^"''**  nature  so  false  to  its  votary — -and  where  can  a  more  devout  worshipper  be 

found  than  the  Queen  of  the  Rivers  ? — as  that  "  the  energy  of  an  unlineal 

competitor  may  usurp  the  legitimate  honors  of  the  imperial  heir  ?"     Is  that 

a  sample  of  logic  or  ethics  taught  in  Washington  University? 

Practical  ad-      ^^^  Considerations  of  Chicago,  give  the  Professor's  thoughts  quite  a  prac- 

heeded.  "^     tical  turn.     It  remains  to  be  seen  whether  St.  Louisians  will  heed  the  counsel 

and  do  what  they  may  and  should  to  retain  trade  west  and  south  of  them, 

which  otherwise  surely  comes  to  Chicago.     We,  too,  want  "  the  structure 

whose  arches  will  bear  the  transit  of  a  continental  commerce,  should  vie  with 

the  great  works  of  all  time  ;"  for  surely  as  that  time  and  bridge  last,  it  bears 

other  means  more  to  Chicago  than  to  St.  Louis.     That  naturally  brings  in  the  subject  of 

ture.  the  bridge  at  St.  Charles  over  the  Missouri.      Then    "  persfstent"    efforts 

could  induce  the  Government  to  establish  a  naval  depot  at  Carondelet.     Then 

THE  elevator  comes  in,  quoted  p.   156,  which  introduces  the  final  and  sure 

means  of  attaining  what  nature  against  herself  withholds,  and  art  has  hither. 

Barges  the    to  failed  to  supply.     Alas  that  nature  in  the  domain  of  the  Queen  of  the 

ance.  Rivers,  is  so  derelict  towards  her  most  faithful  devotee  that  barge-trade  is 

the  only  remedy  !     Is  that  according  to  art  or  nature  ? 

The  facilities  which  our  elevator  affords  for  the  movement  of  cereals,  have  given 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  17^ 

rise  to  a  new  system  of  transportation.     Tho  Mississippi   Valley  Transportation  >n.-.  v«i. 
Company  has  been  organized  for  tha  conveyance  of  grain  to  New  Orleans  in  barges  ''"'"'"'"■  ^'• 
Steam   tugs    of  immense   strength   have   been   built   for   the  use  of  the  company.' 
They  carry  no  freight.     They  are  simply  the  motive  power.     They  save  .lelay  t.y  It"  im-lnew, 
taking  fuel  for  the  round  trip.     Landing  only  at  tiie  large  cities,  they  stop  barely  '""'"«• 
long  enough  to  attach  a  loaded  barge.     By  this  sconomy  of  time  and  steady  move-  Mo,|o  of  vi. 
ment,  they  equal  the  speed  of  steamboats.     The  Mohawk  made  its  first  trip  from  crutioQ. 
St.  Louis  to  New  Orleans  in  six  days,  with  ten  barges  in  tow.     The  management  of 
the   barges  is  precisely  like  that  of  freight  cars.     The  barges  are  loaded  in  the 
absence  of  the  tug.     The  tug  arrives,  leaves  a  train  of  barges,  takes  another  and 
proceeds.     The  tug  itself  is  always  at  work.     It  does  not  lie  at  the  levee  while  the 
barges  are  loading.     Its  longest  stoppage  is  made  for  fuel. 

Steamboats  are  obliged  to  remain  in  port  two  or  three  days  for  the  shipment  of  a,       ,    ^ 
freight.     The  heavy  expense  which  this  delay,  and  the  necessity  for  large  crews  c.'m^urS. 
involve,  is  a  great  objection  to  the  old  system  of  transportation.     The  service  of 
the  steam  tug  requires  but  few  men,  and  the  cost  of  running  is  relatively  light. 
The  advantages  which  are  claimed  for  the  barge  system  are  exhibited  by  the  follow- 
ing table : — 

Tug  and  Barges.  Steatiibonts. 

Stoppage  at  intermediate  points 2  hours.  6  hours.      „,    . 

"         "terminal            "     24      "  48       "         Uy  and  co«t. 

Crew 15j  50 

Tonnage 25,000  tons.  1,500  tons. 

Daily  expense $200  $1,000 

Original   cost , $75,000  $100,000 

In  addition  to  the  ordinary  precautions  against  fire,  the  barges  have  this  unmis-  Firo  rUk«. 
takable  advantage  over  steamboats  :  they  can  be  cut  adrift  from  each  other,  and 
the  fire  restricted  to  the  narrowest  limits.     The  greater  safety  of  barges  ought  to 
secure  for  them  lower  rates  of  insurance.     The  barges  are  very  strongly  built,  and 
have  water-tight  compartments  for  the  movement  of  grain  in  bulk.     The  traiispor-  chfapi.css. 
tation  of  grain  from  Minnesota  to  New  Orleans,  by  water  costs  no  more  than  the 
freightage  from  the  same  point  to  Chicago.     After  the  erection  of  a  floating  eleva- 
tor at  New  Orleans,  a  boat  load  of  grain  from  St.  Paul  will  not  be  handled  again  Freight  to  N. 
till  it  reaches  the  Crescent  City. 

At  that  port  it  will  be  transferred  by  steam  to  the  vessel  which  will  convey  it  to  xhpnco  to 
New  York  or  Europe.     The  possible  magnitude  of  this  trade  may  be  inferred    from  Kuropo. 
the  fact  that  in  1865  Minnesota  alone  raised  10,000,000  bushels  of  wheat.     Three 
quarters  of  this  harvest  could  have  been  exported,  if  facilities  of  cheap   transpor-  jijnn.  sor 
tation  had  offered  adequate  inducement.     In  186G,  higher  prices,  which  produced  plu«. 
the  same  practical  result  as  cheaper  freightage,  led  to^the  exportation  of  8,000,000 
bushels. 

From  the  1st  of  May  to  the  25th  of  December,  1806,  the   tow  boats  of  this  city  noTohition- 
transported   120,000  tons   of  freight.     This    new   scheme   of  conveying  freight  by  izeriver 
barges  bids  fair  to  revolutionize  the  whole  carrying  trade  of  our  western  waters,  tiaao. 
It  will  materially  lessen  the  expense  of  heavy  transit,  and  augment  Uie  commerce 
of  the  Mississippi  River  in  proportion  to  the  reduction  it   effects  in  the  cost  of 
transportation.     The  improvement  which  facilitates  tho  carriage  of  our  cereals  'o 
market,  and  makes  it  more  profitable  for  the  farmer  to  sell  his  grain  than  to  burn  it.  ^^^^^^^'^ 
is  a  national  benefit.     This  enterprise,  which  may  yet  change  the  channel  of  cereal 
transportation,  shows  what  great  results  a  spirit   of  progressive  energy  may  ac- 
complish. 

The  mercantile  interests  of  the  West  imperatively  demand  the  improvement  of  the  Mi«'„«'>l'- 
Mississippi  and  its  main  tributaries.  This  is  a  workof  such  prime  and  transcendent  ""P  <^ 
importance  to  the  commerce  of  the  country,  that  it  challenges  the  cooperation  of 
the  Government.  A  commercial  marine  which  annually  transfers  tens  of  millions 
of  passengers,  and  cargoes,  whose  value  is  hundreds  of  milhous,  ought  not  to 
encounter  the  obstructions  which  human  efi^orts  can  remove.  The  yearly  io!<s  of 
property,  from  the  interruption  of  communication  and   wreck  of  boats,  reaches  a 

startling  aggregate.  .    ,       ..  •  •     i  •   .        .     c>   c>  t    >» 

For  the  accomplishment  of  an  undertaking  so  vital  to  its  municipal  inferes ts,  St.  |.'^^^- ,;,» ,^_ 
Louis  should  exert  its  mightiest  energies.     The  prize  for  which  conipetition  strives 
is  too  splendid  to  be  lost  by  default.     The  Queen  City  of  the  West  should  not  volun- 
tarily abdicate  its  commercial  sovereignty. 


j-3  Commerce  of  Cliicago   Compared  iclth   St.  Louis. 

Europe  to         If   the   emigrant   merchants    of   America   and   Europe,    who   recognize   in   the 
help  fuliill    geographical  position  of  St.  Louis  the  guarantee  of   mercantile   supremacy,  wiT 
prophecy,      ^g^ome  citizens  of  this  metropolis,  they  will  aid  in  bringing  to  a  speedier  fulfillment 
the  prophesies  of  its  greatness.     The  current  of  western  trade  must  flow  through 
the  heart  of  this  valley.  .,,   .,     -m    .   i       .1       •*  •       wi. 

St  L  to  keep  The  march  of  St.  Louis  will  keep  equal  step  with  the  West,  located  as  it  is,  at  the 
pace'witU  intersection  of  the  river  which  traverses  zones,  and  the  railway  which  belts  the 
West.  continent,  with  divergent  roads  from  this  centre  to  the  circumference  of  the  country. 

Growth  im-  St  Louis 'enjoys  commercial  advantages  which  must  inevitably  make  it  the  greatest 
mense.  inland  emporium  of  America.     The  movement  of  our  vast  harvests  and  the  distri- 

bution of  the  domestic  and  foreign  merchandize  required  by  the  myiiad  thousands 
who  will,  in  the  near  future,  throng  this  valley,  will  develope  St.  Louis  to  a  size 
proportioned  to  the  vastness  of  the  commerce  it  will  transact.  This  metropolis 
will  not  only  be  the  centre  of  Western  enchanges,  but  also,  if  ever  the  seat  of 
Government  is  transferred  from  its  present  locality,  the  capitol  of  the  nation. 
Dniversftl  St.  Louis,  strong  with  the  energies  of  youthful  freedom,  and  active  in  the  larger 

friendship,  ^nd  more  genial  labors  of  peace,  will  greet  the  merchants  of  other  States  and  lands 
with  a  friendly  welcome,  afford  them  the  opportunities  cf  fortune,  and  honor  their 
services  in  the  achievement  of  its  greatness. 

Snmiofthe        rrv^-f  jg  i\^q  conclusion,  and  in  large  measure  the  substance,  of  an  areu- 

thearga-,  -"^    '  .  , 

'"'"'*•  ment  supposed  to  prove  the  truth  of  its  caption  ;   at  least  to  be  in  its  favor. 

Why  Missouri  is  put  prominently  on  the  lead,  doth  not  appear.  Perhaps  it 
will  be  influential  to  bring  traitors  in  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joe  region,  and 
others  in  the  "  flank  movement"  region,  to  their  allegiance,  and  generate  a 

Nature  not    patriotic  Spirit  in  filling  up  those  gaps.     For  as   "  St.  Louis  is  ordained  by 

false!  ^'^°^*'  the  decrees  of  physical  nature  tojbecome  the  great  inland  metropolis  of  this 
continent ;  it  cannot  escape  the  magnificence  of  its  destiny."  Neither  Pro- 
fessor Waterhouse,  nor  any  other  good  citizen  desires  to  see  nature  fail  in  any 
of  its   ordinations.     Yet,  if  "  greatness  is  the  necessity   of  its  position," 

Art  or  na.    either  nature  or  art  has  made  a  good  deal  of  mistake :  or  such  changes  in 

tare  blun-  °  /  <j 

d«"«-  the  relative  business  in  favor  of  Chicago  and  against  St.  Louis,  would  not 

have  been  witnessed. 

the^^        Has  it,  then,  come  to  this,  that  nature  herself  depends  upon  barge  trade 

tionofart?  ^^  fulfil  her  ordinatious  ?*  Is  the  barge  system  of  transportation  so  superior 
to  all  other  appliances  of  art,  that  it  can  more  than^counterpoise  the  lack  of 
railways,  and  even  make  good  nature's  deficiencies  ?  Evidently  nature's 
highways  are  still  relied  upon  ;  and  with  this  wonderful  perfection  of  art  in 
barge-towing,  nature's  decrees  are  to  be  fulfilled  !  What  else  is  there 
of  the  argument  ? 

bM-gerCen-       How,  in  the  name  of  reason,  is  this  barge'system  to  benefit  St.  Louis  ? 

efitst.  L?  gi^g  ^jjj  haxe  less  than  ever  to  do  in  the  grain  trade.  While  "  toting"  was 
in  vogue  from  the  little  steamers  above  to  the  mammoth  steamers  below,  she 

*Thp  Secretary  remarks  in  the  Trade  Report,  introducing  Professor  Waterhouse's  paper: — 

Prof  ^Water-  '"^^^  ^i^'lowing  interesting  letter  is  one  of  a  series  of  papers  from  the  pen  of  of  Professors.  Waterhouse 

housea'B         °^  Washington  University,  and  will  be  found  full  of  interest  to  the  people  of  this  city  and  State.     Profes 

paper.  Bor  Waterhouse  is  about  publishing  his  articles  in  pamphlet  form,  and  all  classes  of  our  citizens  should 

assist  him  in  his  work,  as  it  will  be  the  means  of  diffusing  useful  and  valuable  information  concerning  the 

_     .       _        great  State  of  Missouri,  and  St.  Louis,  its  commercial  capital.'' 

RAther  Pick' 

wlckian.  Although  a  view  of  the  Professor  looking  at  the  future  grandeur  of  St.  Louis  with  barge-spectacles 

reminds  one  somewhat  of  the  venerable  Mr.  Pickwick,  the  author  is  evidently  sincere  and  earnest,  and 

must  be  treated  accordingly. 


PusI,  I'icsiiil  and  Future  of  Chlcajo  Investments.  179 

had  the  profit  of  the  "totint'."     But  with  barcrcs  loaded  up  the  river  for  ^'''P''"'*'' 

.  .  ■  ^  witli   toting. 

New  Orleans,  not  only  "  toting"  is   dispensed  with,  but  St.  Louis  elevators 

too.     If    St.  Louis   can  rejoice  in  a  commerce  consisting  in  tying  a  barge 

for  hours  or  days  to  her  levee  ;  or  in  seeing  a  squad  towed  past  her  without 

stopping,  she  will  no  doubt  have  her  abundant  grounds — or  rather  n-dtcr 

which  is  her  natural  glory.     But  at  Chicago  a  transfer  is  made  :  and  thoush  a  transfer  at 

at  small  cost,  yet  the  immense  amount  yields  good  revenues.     An  extract 

has  been  taken  from  a  Chicago  paper,  the   Rcpuhh'can,  I   think,  upon  this  P^i.  impers 

1  1      •      •  •  -1  upon — 

point;  though  it  is  over-generous  in  admitting  that  barges  will  be   towed 
over  the  lakes  : — 

The  Northwest  and  Transportation. — The  people  of  Minnesota  are  looking  forward  — Hk-  N.  W. 
to  the  time  when  a  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  shall  open  to  that  section  of  lliecoun-  "'"'  """"'^ 
try  another  commercial  outlet.     Senator  Ramsey's  proposition  for  the  construciion  •"'"^"""• 
of  such  a  railroad,  and  the  purchase  of  British  Columbia  and  the  Hudson  Bay  ter- 
ritory, only  reflected  the   prevailing  sentiments  of  his  constituents.     But  with   all 
due  deference  to  the  opinion  of  the  citizens  of  that  State,  we  would  suggest  that  the  junn  to 
desideratum  of  Minnesota  lies  in  quite  a  different  direction.     The  Atlantic,  and  not  M>-'k  Atl. 
the  Pacific,  is  the  ocean  to  which  Minnesota  grain  should  go.  "<''  l''"^- 

If  the  experiment  now  being  tried,  of  transporting  grain  to  Liverpool  by  way  of 
New  Orleans,  instead  of  New  York,  proves  successful,  the  great  bulk  of  cereals  ex-  B^go  sya- 
ported  from  the  Mississippi  Valley  will  drift  down  stream,  and  from  the  barges  be  *'■''"  °° 
loaded  into  ocean  vessels  by  means  of  floating   elevators.     We  believe  the  experi-"'"' 
ment  now  being  tried  by  Mr.  Merry,  of  Dunleith,  will  prove  the  practicability  of  Probable 
the  plan,  and  that  a  revolution  is  to  be  wrought  in  the  transportation  of  trans-Mis-  «"<=<=«**• 
eissippi  grain.     Narrow  selfishness  might  make  Chicago  envious  of  a  project  which 
threatens  to  break  in  somewhat  upon  its  grain  monopoly  ;  but  this  city  can  afford  For  Chi.  iu- 
to  be  generous  in  sentiment  and  free  from  jealousy,  and.  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is.  ^<"''-"="-— 
If  the  producer  can  do  better  by  sending  his  grain  down  river  than  across  the 
country  to  New  York,  he  ought  to  have  the  facilities  for  doing  it.     Steam  is  of  neces- 
sity more  expensive  than  water,  cars  than  barges,  and  if  the  farmers  of  the  Missis — with  the 
Bippi  Valley  can  command  better  prices  for  their  products  by  down  river  shipments,  f*^"""^"' 
we  are  glad  of  it.     Every  dollar  saved  in  the   cost  of  transportation  is   so    much 
added  to  the  actual  wealth  of  the  country. 

In  a  few  years  the  canals  and  the  lakes  will  enable  barges  loaded  on  the  banks  of  Barges  via 
the  Mississippi  to  reach  the  ocean  without  breaking  bulk.     Until  then  river  tran-  ''"^  '■''^^^• 
sportation  will,  in  the  event  the   Merry  experiment  succeeds,  increase  rapiilly  in 
importance,  and  Chicago  will  indulge  no  mean  envy  because  the  Mississippi  does 
not  pour  its  wealth  of  water  at  her  feet,  the  charges  of  provincial  newspapers  to 
the  contrary  notwithstanding.     Eventually,  the  belt  of  country  rich  in  mineral  and  Northern 
agricultural  resources,  which  extends  for  a  breadth  of  from  six  to  twelve  degrees '','^.','.^''. ''b^-^ 
across  the  continent  west  of  the  Upper  Mississippi  and  Lake  Superior,  and  embrac- nud-by—   " 
ing  Minnesota,  Dakota,  Montana,  Idaho,  Oregon,  Washington,  and  north  of  the  in- 
ternational line,  the  great  valley  of  the  Saskatchewan  and   British  Columbia,  will 
have  railway  facilities  from  ocean  to  ocean  ;  but  all  this  generation  will  pass  away 
before  that  consummation  will  be  reached.     In  the  meanwhile  the  river  on  the  one  —mean- 
hand,  and  the  system  of  railways,  lakes  and  canals  on  the  other,  will  be  the  grand  rjver3"et*c 
highways  of  that  region.  ' 


180 


Commerce  of  Chicago  Compared  loith  St.  Louis. 


St.  L.  ton- 
nage 1S66. 


The  trade  report  for  1866,  p.  21,  has  the  following:— 

Tonnage  of  St.  Louis  and  other  Forts  as  Compiled  July  1,  1866. 


BIVERS 

m 

u 

a 

m 

cS 

o 

en 

a>     . 
9,  ^ 
.2  a 
^« 

en    o 

e3    OS 

13 
a>     • 

"el     . 

a  % 

Lower  Mississippi  River 

Arkansas  and  White  Rivers.... 
Cumberland  and  Tenn.  Rivers. 
Upper  Mississippi  River 

55 
16 
18 
44 
16 
45 
71 

30 

67 
25 

85 
16 
18 
111 
41 
45 
71 

48,345 

3,232 

3,505 

16,560 

5,535 

11,217 

23,232 

74,800 
5,925 
5,925 
30,695 
10,855 
19,800 
89,525 

$3,970,000 

378,000 

282,000 

1,625,000 

488,000 

Ohio  River 

1,088,000 

2,545,000 

Total 

265 

122 

387 

106,626 

186,015 

10,376,000 

Transient 
barges  not 

reckoned. 

Barges  find 
favor. 


To  move 

heavy 

freights. 


Compare  St, 
L.  and  Chi. 
figures. 


St.  L.  De- 
partures 
1867. 


In  the  list  of  barges  above  only  those  belonging  to  the  regular  packets  are  included. 
A  great  number  of  transient  barges  and  canal  boats  arrive  by  Illinois  and  Upper 
Mississippi  rivers,  which  are  not  registered  at  our  port,  and  not  included  in  the 
tonnage.  The  "barge  system"  is  fast  finding  favor  with  our  merchants,  and  will, 
at  no  distant  day,  be  the  prevailing  mode  of  transporting  heavy  freights,  while 
the  fine  packets  which  now  grace  our  western  waters  will  be  run  on  time  for  passen- 
gers and  light  freight.  The  Mississippi  Valley  Transportation  Company  has,  during 
the  past  summer,  demonstrated  the  fact,  that  this  is  the  cheapest  mode  of  moving 
produce  and  heavy  freights,  having  since  May  1st,  carried  from  this  port  over 
110,000  tons.  And  when  the  plan  of  moving  grain  in  bulk  is  established,  the  tow 
boats  and  barges  will  add  to  the  commerce  of  our  city  by  giving  cheap  freights  and 
saving  an  immense  amount  of  expense  in  the  shape  of  handling,  tarpaulins  ajid 
damage. 

Has  not  the  immensity  of  St.  Louis'  river  commerce  been  made  an  impor- 
tant item  in  calculating  St.  Louis'  superiority  ?  Compare  those  figures  with 
Chicago  lake  trade,  p.  61.  To  compare  this  last  year,  the  following  is  taken 
from  the  Trade  Report : — 

Departures  from  St.  Louis,  1867. 


DATE. 

o 

i 

O. 
p< 
P 

i 

o 

a 

■a 

a 
a 

g 

3 

« 

M 
•< 

a 
a 

H 

d 

o 

d 

0 

s 

0 

H 

i 

pq 
•a 
g 
pq 
d 

"3 
1 

SO' 

ca 

fl 
a 
0 
H 

d 

.a 

J.'innary 

February 

12 
66 
81 
fU 
61 
.13 
65 
61 
59 
73 
59 
47 

3 

30 

68 

83 

87 

87 

87 

102 

102 

121 

95 

21 

3 

5 
8 
4 
6 
3 
7 
3 

3 
5 
4 
3 
6 
5 
4 
8 
3 
2 
5 
2 

""9 

23 
28 
21 
18 

7 
5 
4 
6 
9 

"i 

4 

21 
141 
255 
277 
250 
217 
240 
251 
241 
245 
222 

88 

1 

16 

S2 

102 

106 

79 

60 

54 

100 

146 

161 

40 

22 
157 
337 
379 
356 
320 
300 
305 
341 
891 
8S3 
128 

9,547 
41,469 
113,719 
123,869 
113,837 
107,830 
104,001 
109,159 
109,103 
114,232 
105,782 
33,772 

$  833  20 
3.806  00 
7,092  55 
7,977  45 
8,217  50 
6.681  70 
6.298  70 
7,288  35 
6,813  00 
7.438  40 
7,762  90 
5,426  05 

2 
12 
35 
28 
44 
46 
40 
45 
20 
28 
11 

21 
53 
64 
40 
86 
34 
37 
27 
20 
24 
4 

1 
2 
2 
2 

1 

" "  "i 

3 
2 
3 

2 
3 

May 

July 

August 

September... 

October 

November.... 
December 

Total 

691 1 • «Sfi 

311 

350 

17 

5 

38 

45 

13o 

5 

2,478 

947 

3,425 

1,080,820 

175.685  80 

1' 

Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investm-nts.  1^1 

That  is,  her  total  tonnage  is  one  million,  ei</hti/-sic  thomand,  three  hinrhed^  ^  *""■ 
and  txoenty  tons.     That  of  Chicago  on  the  lakes  alone,  not  counting  canal  s*^- 
boats  and  barges,  is  two  million  five  hundred  and  eii/hfu-eiaht  thoimmd,    ^i-c— Chi-a..-' 

7777  .  •'         J  J  1      J  1,-2  U,,!,. 

hundred  and  seventy-two  tons;  over  twice  and  a  fourth  that  of  St.  Louis. 
Besides,  a  boat  merely  touching  at  St.  Louis,  either  up  or  down,  the  tonnage 
is  counted.     But  to  figure  at  Chicago,  it  is  there  destined. 

Had  we  St,  Louis  figures  10, 20,  or  30  years  agone  to  compare  with  Chicago  <^i'i  "Burc* 
and  observe  the  progress  of  one,  the  relative  decadence  of  the  other ;  it 
would  at  least  prove,  that  if  the  old-fashioned  barge  system  is  to  be  put  to 
the  new-fashioned  work  of  stopping  both  decadence  at  St.  Louis  and  advance 
at  Chicago,  it  must  be  by  the  process  peculiarly  St.  Louis'  own,  of  inventing 
new  forces  in  art  and  nature.  Supposing,  however,  that  the  barge  system  now  barge* 
can  do  this,  how  shall  it  be  done  ?  Preceding  Professor  Waterhou.sc,  the 
Secretary  himself  had  said,  pp.  8  and  9  of  his  report : — 

It  is  the  desire  of  the  people  of  the  Upper  Mississippi  Valley  to  traile  with  St.  r.  Mim.  Viii. 
Louis.     The  high  reputation  and  business  standing  of  our  merchants  is  well  known,  ^  "j"  *" 
and  with  the  same  facilities  for  transportation,  a  good  share  of  their  products  will  (."^  [^^ 
come   to   us  for  sale,  and  in  turn  our  merchants  will  supply  them  with  tlic  nrtich.-s 
they  do  not  produce.     From  statistics    gathered    it  is  shown,  that  of  lo.(i<H).(>(M(  Hut  can't. 
bushels    of  wheat   shipped  from    points   above    Rock    Island,  but    1,0(((),00(»  caiue 
southward  ;   of  318,000  hogs,  none  come  to  tliis  market.     The  reason  is  self-evident.  KeoMn, 
The  people  wish  to  trade  with  us,  and  are  loud  in  their  complaints  against  railroad ''■'""■>■• 
monopolies,   but  are  powerless   because    they  have  no   alternative.      St.    Louis   is  ^'"' 
already  a  great  commercial  city,  but  with  these  obstacles  removed,  her  resources 
might  be  doubled. 

The  question  is  very  simple.  Will  barges  solve  this  difficulty  to   the  relief  )^,'i'„*^,J,'ig'' 
of  St.  Louis,  and   "the  people  of  the  Upper  Mis.sissippi  Valley?"     Theyf"'«y' 
want  to  give  St.  Louis  the  trade ;  St.  Louis  wants  them  to  do  it.     Here  is 
an  argument  showing  not  only  how  it  may  be  done  without  violence  to  nature.  Anarjoj- 
but  by  due  emplovmeut  upon   its  grandest  highways,  of  a  most  neglected 
means  of  art.      Who   can   question   either  argument  or  conclusion  ?     No 
matter  that  a  Chicago  Professor,  who  should  start  off  with  such  a  heading, 
and   conclude  with  such  a  demonstration,  would  be  regarded  a  butt-ender -<.f  bntv 
blunt  as  his  barges;  the  St.  Louisian,  with  a  grand  flourish  of  nature,  and 
witli  the  submerging  power  of  a  long  string  of  butt-enders,  would  bury  in 
oblivious  waters  any  futile  attempt  to  question  the  supremacy  of  her  Majesty 
of  the  Rivers. 

if,  when  the  barge  system  was  not  in  vogue,  grain  trade  had  already  p»'-k«J^;'I'« 
forsaken  the  river  for  the  lake  route,  as  the  whole  evidence  attesits,  how  will 
this  new  means,  rendering  still  greater  facilities  to  transport  grain  from  any 
river  port  directly  through  to  the  lakes  without  a  change,  benefit  St.  Louis  ? 
That  being  a  hypothetical  question  is  not  suitable  for  discussion  here  ;  but 
the  Secretary  throws  light  upon  the  subject  in  his  succeeding  and  hxst  &c.  ju,^ru 
RoDOrt,  pp  7  And  8 : — 

The  trade  of  a  country  follows  the  products  of  its  soil,  and  in  proportion  as  we  Trade  fol- 
attract  to  our  market  the  harvests  of  the  country,  manufactor.es.  tra.le  an-l  mer- Ij-;- pr- 
chandising  will  increase  and  prosper.     Where  the  grain  is  sold  there  will  the  gocl- 


1S2  Commerce  of  Chicago  Compared  with  St.  Louis. 

be  bougbt  which  are  needed  in  exchange.  Trusting  too  much  to  natural  advantages, 
GengrapU-  and  retarded  by  the  late  war  St.  Louis  has  not  advanced  as  rapidly  as  her  geopraphical 
ical  position  position  would  seem  to  have  warranted.  Hitherto  our  great  market  was  in  the 
not  w-ellsup-g^^jjljgj.jj  States,  which  had  given  their  whole  attention  to  the  raising  of  cotton  and 
^'^'  "*  '  sugar,  necessitating  the  importation  of  breadstuffs.     The  change  in  the  entire  labor 

system,  and  the  destitution   almost    universal  in  the  South,  has  so  interfered  with 
the  production  of  the  great  staples  that  they  have  of  necessity  been  small  buyers 
in  our  market,  and  have  been  compelled    to  raise  food  to  sustain  life.     It  is  not 
South  to  di'-  unlikely  that  this  change  in  the  agricultural  condition  of  the  South  will  continue, 
pend  ou  it-  g^^^  vvhen  her  old  prosperity  has  been  regained.     For  while,  with  proper  encourage- 
ment and  a  settled  plan  of  labor,  the  cultivation  of  cotton  and  the  sugar  cane  will 
be  adopted  as  the  most  profitable,  yet  it  is  more  than  probable  that  the  planters 
and  farmers  of  the  South  will  hereafter  depend  more  upon  themselves  for  the  food 
St.  L.  seek     they  eat.     Thus  St.  Louis  will  be  obliged  to  seek  another  market  for  the  products 
suother        which  will  come  to  her  from  the  North  and  West,  and  must  open  up  other  avenues 
market.  ^  ^       ;  " 

of  traUe. 

Fiicilities  First,    we    must  have  the  proper  facilities  for  handling,  storing,   and  shipping 

requisite.       produce  cheaply.     Next,   we  must    establish,  through   New  Orleans,  facilities  for 
exportiug  direct  to  the  South  American  and  European  States  the  surplus  product  of 
Trade  flows    the   Mississippi  Valley.     This   accomplished,  the    trade   will   flow  to   St.  Louis  as 
nituraily  to  jjj^jm-j^jjy  j^g  (jjg  great  river  flows  to  the  Gulf.     And  as  trade  seeks  an  outlet  south- 
■~         ward,  the  railroad  interests  west  of  the  Mississippi,  so  long  languishing,  will  receive 
new  impetus.     The  great  States  yet  to  be  established  in  the  far  west  will  of  necessity 
be  iu  a  measure  dependent  upon  some  point  near  the  Mississippi,  and  with  proper 
— ftndforeign  energy  St.  Louis  will  secure  that  trade  ;  for  with  a  direct   export  trade  via  New 
trade.  Orleans,  furnishing  the  quickest  and  cheapest  mode  of  transportation,  the  products 

of  other  countries  must  naturally  come  back  to  us  by  the  same  channel,  to  be  dis- 
tributed throughout  the  West.  Much  has  been  done  in  the  past  year  towards  the 
accomplishment  of  these  projects. 

s'tjke'nlff  b       ^^^  Report  goes  on  to  discuss  river  improvements  making  and  to  be  made, 
Pirectora.     and  thougli  the  Secretary  says  nothing  about  raih'oads,  the   report  of  the 
Directors,  p.  13,  remarks  : — 

Advei-se  cir-  The  year  opened  with  high  values  in  produce,  supported,  as  it  was  soon  found, 
begln'iing^^of  ^y  ^  scarcity  almost  equivalent  to  the  results  of  a  famine  ;  and  the  new  crops, 
year,  although  more  abundant,  have  been  kept  away  from  us  much  by  low  v/ater,  with  a 

six  mouths'  protracted  drought,  and  diverted  to  railroad  communications  east,  neces- 
sitating with  us  higher  prices  than  consumers  expect  to  pay  in  the  heart  of  a  great 
producing  region,  and  especially  damaging  to  our  trade  with  the  South,  so  illy  pre- 
pared by  a  succession  of  two  poor  crops  and  the  condition  of  their  section   to  be 
free  })uyers. 
9^'**'^'^°°"       This  alteration  of  our  old  abundance  and  activity  in  trade  has  drawn  the  atten- 
tion of  our  merchants  to  examination  into  the  causes,  and  the  year  has  been  very 
active  in  conventions  and  deliberations. 
Facilities  to      Commencing  with  the  River  Improvement  Convention  in   February,  followed  by 
iMir^i  about  the  Senatorial  Visits  in  .June,  and  the  Millers'  Convention  in  July,  there  has  been 
atfordel,  during  the  past  year,  much  opportunity  for  strangers  to  know  more  par- 
ticularly of  us  and  our  surroundings  and  resources,  and  gives  me  pleasure  to  say  l. 
Good  fcfcling.  has  caused  a  light  expense  to  the  Chamber,  and  has  resulted  in  establishing  a  friendly 
feeling    and    cooperation    among   the   cities   of  the    Mississippi  Valley,    favoring 
advantageous  results  in  the  near  future. 
thdr*l"eir"      "^^^  Chamber  has  also  had  much  attention  called  to  railroads,  by  visits  of  parties 
tiltorai!-    connected  with  the  many  roads  pointing  here;  and  it  is  gratifying  to  notice  the 
roadii.  universal  wish,  both  North  and  South,  East  and  West,  to  make  St.    Louis  the  point 

for  their  connections,  requiring  of  us  but  good  will  and  zeal  in  seconding  their 
eudeavors  to  be  our  customers. 


toSt.  L? 


"enw  a'rMh  ^'^'^'  "^'^^^  "^^^  o^^^Y  ^he  Northwest  and  St.  Louis  friendly,  but  the  whole 
country  waiting  to  rush  into  its  natural  centre,  what  can  be  the  adverse 
influences  which  prevent  St.  Louis  from  attaining  that  destiny  which  has 
not  ouly  been  ordained  by  nature,  but  which  the  whole  country  demands  ? 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments. 

If  all  these  conventions  prove  iuoffective  to  bring  art  to  lulUl  its  duty  to 
nature,  will  not  the  barges,  as  they  make  obeisance  to  the  Queen  of  tlie 
Rivers  with  the  screaming  whistlo,  as  in  long  lines  they  sail  past  her,  or  with 
elegant  curve  turn  bows  up-stream  to  tic  up  for  a  while,  I'uiai  these  rea>on- 
able  expectations  and  desires  ?      '  " 

The  Secretary  argues,  that  as  "  the' trade  of  a  country  follows  the  pro- 
ducts of  its  soil,"  it  must  come  to  St.  Louis.  ]Jut  docs  he  not  prove  too 
much  for  a  sound  argument  ?  Goes  not  the  trade  with  ita  barges  on  to  New 
Orleans  ?     How  is  that  to  benefit  St.  Louis  ? 

The  war  it  will  have  been  observed,  is  made  by  the  Secretary  and  Pro 
fcssor,  the  cause  of  decline  in  grain  trade.  But  the  quotations,  pp.  111-114 
were  made  expressly  to  disprove  that  position  from  their  own  papers  in 
1861.  Col.  Foster's  able  Report  at  the  Ship  Canal  Convention  in  18G4 
remarks  : — 


183 


8«:.  prom 
tuu    much — 


trndo  to  N.  0. 


Tlio  war  not 
c«ii»«  uf 
tlocllDo. 


0.1.  ruter'H 
Hep. 


The  Committee  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade,  in  a  recent  report,  say  : 

"  In  the  early  settlement  of  the  West,  the  Mississippi  was  the  only  outlet  for 
Ihe  products  of  the  country  ;  but  the  opening  of  the  New  York  and  Canadian  canals, 
and  of  not  less  than  five  trunk  railways  between  the  East  and  West,  has  rendered 
the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  a  matter  of  secondary  importance. 

"The  heated  waters  of  a  tropical  sea,  destructive  to  most  of  our  articles  of 
export;  a  malarious  climate,  shunned  by  every  Northerner  for  at  least  one-half  of 
the  year;  and  a  detour  in  the  voyage  of  over  3,000  miles  in  a  direct  line  to  the 
markets  of  the  world; — these  considerations  have  been  sufficiently  powerful  to 
divert  the  great  flow  of  animal  and  vegetable  food  from  the  South  to  the  East.  Up 
to  1860,  the  West  found  a  local  market  for  an  inconsiderable  portion  of  her  breaa- 
etutfs  and  provisions  in  the  South;  but,  after  supplying  this  local  demand,  the 
amount  which  was  exported  from  New  Orleans  was  insignificant,  hardly  exceeding 
two  millions  of  dollars  per  annum." 

The  annual  report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  for  the  year  ending  August 
31,  1860,  shows  the  amount  of  bread-stuffs  and  provisions  exported  to  foreign 
countries  from  New  Orleans  and  New  York  respectively,  as  follows  : — 


Clii.    Board 
rj  Tradt. 
.MU».  f,.nii- 
<<i  \y  n  D«i  n»- 
sarjr  ruutc. 


Ouirdifflcal- 
tica 


Only  local 
(It'iimnJ  at 
S  ,utli. 


Treat,    Sep 


Articles. 

From 
New  Orleans. 

From         fr„„,  N.  T 
New  York,    anj  x.o. 

Wheat 

Bushels 

Barrels 

Eu.shds 

Barrels' 

Barrels 

Pounds 

2,189 

80,541 

224,382 

158 

4,250 

890,230 

1,880,908 

Wheat 

1,187,200 

Indian  Corn 

1,580,014 

Indian  Meal 

8C..073 

Pork 

109,37'J 

Hams  and  Bacon 

10,161,749 

ceipts  of  grain  of  all  kinds,  at  that  port,  in  no  single  year  exceeded  x.  o.  equal 
shels,  either  for  exportation  or  consumption  in  the  interior,  which  are  l^^^j^J^'^ "' 


The  total  re 
14,500,000  bus 

about  the  receipts  at  Milwaukee,  or  Toledo 
follows  : — 


In   18-5U-60,  the  receipts  were  as 


FLOXJH. 

WHEAT. 

CORN. 

0AT9. 

Qraln  ex 

bbls. 

sacks  aud  bbla. 

8ack3  aud  bbls. 

sackx  and  bbls. 

p.irta. 

65,860 

389,348 

1,722,037 

659,550 

These  facts  show  conclusively  that,  with  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  unob- Grain  »wk* 
structed,  the  great  mass  of  western  exports  would  tiow  through  other  channels.        ^^^ 


184  Commerce  of  Chicago  Compared  icith  St.  Louis. 

St.  L  do-  Several  articles  from  St.  Louis  papers  have  been  extracted  showing  their 

rtu^cr'ship-cQnfident  expectations  from  direct  shipments  to  Europe.  But  space  need 
E^ope-^  uot  be  taken.  Could  a  quarter  of  the  whole  products  of  the  Mississippi 
—Chi.  wants  Valley  go  to  market  by  the  Mississippi  instead  of  lakes,  it  would  be  to  the 
''■  advantage  of  Chicago.     No  such   portion  will  go  except  occasionally ;  but 

Her  interest  could  It,  the  Competition  would  inure  to  the  benefit  of  the  farmers,  as  we 
wijb  farm-    ^^^^^j  ^^^  ^  ^^^  Chicago  prospers  precisely  with  that  interest.     She  has  and 

always  must  have  so  much  shipping  business,  that  her  advantage  lies  in 

making  the  utmost  possible  of  rival  routes.     We  hope  sincerely  that  St. 

Louis  may  realize  her  full  hopes  from  barges ;  yet,  for  every  one  unloaded 

at  St.  Louis,  may  not  ten  be  discharged  at  Chicago  ? 
Generosity        But  upon  this  question  of  river  and  lake  competition,  Chicago  can  afford 
nothing. '     to  be  generous,  for  it  can  cost  her  nothing.     If  St.  Louis  take  advantage  of 

nature  in  down-river  navigation,  she  must  take  with  it  the  more  than 
Climate  counterbalancing  disadvantage  of  nature  in  climate.  This  subject  has  had 
m*r°^ route,  thorough  consideration  by  competent  parties.  In  the  introduction  to  the 
Considered    jj  g  Census  of  1860,  the  question  of  production  and  of  marketing  facilitie.:, 

in  U.  S.  Cen-  .  .  .  .    7  . 

»iw  Reports.']^  discusscd.  After  considering  ruterual  ^grain  trade,  exhibiting  lake 
shipments,  and  direct  trade  between  the  lakes  and  Europe,  we  have  the 
following,  p.  civ  : — 

^/'ir-'^^v"!       ^^^  Grain  Trade  of  the  Mississippi  River. — The  grain  trade  of  the  Mississippi  and 

ley.   "       '  Ohio  rivers  has,  for  upwards  of  a  quarter  of  a  century,  occupied  an  important  place 

in  the  commercial  history  of  the  United  States.     In  the  early  part  of  the  present 

century,  before  the  era  of  canals  and  railroads,  the  tide  of  emigration  forced  itself 

into  the  valleys  of  these  rivers  and  laid  the  foundation  of  what  soon  became  large 

River  towns  and  flourishing  settlements.     Before  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  and  Toledo  had  existence, 

bi'iore  lalie    q^}^qj,  than  as  small  trading  posts,  Cincinnati,  on  the  Ohio,  and  St.  Louis,  on  the 

towns.  ,, ,.,,  .,1,1  1 

■'■  Mississippi  river,   were  comparatively  large  towns,  with  a  trade  and    commerce 

Jlifls. natural  which  attracted  capital  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  The  Mississippi  river  was  the 
outlet.  natural  outlet  for  this  trade  to  the  ocean,  and  New  Orleans  became  at  an  early  day 

the  only  exporting  point  for  the  grain  products  of  the  west. 

Settlements       The  valley  of  the  Ohio  river,  embracing  the  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Kentucky, 

"'"fTfr  *''°     was  settled  first,  and  the  grain  trade    of  that  river  proper  is  therefore  the  oldest. 

livers.  ^^^  ^^^  fertile  lands  of  the   river  tier  of  counties  in  Illinois  and  Missouri  soon 

attracted  the  attention   of  agriculturalists,  and  the  grain  trade  of  the  Mississippi 

river  proper  followed ;  and  as  we  have  shown  in  a  previous  chapter,  before  steamboat 

Barges  used,  navigation  had  made  much  progress,  the  grain  was  shipped  chiefly  in  rude  barges 

and  carefully  floated  down  the  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans,  where  it  found  a  market, 

and  was  shipped   to  foreign  ports.     And    even,  at  no  distant  date,  all  the  western 

grain  and  flour  which  found  a  market  in  New  York  or  New  England  was  shipped  to 

New  Orleans  in  steamboats,  and  thence  around  the  Atlantic  coast  in  Ocean  ships. 

ori^n^o°f  ^If^yfi  is  the  origin  of  the  barge  trade,  now  expedited  by  tugs  instead  of 

barges.        river  current.      To  show  its  inefficiency,  in   contrast  with  previous   lake 
ciency.         shipments,  tables  are  given   for  a  series  of  years  of  flour  and  grain  from 
Cincinnati,  St.  Louis,  and  New  Orleans,  and  the  Editor  remarks : — 

u^ofrom         ^  comparison  of  the  foregoing  tables  with  those  illustrating  the  grain  trade  of 

rivers  to™     *'^^  lakes  and  of  the  Erie  canal,  demonstrates  the  revolution  that  has  taken  place  in 

lakea.  the  grain  trade  of  the  west.     The  trade  and  commerce  of  the  Mississippi  river,  so 

far  as  relates  to  grain  and  other  produce,   has  not  kept  pace  with  the  development 

of  the  territory  through  which  it  runs,  and  for  which  it  is  the  natural  highway  to 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  185 

the  ocean.     The  old  theory  that  "  trade  will  follow  the  rivers"   has  in  some  respects 

been  disproved.      The  artificial  channels  of  trade,  canals  and  railroads  have  tapped  Anltlrlal 

the  west  and  carried  its  products  eastward  across  the  continent.     The  grain  trade 'J""""-''* 

of  Illinois,   Iowa,   Missouri,   Wisconsin,  and  even  tlie  greater  portion  of  tliat  of 

Indiana  and  Ohio,  have  been  diverted  almost  entirely  to  the  Inkes,  tlic  Krie  canal, 

the  St.  Lawrence  river,  or  the  six  great  trunk  lines  of  railroads  that  lead  from  the 

heart  of  the  west  to  the  seaboard.     The  Mississippi  river  baa  been  l)ridgcd  at  lluck  Mlm. 

Island,  and  another  bridge   is  just  being  completed  at   Clinton,  further  up.     The  iTlilgo* 

lines  of  railroads  which  extend  from  Lake  Michigan  to  this  river  are  being  pushed 

forward  with  great  rapidity  to  the3Iissouri  river,  and  into  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  Tiiki«trn<lo  ] 

and  there  is  every  probability  that  the  grain  of  these  frontier  Stales  will  also  find  ^Vr«t  ..f 

a  market  by  way  of  the  lakes.     Even  now  grain  is  being  received  at  Cliicago  from  \]^^^^  '" 

Kansas  and  Nebraska  via  the  Missouri  river,  the  Hannibal  and  .St.  Josepli  railroad, 

and  the  Chicago,  Ibirlington  and    Quincy  railroad.     As  an  outlet  to  the  ouean  for  *""••  "'•"<*' 

the  grain  trade  of  the  west,  the  Mississippi  river  has  almost  ceased  to  be  depended  fur"!Irj^„ 

upon  by  merchants.     There  are  several  reasons  for  this  change  : — 

First. — The  risk  of  damage  to  grain  and  Hour  that  may  be  shipped  during  the  K.-iumna, 
summer  months  through  the  southern  latitudes  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  as  compared  l.  t;i'uiate. 
with  the  transportation  by  the  northern  routes,  viz.,  around  the  lakes  and  through 
the  Erie   Canal,  or  via  the  St.  Lawrence  river.     This  applies  particularly  to  corn, 
which  is  more  liable  to  become  heated  than  any  other  kind  of  grain. 

Second. — The  uncertainty  of  river  navigation  during   the  summer   months,   in  -.  unccrtuin- 
droughty  seasons,  and  the  vexatious  and  ruinous  delays  that  are  apt  to  occur  in  **■ 
consequence. 

Third. — The  speedy  transportation  by  railroads  and  canals  on  the  northern  route,  •'•.  ruilroKJ 
as  compared   with  transportation  by  river  to  New  Orleans,  and    thence  by  ocean  ~'""'^^'   - 
ships  around  the  Atlantic  coast. 

Fourth. — The  superior  advantages  which  New  York  during  the  past  ten  or  fifteen  ^-  >|-  Y.  sa- 
years  has  attained  as  an  importing  point,   as  compared  with  New  Orleans,  thus  (^"'^y]'' '** 
offering  greater  inducements  to  ocean  shipping  to  trade  with  New  York. 

Fifth. — The  rapid  growth  of  the  cotton,  sugar  and  tobacco  trade  at  New  Orleans,  '•>■  "'"%"K 
to  the  exclusion  of  almost  every  other  branch  of  trade  and  commerce.  l"u.hK-i«.  * 

A  glance  at  the  table  of  receipts  of  grain  at  New  Orleans  during  the  six  years  x.  i).  ro- 
previous  to  the  blockade  of  the  Mississippi  river,  as  compared  with  the  great  move-  J;;||J'*^  "^j^ 
ment  of  grain  during  the  same   period    eastward  by  the  Erie  canal   and   the  St. 
Lawrence  river,  shows  clearly  the  diversion  which  has   taken  place  in  this  trade. 
The  entire  receipts  of  grain  in  New  Orleans  in  18(iO  amounted  to  only  5,l'.t8.^t27  ^.■•['|^P^™ 
bushels,  while  the  receipts  during  the  same  year  at  the    single  port  of  Chicago, 
amounted  to  about  fifty  million  of  bushels,  while    Milwaukee  received  about  ten 
million.     The  exportation  of  grain  from  New  Orleans  to  foreign  countries  had  also  J.'^"'^|','»'»"^ 
fallen   off  year  by  year,  till  in  1860  the  entire  amount  exported  was  only  2,18'J 
bushels  of  wheat  224,382  bushels  of  corn,  and  rye,  oats  and  small  grain  to  the  value 
of  $1,943,  while  during  the  year  18G0-'61  there  were  exported  from  New  '^'ork  Amu.^o^N^ 
23,859,147  bushels  of  wheat,  9,268,729  bushels  of  corn,  and  2,728,012  barrels  of   • 
flour. 

In  the  late  autumn,  winter  and  early  spring,  gome  four  montlis,  the  heat  N;;'^*;';^"^ 
is  not  a  difficulty ;  but  then  the  sources  are  frozen  up.     Still,  considerable  ob.uci«— 
amounts  can  be  brought  by  rail  to  St.   Louis,  whence  the    river   is  usually 
open,  also  to  Cairo  and  other  ports;  and  we  sincerely  wish  they  could  always -hop^^'t^ 
send  abroad  far  more  than  they  ever  will.  *" 


186 


Commerce  of  Chicago  Compared  with  St.  Louis. 


Chi.  Journal.     Indicative  of  the  present  course  of  trade,  the  following  is  clipped  from 
the  Chicago  Journal^  March  30th : — 

E«T)ort  Export  of  Breadstuffs. — The  following  shows  the  export  of  Breadstuffs  from  the 

to^Gt'firit.  United  States   to  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  from  Ist   September,  1867,  to  dates 
undermentioned . 


FROM 


5  Atl.  ports.  Xew  York,  March  18 

New  Orleans,  March  11.. 
Philadelphia,  March  14.., 

Baltimore,  March  14 

Boston,  March  14 

Other  ports,  latest  dates. 

Total,  1867-8 

Total,  1866-7 

Increase 

Total,  1865-6.7. 

Total,  1864-5 


Flour, 
brls. 

Wheat, 
bu. 

293,737 

253 

13,201 

5,679 

13,324 

39,034 

4,736,899 
36,947 
33,889 

4,'029,676 

8,837,411 
2,890,247 

365,228 
88,226 

277,002 

5,947,164 

1,055,236 
1,367,136 

112,798 
81,839 

Corn, 
bu, 

3,910,296 
253,148 
300,701 
397,288 
2,302 
.  45,917 

4,906,652 
4,761,052 

158,600 

5,434,499 
61,159 


To  Conti- 
nent. 


To  the  Continent. 


New  York,  March  4 

Other  points,  latest  dates.. 

Total. 

1867-8 

1866-7 

1865-6 

1864-5 


Flour, 
brls. 

Wheat, 
bu. 

37,882 
13,245 

284,759 
81,231 

365,990 
53,220 
71,722 
71,722 

51,127 

2,207 

10,962 

50,962 

Corn, 
bu. 


33,251 


38.261 
8,261 
9,985 
9,985 


Only  pro- 
duce trade 
considered. 


Maxim 

wron^  that 
trade  follows 
produce. 


Other'  trade 
seeks  rail- 
way. 

How  can  St. 
L.  get  it  ? 


Following  up  the  recent  and  strongest  St.  Louis  arguments,  has  led  us  to 
consider  almost  exclusively  one  branch  of  trade,  that  of  produce,  in  which 
it  would  seem  Chicago  has  nought  to  fear.  From  their  stand-  point,  that 
other  trade  follows  produce,  their  line  of  argument  is  not  surprising ;  nor 
would  Chicago  fear  competition  did  that  maxim  hold  true.  But  hereafter 
that  will  be  shown  to  be  erroneous.  Years  before  the  war,  as  she  herself 
admits,  she  had  largely  lost  grain-trade,  yet  held  jobbing  trade,  of  which 
the  war,  however,  loosened  her  hold.  By  what  means  is  she  to  regain  it? 
That,  of  all  branches,  seeks  the  railway ;  and  with  our  roads  already  built, 
ramifying  the  territory  in  every  direction  upon  which  she  depended,  and  she 
m  vain  struggling  to  get  a  few  cross  lines, — more  feeders  to  Chicago  than 
to  St.  Louis, — how  is  she  to  prevent  the  disparity  in  trade  statistics,  not  only 
from  continuing  but  increasing  ? 

We  have  before  considered  results  where  competition  was  direct,  and  the 
last  report  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Road  having  since  come  to  hand,  an 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicarjo  Investments.  187 

extract  is  taken  confirmatory  of  the  expectation  expressed  in  the  previous '"'"'' ^"«n 
report  quoted,  p.95 : —  '     '''" 

The  gross  earnings  exceed  those  of  the  preceding  year  by  $197,708,02  or  about  incroa»o 
5J  per  cent.     The  receipts  from  passenger  traffic  being  $3(j,588,l»2  less,  and  from  ist57. 
freight  traffic  $234,297,52  more  than  in  1800. 

The  increased  amount  of  earnings  from  freight  traffic  is  mainly  due  to  the  accession  Froi«iit  in- 
of  business  from   the  St.  Louis,  Jacksonville  and  Chicago  roiuJ  since  its  connection  •"•"'••"liieto 
with  your  line  at  Bloomington,  on  the  23d  of  September  last.     Although  the  two  lines  'C'' !\'^t'on. 
were  connected  at  that  date,  the  remaining  three  months  of  the  year  were  occupied  viiiJ  4  CbT 
by  the  St.  Louis,  Jacksonville  and    Chicago  Company  in  constructing  sidings  iinil 
station  buildings,  and  in  procuring  rolling  stock  necessary  for  the  transaction  of  its 
business.     The  amount  of  traffic  contributed  to  your  line  was,  therefore,  much  less  ^'"^  >'«■''  f"!' 
than  it  would  have  been,  had  that  Company  been  fully  prepared  for  business  when  '™''''"' 
the  connection  was   made.     The  amount  of  your   earnings  on  joint  business  with 
that  line,  received  mainly  during  the  last  three  months  of  the  year,  was.  exclusive  of 
the  10  per  cent,  bonus  paid  to  them   per  contracts   dated  January  25ih,  lbt>4  us 
follows:     On  passenger  traffic,  $40,950,08;  on  freight  traffic,  $214,ol4,0o;  making 
an  aggregate  of  $255,464,13. 

While  the  cash  receipts  from  passenger  traffic  on  your  line  are  less,  tlie  number  of  InrrcMP    of 
passengers   carried  exceeds  that  of  the  preceding  year  by  14,074;  the  number  in  l"""'*'"8e"- 

1866  being  516,543;  and  in  1867,  531,217  ;the  increase  being  in  local  traffic. 

The  number  of  local  or  way  passengers    carried  in    186()  being  477,578,  and  in  Loc«l  trnvc-i. 

1867  494,601,  showing  an  increase  of  17,023,  or  about  3,} per  cent.  The  proportion 
between  the  number  of  way  and  through  passengers  being  93  per  cent.,  of  the 
former  to  7  per  cent.,  of  the  latter. 

The  average  amount  of  fare  paid  by  way  passengers  during  the  year,  is  found  to 
be  one  dollar  and  seventy-one  cents. 

The  increased  tonnage  of  freight  in  1867  over  1866,  is  equal  to  nearly  18  per  cent.  Local  freight 
The  proportion  between  through   and  local  freight  being  12  4-10  per  cent.,  of  the 
former,  to  87  6-10  per  cent.,  of  the  latter. 


Every  Chicago  road  westerly  and  southerly,  will   increase  local  traffic  in  ah  locai 
like  manner.     Only  a  small  part  of  the  arable  land  contiguous  to  any  road,  to   increase, 
is  yet  under  culture.     Morgan  and  Jersey  counties  transacted  nearly  their 
whole  business  with   St.  Louis,  being  only  30  to  80  miles  distant,  and  we 
200  and  over.     This  is  wholly  changed  by  opening  a  branch  road  through  !J!,';";ly'from 
that  rich  country,  connecting  with  Chicago  by  the  main  line  from  Alton,  at^'-  ^-toChL 
Bloomington.     Is  that  region  to  be  considered  exceptional,  because  in  Illinois, 
and  favorable  to  Chicago  ?     Then  consider  tendency  in  the  far  West.     Nor  is 
the  Atchison  (Kansas)  Free  Press,  of  March  10th,  more  correct  in  comparing  ^^/liiwi 
results,    than    in    contrasting   operating   influences   between    Chicago   and  j,,'^", 
St.  Louis  : — 

A  Comparison.— There  are  two  great  business  centres  in  the  West— Chicago  and  f}^^J^^_ 
St.  Louis.     Each  of  them  is  extending  its  arms  to  draw  to  its  bosom  the  trade  whicli  ^^'^ 
otherwise  will  fall  to  its  rival.     There  was  a  time  when  St.  Louis   was  the  centre  s,.  i,.  i.a.l 
of  all  the  trade  of  the  West;  that  was  when  nearly    everything  depended  upon  trad., 
the  trade  in  furs  and  the  French  were  the  only  white  inhabitants  of  the  Missjissippi 
Valley,  and  the  region  of  the  upper  lakes.     When   Cincinnati  was  but  a  hamlet 
gathered  around   Fort  Washington,  and   but  few  pioneers  from  Pennsylvania  and 
Virginia  had   begun    to  penetrate  the  forests  of  Southern  Ohio  and   Indiana    the  Fur  trade. 
French  had  already  an  occupancy  of  all  the  tributaries  of  the  Mississippi    and  St. 
Louis  was  the  focus  of  all  their  traffic.     Merchandise  found  its  way  up  tha    stream 
from  New  Orleans,  and  was  at  St.  Louis  exchanged  for  furs  and  peltries,  ^vhich  the 
vot/offeurs  hvoughi  in  from  every  valley  of  the    West      Long  after  the   AN  est  was 
transferred  from  the  French  to  the  Government  of  the  United  btates,  and  em  gration 
had  poured  its  myriads  from    the  Eastern   States  int^    *^^^^^'f '"•'P\^ ''' '^l!!':  Pt- 1>.  on  it. 
Louis  continued  to  retain  the  character  it  had  early  formed.     Its  merchants  were  dignity., 


188 


Commerce  of  Chicago   Compared  with  St.  Louis. 


Clii.  rail 
roads. 


Merchants. 


staid,  substantial  men.     The  current  of  their  business  flowed  on  as  smoothly  as  the 

placid  waters  upon  which  all  their  commerce  floated.     The  nervous,  far  sighted, 

often  reckless  Yankee  was  not  there,  or  if  he  came  he  could  not  unloose  the  purse 

strings  of  those  whose  wealth  was  necessary  to  extend  speedily  from  that  point  the 

arms  of  a  railroad   system  over  the  West.     And  so  it  is,  in  a  great  measure,  to 

this  day. 

St.L.  strong     Chicago  had  not  begun  to  spring  up  until  long  after  St.  Louis  had  become  opulent 

''^[^i^^'    i°  ^^^  quiet  wealth  and  ease.     But  shrewd  and  active  merchants  at  length  set  their 

stakes  at  Chicago.     At  first  they  bought  grain  by  the  wagon  load,  and  sent  it  all  by 

schooners  down  the  lakes.     Then  they  commenced  the  construction  of  railroads. 

In  all  directions  they  caused  them  to  push  their  way  out  over  the  prairies  to  bring 

in  the  production  of  the  ten  thousand  farms,  opened  upon  the   exhaustless  soil  of 

all  the  States  over  which  the  ordinance  of  1787  had   spread    its  cegis   of  freedom. 

St.  Louis  merchants  clung  to  the  fogyism  and  the  faith  of  their  correspondents  away 

down  the  Mississippi.     Chicago  merchants  comprehended  the  most  progressive  ideas 

Elevators,      of  modern  commerce;  and  they  sent  out  their  iron  rails,  and  erected  their  towering 

castles  for  the  reception  of  all  the  grain  of  the  Northwest.     Chicago  railroads  cut 

Cairo  cut  off.  g(   Loujs  off  on  the  east,  away  down  to  Cairo,  long  ago;  cut  across  the  State  of 

Missouri  to  the  Missouri  River,  long  ago,  and  penetrated  the  heart  of  Iowa,  and  cut 

Eoutes  West,  across  Wisconsin  to  Minnesota.     Now  they  reach  across  Kansas  by  two  lines — one 

by  the  way  of  Cameron,  Kansas  City,  and  the  Eastern  division.  Pacific ;  the  other 

by  the  Central  Branch,  Pacific,  from  Atchison.     They  cross  Nebraska  by  the  Pacific 

Trunk,  to  the  Piocky  Mountains.     They  reach   the   Territory  of  Dakota  at  Sioux 

City.     Aud  everywhere  these  iron  arms  are  being  rapidly  lengthened  out. 

Chicago  merchants  bought  Nebraska  grain  two  years  ago,  and  paid  more  for  it 
than  would  St.  Louis  merchants,  though  the  latter  could  bring  it  to  their  own  mills 
without  change  of  bulk.  And  it  is  not  only  grain,  but  the  beef  and  the  pork  of  the 
Northwest  that  the  Chicago  merchants  monopolize  by  their  superior  enterprise. 
"We  published  the  other  day  the  statistics  of  Chicago  beef  and  pork  packing.  St. 
Louis  can  make  no  such  showing. 

While  Chicago  has  gathered  up  the  produce  of  the  West  and  marketed  it  in  every 
Eastern  city  and  in  Europe  she  has  kept  her  exchange  accounts  even.  The  grain 
merchant  does  not  from  his  sales  bring  currency  from  the^East  to  buy  more  grain 
with.  He  gets  a  bill  of  exchange.  This  is  transferred  to  the  Chicago  dry  goods 
and  grocery  merchant. 

To  every  point  from  whence  comes  grain  to  the  Chicago  market,  Chicago  dry 
goods  and  grocery  merchants  send  bills  of  goods.  Every  Northwestern  town  is 
visited  by  the  Chicago  merchant,  and  orders  solicited.  Every  newspaper  in  the 
Northwest  teems  with  inducements  offered  by  Chicago  merchants  to  retail  dealers. 
These  inducements  are  real  and  they  are  accepted.  The  Chicago  merchant  has  his 
arrangements  for  shipping  complete.  His  transfers,  if  any,  are  made  with  the 
utmost  facility.  Every  stream  is  bridged  or  is  being  bridged.  Not  many  months 
hence  Chicago  will  reach  the  uttermost  confines  of  every  Northwestern  State  without 
breaking  bulk. 

Modern  St.  Louis  men  are  working  out  a  railroad  system — but  at  a  slow  pace. 
St.  Louis  merchants,  at  the  spring  rise  in  the  rivers,  manifest  much  spasmodic  life, 
and  they  sell  considerable  bills  of  goods.  But  the  unceasing  enterprise,  the  unfail- 
ing energy  of  the  Chicago  merchant  is  wanting  among  the  merchants  of  St.  Louis. 

2  errors—  These  views  are  sound  upon  every  point  save  two — 1st,  that  any  amount 
of  effort  on  the  part  of  St.  Louis,  could  have  averted  her  fate ;  2d,  that 
Chicago  citizens  have  built  our  railways.  These  lie  at  the  basis  of  this 
discussion,  as  to  whether  the  Northwest  has  a  natural  centre,  and  where  it 
is.  Chicago  hands  have  been  reached  out  in  all  directions,  but  whence  comes 
the  moving  power,  the  soul?     Whether  the  pretension  that  «'  St.  Louis  is  the 

cf-Dtre  of  N.  commercial  centre  of  North  America"  be  true  or  not,  is  a  momentous  ques- 
tion upon  which  the  entire  business  mind  of  the  continent  needs  to  be  settled- 
With  becoming  seriousness,  I  trust,  it  has  been  considered,  despite  ridiculous 
pretensions,  inclining  to  ludicrous  treatment.  Some  points,  too,  have  been 
iterated  and  reiterated ;  yet  do  not  prevalent  impressions  justify  ?     ^\Tien  the 


Nebraska 
trade. 


Transferring 
exchanjre. 


Chi.  enter- 
prise. 


St.  L.  Bpas- 
modic. 


— fnnds' 
uental. 


I«  "  St.  L 
commercial 


fast,  Present  and  Future  of  CJdcnjo  Imrsfmrntg.  189 

truth   is   known,  words  can  be  savctl ;  ami  till  known  and   ncknowletl<'c<l  R-r««i""'> 

reiteration  IS  indispensable.     It  is  quite  problematic,   however,  wlictlier  the 

more   effective   method   be  not   that    of  the    Chicago    7V/««.-.-,  wliioh    thus  <''i  3'^TO<<■ 

medicates : — 

The  Troubles  of  St.  Louis. — St.  Louis  attributes  all  her  failing,  Iohsos  and  troubles  8i.  \:» 
to  Chicago.     If  there  were  no  Chicago,  St.  Louis  would  be  increaaed  ;  it  would  be  »»'"u«'l«*. 
the  centre  of  trade,  commerce,  piety  and  civilization.     It  would  Hupjdy  ihu  world 
with  food  and  with  light,  with  religion   and  beer.     But  Chicago  has   grown   up  to  CM.  inter*    <% 
the  windward  of  St.  Louis,  Chicago  has  grown  up  between  St.  Louis  and  ilie  sunlight,  '■■'•"•• 
and  the  venerable  old  town  spends  its  long  winter  evenings  wlien  it  is  out  off  fruin 
all  postal  or  railway  and    ferryboat  communication  with  the  re.«t  of  the  world,  in 
gossip  and  scandal  about  its  younger,  handsomer  and  dashing  sister,  Ciiicngo. 

St.  Louis  has  a  "railroad  system"  running  West,  which  was  intended  to  bring  WiHrr.n.u 
all  the  trade  of  Western  Missouri,  Kansas  and  the  farther  West  to  that  city.     It  so  j',',!^''"''^^  ^"^ 
happens  that  each  of  the  roads  in  this  "system"  has  a  connection  with  some  other  i-ni— 
road  which  communicates  directly  with  Chicago.     The  people  of  St.  Louis,  nnnble 
to  understand  why  jMissourians  and  Kansasians  should  go  to  Chicago  to  purciiase  — "">  toChl. 
goods,  got  up  a  theory  that  the  roads  made  a  discriminatiou  in  freight  in  favor  of 
Chicago  against   St.  Louis.     Upon  this  theory  the  newspapers  and  the  Hoard  of 
Trade  have  been  denouncing  the  railway  ollicers,  and  accusing  them  of  directing 
trade  from  that  city  to  the  metropolis  upon  Lake  Michigan.     The  railroad  ofticers  Unju«t  au- 
make  answer,  showing  that  the  discriminations  in  freight  charges  are  largely  against  £r!^'"j""" 
Chicago  and  in  favor  of  St.  Louis,  and  yet  trade  has  preferred  to  come  to  Chicago. 
The  figures  of  freight  charges  are  thus  given  : — 

"  During  the  past  season  the  rates  of  freight  have  been  as  follows: — 

1st  2d  3d  ithKat-^cm 

class.        class.        class,      class,  pannj. 

New  York  to  St.  Louis $2.42  L90         1.40        l.UO 

New  York  to  Chicago , 1.88  1.60  1.27  H2 

New  York  to  Kansas  City 3.19         2.54  1.99        1.48 

Chicago  to  Kansas  City 1.30  1.15  97  77 

St.  Louis  to  Kansas  City 60  50  40  40 

Now  it  readily  appears  from  the  above  figures  that  the  rates  of  freight  '"^^C"^'' J^,'^|?|"*J^j'* 
of  being  in  favor  of  the  Chicago  merchants  are  really  largely  in  f:ivor  of  our  St.  g,  ',*_ 
Louis  people  ;  for  instance,  adding  the  rates  from  St.  Louis  to  Kansas  City  to  the 
New  York  rates  we  have:  First  class,  $3.02;  second  class,  $2.40;  third  class,  $1.K»; 
fourth  class,  $1.40,  as  the  entire  from  New  York  on  goods  purchased  in  St.  Louis, 
while  on  the  same  goods  purchased  in  Chicago  the  cost  of  transportation  from  New 
York  to  Kansas  City  would  be :  First  class,  $3.18  ;  second  class,  $2.75 ;  third  class, 
$2.24;  fourth  class,  $1.59."  ' 

The  reason  why  trade  will  pass  by  St.  Louis  and  come  to  Chicago  is  as  great  a  Myiit..ry 
mystery  as  ever  in  St.  Louis.     The  Board  of  Trade  have  given  up  all  attempts  to  ;:',;;>„'^*'" 
explain  it.     The   Academy  of  Sciences  will    investigate  it  as  soon    as  the  absent  ^.,,1  ,n„„^ 
members  can  fiud  a  cake  of  ice  upon  which  they  can  safely  cross  the  river  to  their  of  St.  L. 
native  shores. 

It  is  also  an  important  consideration  that  these  rapid  and  immense  relative  ^'J,',;_'»'«» 
changes  have  been  accomplished,  not  only  against  long-established  currents  ^^^^ 
of  business,  but  against  large  wealth.     Prof.  Waterhouse  remarked  :—  h;uii 

Our  commerce  is  aided  by  ample  banking  facilities.     There  are  in  St.  Louis,  in  8i.  L.  l«.k.. 
addition  to  more  than  20  private  banks,  32  incorporated  banking  institutions,  witu 
an  actual  capital  of  $15,000,000.     The  character  of  our  banks  stands  deservclly 
high  in  the  financial  world. 


To  boast  of  superior  capital   and  larger   banks,  is  to  glory  in  her  shame,  y^r. 
Says  the  N.  Y.  Evening  Post,  January  18th  :— 

St.  Louis  versus   Ghica^o.-St.  Louis  having  been  rather  worsted  in   the  recent  .^,  L. 
dispute  with  Chicago  as  to  the  relative  value  and  importance  of  the  two  cities  in       • 


^r«. 


190 


Commerce  of  Chicago   Compared  with  St.  Louis. 


St.  L.  assorts  w 
8aperi>.irity     river 
in  baolu. 


She  exalts. 


Chi,  needs 
capital. 


To  prove 
this  oar 
object. 


Ko  city  offers 
eqniil  in- 
ducemoats. 


Oar   respin- 
8ibilitie3  for 
these 
advaatages. 


Inferior 
races  to  be 
cared  for. 


Dr.  Chan- 
ning. 


Commerce 
ijoble — 


— Christian- 
izing. 


some  of  their  commercial,  political,  aaJ  social  aspects,  has  now  found  a  feature  in 
hich  it  thiaks  it  caa  equal  its  rival.  This  is  in  the  business  of  its  banks,  not  the 
banks,  but  the  financial  institutions  so  called.  The  regular  annual  statement 
of  the  two  cities  has  been  published,  and  St.  Louis  finds  to  its  great  satisfaction 
that  in  the  amouut  of  banking  capital  in  circulation,  and  in  deposits,  the  banks^of 
Ciiica'^o  are  inferior  to  its  own.  Seventeen  St.  Louis  banks  have  a  capital  of  $9,- 
'l-<i  ^\0,  that  of  twelve  Chicago  bauks  is  $5,200,000.  The  eight  national  banks  of 
St.  Louis  have  a  circulatioa  of  §3,.!  18,091,  against  $3,930,277  of  the  twelve  national 
banks  of  Chicago.  In  deposits  the  St.  Louis  banks  hold  $13,682,545,39  to  $12,557,- 
752.01,  in  those  of  Chicago.  These  differeaces  in  favor  of  St.  Louis  cause  great 
exultation  in  the  Journals  of  that  city  and  one  of  them  remarks,  "St.  Louis  continues 
as  heretofore,  to  lead  her  fussy  and  boastful  rival  by  a  large  amount." 

This  point,  however,  is  less  alluded  to  as  touching  St.  Louis  than  to  benefit 
ourselves.  With  this  commercial  superiority,  unexampled  facilities  for 
transacting  business  near  and  remote,  very  desirable  opportunities  to  invest 
capital  must  be  afforded.  This  we  need  to  have  well  apprehended  abroad 
by  large  and  small  capitalists.  One  of  the  chief  benefits  from  this  discussion, 
is  the  evid>ince  presented  upon  this  essential  point.  Notwithstanding  our 
progress,  no  city  of  half  the  size  and  trade  has  so  little  cash  capital.  Herein 
to  the  initiated  is  the  chief  wonder  at  our  advancement;  and  although 
considerable  wealth  is  being  accumulated,  yet  probably  no  other  city  offers 
equal  inducements  for  capital,  either  regarding  safety  or  profits.  Yet  care 
and  skill  in  choice  are  quite  as  requisite  here  as  elsewhere ;  perhaps  even 
more  important,  because  of  unexampled  opportunities.  With  proper  dis- 
cretion, all  sorts  of  investments  may  be  made,  in  loans,  banks,  railway  stocks, 
real  estate,  or  in  active  business  of  any  kind,  with  safety  at  least  equal  to 
other  cities,  and  much  stronger  promise  of  profits. 

This  very  important  topic  has  spun  out  immoderately.  Yet  who  can 
forbear  to  consider,  that,  with  these  unexampled  commercial  advantages, 
responsibilities  of  Chicago  merchants  are  correspondingly  multiplied  to  GoD 
and  country.  Let  us  realize  these  responsibilities,  and  employ  all  these 
advantages  now  in  these  early  years  of  development,  so  that  while  our  sons 
shall  bless  their  fathers,  each  succeeding  generation  shall  thrice  bless  us, 
and  the  Father  of  our  spirits  who  moved  us  to  the  work.  Considering  the 
lofty  responsibility  of  a  merchant-prince  of  Chicago,  not  merely  to  the  poor 
Indian  and  Negro,  who  will  soon  have  disappeared,  but  to  the  Mongolian,  which 
is  next  to  feel  Caucasian  power,  as  in  fulfilment  of  Paul's  prediction  at  Athens, 
and  in  possessing  our  GrOD-given  right  of  dominion,  we  go  on  to  occupy  the 
whole  earth  ;  nothing  could  be  a  more  fit  conclusion  of  this,  and  appropriate 
introduction  of  the  succeeding  topic,  than  this  extract  from  an  address  of 
that  most  excellent  Christian,  Dr.  Channing,  before  the  Mercantile  Library 
Company  of  Philadelphia,  in  1841  : — 

Commerce  is  a  noble  calling.  It  mediates  between  distant  nations,  andmakes  men's 
wants,  not  as  formerly,  stimulants  to  war,  but  bonds  of  peace.  The  universal  intel- 
lectual activity  of  which  I  have  spoken,  is  due,  in  no  small  degree,  to  commerce,  which 
spreads  the  thoughts,  inventions,  and  writings  of  great  men  oyer  the  earth,  and 
gathers  scientific  and  literary  men  everywhere  into  an  intellectual  republic.  So  it 
carries  abroad  the  missionary,  the  Bible,  the  cross,  and  is  giving  universality  to  true 
religion.     Gentlemen,  allow  me  to  express  an  earnest  desire  and  hope,  that  the 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  191 

merchants  of  tins  country  will  carry  on  their  calling  with  these  generous  views.  Mcrc'iants to 
Let  them  not  pursue  it  tor  themselves  aloue.     Let  them  rejoice  to  spread  improve-  ""  KL-uerous. 
ments  far  and  wide,  and  to  unite  men  in  more  friendly  ties.     Let  them  adopt  maxims 
of  trade   which  will  establish  general  confidence.     Especially  in  their  intercourse 
with   less  cultivated  ;  tribes,  let   them  feel  themselves  bound  to  be    harbingers  of  Kxtend  civil- 
civilization.     Let  their  voyages  be  missions  of  humanity,  useful  arts,  science,  and  iz;ition. 
religion.       It   is    a  painful    thought,  that  commerce,  instead  of  enlightening   and 
purifying  less  privileged  communities,  has  too  often  made  the  name  of  Christian 
hateful  to  them;  has  carried  to  the  savage  not  our  useful  arts  and  mild  faitii,  but 
weapons  of  war  and  the  intoxicating  draught.     I  call  not  on  God  to  smite  with  his 
lightnings,  to  overwhelm    with    his    storms,  the    accursed    ship  which   goes  to  the 
ignorant,  rude  native,  freighted  with  poison  and  death;  which  goes  to  add  new 
ferocity  to  savage  life,  new  licentiousness  to  savage  sensuality.     I  have  learned  not 
to  call  down  fire  from  heaven.     But  in  the  name  of  humanity,  of  religion,  of  God, 
I  implore  the  merchants  of  this  country  not  to  use  the  light  of  a  higher  civilization  Do  not  cor- 
to  corrupt,  to  destroy  our  uncivilized  brethren.     Brethren,  they  are  in  those  rude ''"?'• 
huts,  in  their  wild  attire.     Establish  with  them  an  intercourse  of  usefulness,  justice, 
and  charity.     Before  they  can  understand  the  name  of  Christ,  let  them  see  his  spirit  Teach  Christ 
in  those  by  whom  it  is  borne.  '°  '"''*• 

Allow  me  to  say  a  word   to  the  meichants  of  our  country  on   another  subject,  j-reo  trade. 
The  time  is  come  when  they  are  particularly  called  to  take  yet  more  generous  views 
of  their  vocation,  and  to  give  commerce  a  universality  as  yet  unknown.     I  refer  to 
the  juster  principles  which  are  gaining  ground  on  the  subject  of  free  trade,  and  to 
the  growing  disposition  of  nations  to  promote  it.     Free  trade ! — this  is  the  plain  The  interest 
duty  and  plain  interest  of  the  human  race.     To  level  all  barriers  to  free  exchange;  °^  ™*°" 
to  cut  up  the  system  of  restriction,  root  and  branch.     To  this,  a  free  nation  should 
especially   pledge  itself.      Freedom   of  the  seas ;    freedom   of  harbors ;  an  inter- 
course of  nations,  free  as  the  winds;  this  is  not  a  dream  of  philanthropists.     WeWetend^ 
are    tending    towards  it,   and  let  us  hasten   it.     Under  a  wise  and  more  Christian  *''^'*'""^^**' 
civilization,  we  shall  look  back  on  our  present  restrictions  as  we  do  on  the  swaddling- 
bands  by  which,  in  darker  times,  the  human  body  was  compressed.     The  growing 
freedom  of  trade  is  another  and  glorious  illustration  of  the  tendency  of  our  age  to 
universality. 

Manufacturing  Advantages  op  Chicago — Rapid  Progress. 

Wlietlier  due  regard  for  commerce  would  lead  to  free-trade  at  an  early  Prpsent  free 
day,  as  Dr.   Cbanning  seems   to   have  thought  above,  may  be   questioned,  fui. 
What  we  would  like  to  have, — what  man  may  yet  attain  unto  in  his  perfect 
day, — is  one  thing;  what  we  should  have,  and  what  restraints  should  be  put 
upon  our  freedom  as  we  are  to-day,  is  quite  another. 

For  man's  best  good,  various  interests  have  been  created,  all  of  which  the  ^j'tj^^'j^^gd^ 
Creator  has  bound  together  by  indissoluble  bonds.     We  exist,  however,  not  <"<»". 
merely  as  ^individuals,  but  as  families.  States,  Nations.     In  these   varied  Duties  vary, 
relations,  our  rights,  duties,  interests,  sympathies,  vary ;  and  we  err  greatly 
in  misapplying  those  of  one  condition  or  status  to  another.     The  State,  the  Nature  of 
source  of  our  every  civil  right,  as  Aristotle  taught,  "  is  first  founded  that 
men  may  live,  but  continued  that  they  may  live  happily."     Its  nature  being 
wholly  different  from  the  individual, — the  latter  a  weak,  dependent,  dying 
creature ;  the  former  immortal,  if  the  laws  of  its  being  be  duly  regarded, 
and  independent  and   omnipotent  as  anything  human   can  be — so   are  the 
laws  governing.     The  various  stati,  too,  are  instituted  to  advance  the  best 
interests  of  the  individual,  facilitating  his  progress  for  time,  the  better  to' 
quahfy  him  for  the  future  world.     These  stati  end  in  time,  but  man  individually 
is  for  eternity. 


192 


Laws   to   bo 
regarded. 


States  seek 
peace. 


Must  be  in- 
dependent. 


Commerce 


Manufacturing  Advantages  of  Chicago — Rapid  Progress. 

In  these  several  stati,  man  lias  his  responsibilities,  in  each  of  which  he 
must  regard  the  Laws  of  Nature  and  of  Nature's  GrOD  thereto  applying. 
While  individuals  should  seek  the  best  good  of  individuals  the  world  over, 
States  are  to  seek  the  best  good  of  States  the  world  over.  Peace,  next  to 
honor  and  glory,  is  the  highest  good,  and  war  the  greatest  evil  of  States. 
Hence,  it  is  the  first  object  of  all  GrOD-fearing  nations  to  preserve  peace. 
No  means  to  this  is  more  effectual  than  to  be  prepared  for  war.  The  best 
preparation  is  that  every  nation,  as  far  as  it  may,  possess  within  itself  the 
means  requisite  to  its  defence,  existence  and  comfort.  So  far  as  it  depends 
upon  other  countries  for  luxuries,  and  still  more  necessaries,  so  far  is  it  at 
the  mercy  of  its  enemies,  if  they  possess  power  to  cut  off  its  supplies.  He 
as  an  individual  who  disregards  the  fundamental  truth  that  he  is  in  a  world 
of  contention  and  struggle,  is  no  more  unwise  than  the  State  which  prepares 
solely  for  peace. 

At  the  same  time,  the  diversity  of  climate  and  of  productions  is  not  to  be 

disregarded.  Overlooked,  and  a  country  can  best  obtain  its  supplies  of  many  articles  from 
foreigners,  paying  in  something  which  it  produces  advantageously.  By 
commerce  a  nation  avails   itself  of  the   capital  and  labor  of  other  nations ; 

Future  free-  and  the  higher  the  civilization,  the  more  will  it  be  employed.  But  entire 
free-trade  seems  to  belong  to  that  blessed  condition  of  man  ages  hence  when 
he  learns  war  no  more.  The  wise  statesman  does  not  imagine  that  wisdom 
will  die  with  this  generation,  and  deals  with  man  as  he  is,  not  as  he  ought  to 
be.  While  he  would  promote  commerce  by  all  legitimate  means,  he  at  the 
same  time  does  his  best  to  reader  his  country  independent  and  self-sustaining. 
Commerce  and  manufactures  are  alike  indispensable  to  a  nation's  prosperity 
and  greatness,  and  each  should  have  due  care  and  encouragement  from  the 
Government,  which  is  instituted  solely  as  an  agency  to  promote  the  State's 
best  good.  Man's  Creator  not  having  given  hearts  to  States,  we  can  exhibit 
wisdom  in  some  better  way  than  by  endeavoring  to  convert  States  into  philan- 
thropists. Especially  should  that  truth  be  realized  here  in  this  New  World, 
which  has  been  kept  back  from  our  race  until  our  present  stage  of  progress. 
Our  duties  are  here,  not  in  Asia  or  Europe.  Yet  what  better  good  can  we 
do  even  to  them,  than  to  pursue  that  policy  which  is  best  calculated  to  draw 
here  their  superabundant  men  and  money  ?  And  to  the  philanthropist,  what 
other  field  promises  equal  results. 

foraii*" '"'''''     '^^^  interests  of  the  State — of  this  Nation  of  States — should  be  cared  for 

interests.  \yj  the  Government  to  which  they  have  been  so  largely  committed,  according 
to  their  relative  importance.  One  is  not  to  be  neglected  for  another,  but 
each  and  all  should  have  due  attention.  Immense  as  is  the  commercial 
interest,  it  dwindles  in  comparison  with  either  agriculture  or  manufactures, 
both  as  to  men  and  capital  employed.     But  while  agriculture  tends  to  diS'use, 

Mannfa/--      manufactures  are   the  most  powerful  means  to  concentrate  population.     This 

tures  (on-  ■*■ 

centrato.  tendency  to  concentration,  as  we  shall  see,  is  the  one  subject  of  all  others  to 
be  considered  in  ascertaining  the  destiny  of  Chicago ;  and  therefore  the  past 


Commerce 
and  manu- 
factures 
both  needed. 


States  no 
philanthro- 
pists. 


Past,  Present  and  Future   of  Chicago  1  nvcstvients.  l'j;j 

and  future  of  manufacturing  in  our  country,  is  a  most  important  element  in 

the  computation.     Nothing  more  comprehensive,  just,  appreei.it  i  ve,  has  come  FM,nr ./  u. 


^^ ^„.     ^,^i,i^iug  .u^jiK^  wiupieiiuiisive,  jusr,  appreciative,  has  come 

under    observation,  than    the  "  Preliminary   views"    to    the    volume    upon 
manufactures  in  the  U.  S.  Census  of  18G0,  from  Mr.  Edmunds:— 


•V   (rruui. 


Nature,  in  the  wide  dominion  allotted  to  man,  has  given  him  the  means   in  some  v„,„r„  h.«- 
latitudes  spontaneously,  but  everywhere  through  labor,  of  support  in-'  life  from  the  inomu- 
products  of  the  soil,  whilst  he   has  been  iuvesled    with   the    faculty   of  reason  and 
invention,  whereby  to  discover  the  secret  agencies  of  the  iniiteriiil  world    and  ho 

direct  them  as  to  change  its  products  into  new  forms— forms  of  utility,  endk'ss'vjtrietv   _ 
and  beauty— all  ministering  to  the  end  of  promoting  the  comfort,' prosperity    urld  I'l"'-"*"!'"!! 
happiness  of  our  race;  and  these  are  classed  by  political  economists  under  the  ^'"^ '''"  K'-«J. 
general  name  of  manufactures. 

The  agriculturalist  opens  the  earth,  and  so  disposes  the  seed  that,  aided  by  heat,  F„rriipr-» 
moisture,  and  the  silent  but  ever  active  agencies  of  nature,  he  secures  the  reward  work, 
of  his  diligence  and  skill. 

The  preceding  volumes  of  the  Census  of  18G0  indicate  the  population  in  that  year  m,  pro- 
of this    Empire-Republic,  and  the  agricultural  products    which   the  labor  of  our  '1.101! 
people,  in  the  diversity  of  our  soils  and  climate,  has  brought  from  the  bosom  of  the 
earth  in  such  abundance  as  not  only  to  support  thirty-one  and  a  half  millions  of 
inhabitants  in  1860,  but  with  an  immense  surplus  for  foreign  markets. 

The  statesman  or  historian,  in  glancing  over  the  past  seven  or  eight  generations  s.^rnrify  of 
to  the  period  when  feeble  settlements  were  first  established  oa  these  then  barbarous  "nr  (  um*!!- 
shores,  and  in  an  unopened   wilderness,  wilt  trace  the  causes  of  our  progress  aud  J'"'""  ■"'1 
advance  in  civilization.     He  will  find  in  our  constitution  and  laws  security  to  persons 
and  property — the  incentives  to  individual  enterprise.  * 

It  has  been  forcibly  said  that  the  "  accumulation  of  capital  which  has  taken  place  Kii,-li«h 
in  England  during  the  last  hundred  years,  and  which,  besides  enabling  that  nation  "'^'^^"'■''7— 
to  defray,  with  little  difficulty,  the  cost  of  so  many  protracted  and  destructive  wars, 
has  covered  the  land  with  cities  and  all  sorts  of  improvements,  and  the  ocean  with 
ships,  would  either  not  have  taken  place  at  all,  or  but  in  a  very  subordinate  degree,  —basts  of 
had  there  been  any  serious  doubt  about  its  present  or  future  security,  or  about  the  proKpcrit/ 
abilty  of  the  owner  to  employ  it,  or  bequeath  at  pleasure." 

These  elements  of  steadiness  and  security  are  found  in  our  political  system,  the  fsnmoele- 
spirit  of  which  is  against  monopolies,  and  favors  freedom  of  industry  and  trade.  ui.'nt«  ouw. 
Our  policy  is  in  no  respect  exclusive  in  dealing  with  great  industrial  interests  ;  it  n., thing  ex- 
invites  competition  at  home  and  from  abroad,  encourages  immigration,  conceding  to  dn'ive. 
foreigners,  after  a  limited  period  of.  residence,  the  privileges  of  a  native-born  citizen. 
It  opens  up  to  all  the  vast  fields  of  the  public  domain,  the  common  inheritance  of  our  BcncOta. 
people,  and  presents  a  surface  of  every  variety  of  climate  and  soil  equal  to  the  support 
of  the  human  race,  according  to  the  ratio  to  a  square  mile  of  the  Belgian  population. 
From  these  broad  acres  liberal  donations  have  been  conceded  for  the  establishment 
of  schools,  colleges — agricultural  and  mechanical — universities,  and  works  of  internal 
improvement  on  a  stupendous  scale. 


*  The  importance  of  this  truth  will  grow  with  its  consideration.    Too  little  do  we  oursolveii,  much  t.->o  little 
less  foreij^ners,  appreciate  the  stimulus  and  moulding  powor  which  Government  exerta  upon  indiTldunl  nH<'nil..n 
character.     Those    who  give  auy  attention  to  politics  being  completely  engaged  with  the  mcMt  pr.ictiral  '"'  '  ''*' 
affairs  of  government,  the  rest  wholly  absorbed  in  practical  enjoyment  resulting  from  the  einpl^yinent 
of  the  unequaled  natural  advantages  here    so  profusely  spread— no  more  the  direct  gift  of  our  OoD  than 
are  our  political  advantages,  and  of  even  less  moment  for  tima,  far  less  for  eternity— the  science  of  .mr 
wonderful  compound  but  not  complex  system,  has  had  too  little  attention.     With  the  rights  of  conqUMt  m^Un  „t 
of  eleven  of  these  States  cast   upon  us,  we  shall   find   more  wisdom,  more   knowlecJg..  of  principle  "'^);][iJj'",'|'*J^ 
political  icience,  requisite  in  the  children  to  preserve,  than  in  the  fathers  to  frame  our  Bystoin.     Yet  ]|','y','y_' 
meagre  as  was  their  knowledge,  ours  is  still  less.    These  practical  citizens  will  not  plod  on  much  longer  in 
the  difficult  paths  of  reconstruction  of  our  shattered  but  not  destroyed  Union,  without  inquiring  whether 
more  light  from  political  science  will  not  avail  us  ;  and  when  they  tind  wo  have  the  solid  basis  of  SUte  pj„,,  ,,^,,, 
Sovereignty,  not  the   false   one  of  consolidated   National   Sovereignty,— not  even  partly  so,  as  Madison  Stale  Sot 
taught— then  will  the  superiority  and  strength  of  our  National  Uui..n  begin  to  be  apprehended,  together  "cignty. 
with  the  immense  benefits  of  tree  Governments  upon  individual  citizens  and  subjects. 

13 


194  Manufacturing  Advantages  of  Chicago — Rapid  Progress. 

Raw  matcri-      We  have  within  the  bounds   of  the  Republic  the   raw  material  for  almost  every 
ala    abuuud.  branch  of  manufacturing  industry.     In  veins  of  gold  and  silver  are  found  weaU> 
unmeasured  and  incalculable.     These,  the  universal  representatives  of  values,  pre- 
dominate in  intrinsic  worth  over  the   labor  in  any  form  bestowed  upon  them  in 
manufacture.     The   Union  also  holds  in  its   territory  the  useful   metals  of  iron, 
Labor   gives  copper,  lead,  and  tin,  of  untold  extent,  in  which  labor  constitutes  the  chief  value, 
them  vulue.  ^^  j-jjown  in  the  diversified  forms  in  which  skill  has  fashioned  these  metals,  from 
the  main  spring  of  a  watch,    where   the    artist's  genius    imparts  a  hundred- fold 
value  over  that  of  the  raw  material,  to  articles  of  domestic  use,  and  from  these  up 
to  the  complex  and  gigantic  machines  which   do  the  manual  labor   of  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  men. 
Converts  to,      Other  products,  as  sand  and  soda,  of  inconsiderable  value  in  their  crude  state, 
use  and  or- a,re  capable  of  transmutation  into  beautiful  and  useful  forms,  subservient  to  domestic 
nament.        ^^^ — j^  ^j^^  adornment  of  temples  of  worship,  in  stained  and  colored  glass  of  living 
hues,  and  in  other  forms  of  excellence  and  taste,  embellishing  palatial  edifices,  and 
giving  light  and  comfort  even  to  the  lowly  cottage ;  then  in  the  form  of  telescopic 
power,  whereby  the  eye  of  science  watches  the  sidereal  procession  by  land  and  sea, 
B>ig3  made    and   realizes    the  value   of  the  teachings  of  these  celestial  objects.       Even   rags, 
into  paper,    valueless  in  their  crude  state,  the  skill  of  the  manufacturer  transforms  into  paper, 
the  medium  of  recording  the  doings  of  men  in  social  and  business  life,  and  perpetu- 
ating, in  written  forms,  the  result  of  scientific  philosophic  thought,  the  rise  progress, 
decline,  and  fall  of  nations,  the  means  whereby  the  people,  through  the  press,  are 
continually  in  council  in  our  own  land,  and  the  great  truths  of  natural  and  revealed 
Benefits  of    religion  are  everywhere  dissemminated.     The  man  of  observation  sees  our  prosperity 
laud  culture,  jjj  jgg  driving  of  the  ploughshare  over  wide  fields  between  the  two  great  oceans  of 
this  half  continent,  and  from  the  inland   seas  of  the  North    to  the   Tropics;     in 
Cities  and     establishing  over  two  millions  and  forty-four  thousand  farms,  and  in  creating  cities 
towns.  rivalling  some  of  the  proud  capitals  of  Europe  which  had  been  founded  a  thousand 

years  ago.  These,  with  towns  and  villages  number  twenty-eight  thousand,  and 
Manufacto-  Contain  a  fraction  less  than  five  millions  of  houses.  Our  manufactories  number  one 
ries.  hundred  and  forty  thousand  four  hundred,  besides  machine  shops  of  great  capacity 

and  value,  the  former  converting  the  raw  material  of  wool,  cotton,  hemp,  hair,  hides, 
and  other  products,  into  the  multitude  of  forms  known  to  civilized  life,  the  latter 
creating  machinery  of  immense  strength,  of  exact  movement,  huge  engines  of  labor, 
moved  by  the  irresistible  force  of  steam,  indicating  the  intellectual  power  and  skill 
of  our  citizens,  whilst  our   shops   and  ship-yards  are   continually   renewing  and 
Alllinkedby  increasing  the  commercial  and  naval   tonnage.     The  industry  of  our  people  has 
railways.       linked  our  cities,  manufactories,  and  machine  shops  by  lines  of  railway  much  greater 
in  lineal  extent  than  the  circumference  of  the  globe,  and  connected  by  the  electric 
telegraph  the  most  distant  points  of  the  Republic.     Not  content  with  these  triumphs 
Petroleum,    of  manufactures  and  machinery,  the  genius  of  mau  has  demanded  of  the  earth  her 
oily  treasures,  and,  by  powerful  engines,  is  enriching  the  country  by  securing  this 
valuable  product,  the   element  not  merely  of  light,  but  of  permanancy  and  lustre 
in  color  in  the  manufacture  of  woollen  and  other  fabrics. 
AdamSmith.      ^''-   Adam  Smith,  in  his   treatise  on  the   "  Division  of  Labor,"   states  that  "  the 
most  opulent  nations,  indeed,  generally  excel  all  their  neighbors  in  agriculture   as 
Manufac-       w^^   ^^   in  manufactures ;  but   they  are    eminently   more   distinguished   by  their 
tares  chief,   superiority  in  the  latter  than  in  the  former." 

British  ex-         '"^'^^^  declaration  of  the  great  political  economist  is  illustrated  in  the  vast  wealth 

ample.  brought  to  the  British  shores  by  manufacturing  instrumentality. 

Britain  1337.      I"  1387,  five  and  a  quarter  centuries  ago,  the  English  were  nothing  more  than 

shepherds    and    wool-sellers.     An    act    of  parliment   in  that   year  interdicted  the 

exportation  of  wool,  and  the  use  of  any  but  English  cloth,  forbidding  the  importation 

of  foreign  cloths,  yet  inviting  foreign  manufacturers  to  domiciliate  in  the  country. 

Progress        The  wonderful  progress  and  wealth  of  that  nation  are  traced  from  the  time  of  the 

mali^fl^'t"     establishment  of  manufactories  in  the  kingdom,  and  to  the  use  of  their  machinery, 

ries.  '•^6  aggregate  capacity  of  which  is  equal  to  the  manual  labor  of  the  whole  human  race. 

U.  8.  pro-  What  strides  in  that  direction  have  the  United  States  taken  in  the  last  half  century ! 

gresa   in  50      In  the  year  1810,  by  order  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  the  returns  of  mar- 

y^"-  shals  in  relation  to  our  manufacturers  were  then  arranged  by  a  skilful  agent.     The 

results  are,  that  the  goods  then  manufactured  by  the  loom  from  cotton,  wool,  flax,  hemp 

and  silk,  besides  instruments  and  machinery  manufactured — hats  of  wool  and  fur ; 

manufactures  of  iron,   gold,   silver    set-work,  lead;  of    soap,  tallow  candles,  wax, 

spermaceti,  and  whale  oil;  of  hides,  shoes;  of  wood,   oils,  refined  sugars,  paper, 


Past,  Present  and  Future,  of  Chinttjii   Tinmtmrnts.  195 

marble-stone,  slate,  glass,  earthen  manufactures,  tobacco,  dye-Bluffs,  (IrujrB,  painio, 

cables,  and  cordage — amounted  to $lL'7.»i'.'1,c,()2. 

Omitted   articles,  or  those  imperfectly   returned    eslimnteil  at  $1.''>,0<;h,07I, 

To   which  add  value  of  "  doubtful  articles,"  having  cDiineclion  wiili 

agricultural  purs^uits,   cotton  pressing,    flour  and   meal   mills  for 

grinding  grain,  &c.  estimated  at $2/), 8^0,70.1. 

Making  in  the  year  1810,  the  aggregate  manufacturing  values  of $r.lK.(W.'l,-171.  Toi.i,  igio, 

What  were  the  values  of  this  branch  of  American  industry  in  18(iO?     The  exact*'"*'**'"**' 
figures,  according  to  the  Census  tables,  are  ^l.HS-'i.Stil,!;"'). 

To  this  amount,  obtained  from  actual  census  returns,  let  there  be  added  n  moderate  i^flo.  t^uOO- 
estimate  for  omissions,  andfor  non-return  of  minor  and  inconsidi-rable  eslatdi-hiiienls,  '•'".'"•0. 
and  the  aggregate  values,  in  18G0,  of  our  manufactures,  reach   the  enormous  sum 
of  two  thousand  millions  of  dollars,  having  been  multiplied   ten   times    within  Ihe  TmXM  In 
fifty  years  ending  in  1860,  whilst  our  population  in  the  same  period  has  increased''''  y«*r«. 
four  and  a  half  fold. 

These  amazing  results,  whilst  measurably  aifected  by  the  wealth  of  our  soil,  its  Rrripmral 
successful  tillage  and  abundant  harvests,  are  yet  directly  traceable  to  the  science,  •-•"••^i"  <>r 
artisan-skill,  industry,  and  energy  of  the  American  people  in  the  great  department  ^'l' „',],',''" 
of  manufactures  ;  results,  realizing  to  the  nation  the  truili  hereinbefore  mentioned,  f«<turai. 
that  the  most  opulent  nations  are  more  distinguished  by  their  superiority  in  manu- 
factures than  in  agricultural  interests;  and  yet,  in  the  ratio  in  which  the  former 
are    increased,    is    the    landed    estate    enhanced    in   value — these   great    interests 
reciprocally  acting  upon  and  advancing  each  other. 

With  unlimited  raw  materialat  hand  to  supply  almost  every  variety  of  manufactures:  GcnemUd- 
with  a  railway  system  completely  connecting  every  important  point  east  of  'I'c  **J."^^  °' 
Mississippi,  and  rapidly  extending  so  as  to  carry  the  work  to  the  Pacific  ;  with  a 
line  of  river  and  canal  communication  reaching  the  principal  interior  marts  of  the 
country,  we  have  the  elements  and  the  means  within  ourselves  of  a  domestic  trade 
of  surpassing  value  ;  and,  with  a  river  and  ocean  commerce  equal  to  thirty  thousand 
vessels,  the  United  States  have  become  a  formidable  competitor  for  the  lion's  share 
of  the  trade  of  the  world. 

Carnot,  the  war  minister  of  France,  the  man  who  "organized  victory."  in  resisting,  Camofi  rx- 
in  1802,  the  decree  creating  Napoleon  consul  for  life,  spoke  generally  of  the  insta- Jj-il^'^'JI^ff 
bility  of  republics,  tracing  the  same  to  the  fact  of  "  being  hastily  put  together  in  the  Ki.,„;,,iic. 
midst  of  civil  commotions,  enthusiasm  always  presiding  over  their  establishment." 
But  that  distinguished  statesman   singled    out  from  these  the  American  republic. 
"  One  only,"  said  he,  "  has  been  the  work  of  philosophy."      Organized  in  the  calm  of 
jpmce,  this  republic   subsists,  full   of  wisdom  and  vigor  ;  the    United  Slates  of  Aorth  luiaacctm. 
America  present  the  phenomenon,  and  their  prosperity  constantly  receives  accessions, 
which  excite  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  other  nations.  * 


*And  why  our  success  and  the  failure  uf  France  to  establish  a  Republic?     No  doubt  difference  of  \\,,,.  ,,.•,.„ 
chaiaoter  of  people  was  an  important  element ;  yot  far  more  effective  was  our  re-ard  for  the  wisdom  of  ^fjj,^'/;;;]' .'J^''" 
their  great    Montesquieu,  in  employing    Federalisim,   and   their  disresard   in    ConHolid.llon.      Under  ■„,,'■,',„/ 'iy^. 
Providential  guidance  we  adhered  closely  to  our  noble  motto,  £.  Plurihus    Unum,and  our  ship  of  SUlv  ens. 
has  made  progress  upon  life's  ocean  unexampled  in  the  world-g  history  ;  and  theirs,  started  under  the 
vain-gl.,rious  banner,  Tlve  Republic  One  and  Indivisible,  soon  went  under  the  bloody  wave<i  of  the  French 
Revolution.  ^     ,  , 

That  study  into  the  nature  of  our  Governments  and  Union,  which  hitherto  we  have  been  t<^>  pnirtic.,1  .^'^-^'J.v  n^^ 
to  give,  will  enable  us  to  apprehend  the  wonderful  results  obtained  by  our  combination  of  State  an' rut,- .,„r 
Federal  Agencies.    The  difficulty  has  been,  aud  always  will  t)e  until  man  attains  perfection,  to  povern  enoneh  ..,  ,tem. 
and  not  too  much.     The  exercise  of  political  power  is  one  of  the  most  self-a^'Krandizing  iMHucn.H^  with 
which  we  have  to  do.     Checks  must  be  employed  in  the  best  <,f  States,  with  the  be.t  of  mien.,  or  the  l^^^^^ 
best  of  Governments  becomes  oppressive.     The  gradual  institution  of  checks  in  the  Bntlnh  «yMem.   m*  ^,,.,,.„^  ,„ 
brought  it  toils  great  perfection.     Although  no  Republic,  as  Lord  Broughan..  .lohn  Stuart  .Mill.  .n.  other  ,i,.  Bril.in. 
conceited  Britons  represent ;  they  have  judiciously  engrafted  upon  their  root  of  .Monarchv  the   ,.rn.-  pie 
of  Republicanism,  or  Representation,  whereby  it  is  rendered  the  most  perfect  exun.plo  of  Limited  M-n- 
archy  ever  known.     We  have  engrafted  this  same  principle  upon  our  root  of  Dem.K^racy.  the  Sover.  i.-ntv  Pt.  e  ^t- 
of  the  Peoplo-the  People  by  States.     It  is  the  possession  of  this  Sovereignty  by  the  Pc^-ide.  compolU,.,  ^^  _^K  ,  J;^ 
to  the  exclusive  use  of  Representation,  that  alone  constitutes  a  Republic.     Rome  under  the  C«.«r.  w«  r,,,„,.,Ic. 
as  much  a  Republic,  as  Great  Britain  is  a  Republic.     We  want  to  understand  these  thinp.  and  le.^  at 
once  the  intrinsic  benefits  of  our  compound  system,  and  its  superiority  to  anything  the  world  ha.  ever 
enjoyed,    ibis  division  of  the  exercise  of  State  Sovereignty  to  two  co-ordinate  and  Independent  .el,  of  ^^^  P;;^  _.,_^^^ 
agents.  State  and  Federal,  and  the  sub-division  to  distinct,  co-ordinate  Uepartment«  Lepslatwe,  fcxecntWe  .„,i,„,.„cc* 
and  Judicial,  haa  given  U8  undoubtedly  the  most  admirable  system  of  checks  aud  balances  ever  d«vu..J.  . 


196  Manufacturing  Advantages    of  Chicago— Rapid    Progress. 

Lesson  Thus  was  it  reserved  for  the  New  World  to  teach  the  Old  that  ''  nations  may  tran- 

taught.  quillt/  exist  under  t/ie  dominion  of  liberty  and  equali.ti/." 

The  Union  in      Such  was  the  Union  at  the  opening  of  the  present  century,  in  the  infancy  of  its 
1800.  political  being.     What  has  it  accomplished  since?     It  has  advanced  with  gigantic 

sti  ides  towards  its  high  destiny  in  the  three  elements  of  a  nation's  power — agriculture, 
Results  manufactures  and  commerce.  The  results  are  recorded  in  the  census  volumes  of 
1S60.  23(50 ;  but  it  has  gone  further  ;  it  has  successfully  quelled  the  greatest  revolt  known 

to  ancient  or  modern  times. 

Politics  aQd      With    profound  wisdom    are  physical   and  political    considerations  thus 

w^ifeiT        blended  to  consider  the  future  of  manufactures.     Of  the  power  of  politics 

ueuded.       ^^  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^   conception,  until  far  more  study  is  given  it  than  hitherto. 

Nor  are  the  best  informed  any  exceptions.     No  man  has  so  much  knowledge 

of  the  nature  and  superiority  of  our  institutions,  that  he  can  learn  no  more; 

Ourcontrary  and  the  pemicious,  fundamental  errors,  generally  prevalent, — the  destruction 

of  National  Union  by  the  school  of  South  Carolina,  against  which  the  most 

gigantic  of  civil   wars  has  been  required   to  shield   us ;  the  subversion  of 

State  Sovereignty  by  the  school  of  Massachusetts,  now  our  chief  danger — 

prove  that  if  there  be   any   certainty  in   the  fundamentals  of  politics,  our 

—prove        teachers  of  one  school  or  the  other,  or  of  both,  have  erred  most  egregiously; 

errore.""^      or  else,  that  common-sense  which  is  usually  accorded  these  citizens,  is  withheld 

in  their  political  practice.  * 

No  place  for      But  this  opcns  too  widc  a  field  to  have   proper  consideration  here.     We 

sion.  certainly  shall  find,  that  the  nature  and  strength  of  National   Union  based 

upon  State  Sovereignty,  has  never  been  apprehended  even  by  ourselves  ;   and 

these  Providential  events  compel  us  to  a  thorough  examination,  which  must 

Effect  on      have  a  direct  and  powerful  influence  upon  this  subject  of  manufactures,  in 

tares.  which,  possessing  already  such  a  variety  and   abundance   of  raw  materials, 

labor  and  capital  are  chief  essentials. 


Common  *  '^'^^  truth  is,  that 'right  against  our  teachers,  under  Providential  guidance,  these  practical  citizens 

sonse  rules,     have  conducted  their  affairs  with  wonderful  success.     The  fathers  came  very  near  to  a  rejection  of  this 

Eirors  ol  the  frame  of  Oovernment,  because  of  erroneous  toachinars  of  some  of  its  chief  friends  and  framers.     Then,  in 

fathers.  '  ° 

Cbisholm  vs.  Cliishnlm  m.  Georgia,  the  first  important  case  before  the  Supreme  Court,  the  sound  decision  was  given 

Georgia.  that  these  States  could  be  sued.     But  Attorney  General  Randolph  had  argued,  and  the  Court  wove  it  into 

their  obiter  dicta,  tViat  the  United  States  could  not  be  sued ;  and  where  is  theauthority  from  that  day  to 

this  whicli  has  ever  suggested  that  the  Court's  teachings  might  have  been  wrong,  being  in  direct  conflict  with 

the  Constitution  itself?     Why  should  not  either  State  or  Federal  Government  be  liable  to  have  its  claims 

and  obligations  adjudicated  in  a  court  of  justice?     Because  the  Queen  of  Great  Britain,  as  the  source  of 

all  law  within  her  dominions,  cannot  be  made  amenable  to  her  own  court  of  justice ;  shall  th  it  exempt 

either  State  or  Federal  Agency  from  amenability  to  these  sovereign  States,  by  whose    enactment  alone 

either  Government  has  existence? 

Rlackstone's     We  are  so  completely  indoctrinated  with  Blackstone's  nonsense  of  the  sovereignty  of  the  legislature, 

nonsense.        that  wo  have  no  conception  of  the  Sovereignty  of  the  People,  and  the  excellence  of  the  system  we  actually 

have  to  keep  our  Governments  and  officials  to  their  proper  duties,  and  the  fulfilment  of  their  just  obliga- 

Error  of  Uth  tions.    That  absurd  obiter  dictum, — though  as  usual  the  practical  part  of  the  case,  the  decision  was  correct. 

Amendment.  — led  those  practical  citizens  at  once  to  adopt  the  llth  Amendment;  for  they  rightly  determined,  that  if 

some  how  or  other  a  supreme  authority  had  gotten  over  them  which  could  not  be  held  accountable  to  the 

laws  of  the  land — not  even  to  the  supreme  law  of  the  land  by  which  alone  every  part  of  the  Federal 

Courts  of        Government  existed — those  sovereign  States  at  all  events  should  not  be  sued.     We  are  gradually  feeling 

Claims.  our  way  back,  by  instituting  Courts  of  Claims, — though  not  yet  at  all  trusted;  and  when  our  teachers 

shall  stmly  a  little  more  of  the  principles,  they  will  tell  us  that  our  Courts,  not  Congress,  are  the  proper 

idjudicatora  of  all  such  questions. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Lwestmnits.  197 

The  examination  of  principles  will,  in  the  first  place,  correct  prevalent  Nodiir.r. 
belief,  that  there   is  no  essential  difference   in  the   forms  of  KOvernm.'Mt.  ".'"'."v-r^ 
That  our  Creator  thought  there  was  a  difference,  which  has  never  yet  been  "'"'• 
done   away,  is  shown  by  the  earnest  remonstrance  against  a  change,  wlicn 
Israel  said,  "  Nay,  but  we  will  have  a  King  over  us;"  and  we  shall  learn  the 
reciprocal  operation  of  government  upon  people,  and  of  people  upon  govern- 
ment, and  more  than  ever  realize  and  acknowledge  the  goodness  of  our  (jod  ni.iitf.tion. 
in  giving  us  the  very  best  system  of  government  ever  devised,  cither  regarding  our'".''y['.''m. 
the  individual  or  the  body  politic. 

The  strength  and  sacrednessof  covenant  obligations,  especially  on  the  pirl  strmRth   of 
of  States  and   Nations,  will  be  appreciated  as  never  hitherto.     This  more '^''""""'' 
than  aught  else  will  generate  unbounded  confidence  in  the  perpetuity  of  our 
institutions;  and  while  the  privileges  of  American  Citizenship  will  be  more 
highly  valued  than  ever,  the  liberty-loving  in  Europe  will  .see  more  and  more  Kurop«  c«d- 
that  they  are  never  to  be  enjoyed  except  by  removal  here.     The  obligations  "^",',^'*y'"'' 
there  between  Monarch,  Nobility  and  People,  are  no  less  sacred,  than  these 
between   these    States;  and   so  long   as    a    government   is  reasonably  well  oiirte«:hing 
administered,  there  is  no  right  of  revolution.     Our  Declaration  of  Independ-  IV  J^'r.jiu'"-''* 
ence,  will  be    acknowledged   a   perfect  exponent    upon  this  right.     As  a  Kur.'.|K.;io9to 
consequence,  we  shall  have  an  increasing  immigration,  not  only  from  the ''"'"' 
low,  but  from  the  higher  classes  and  even  the  nobility,  many  of  whom   will 
see  the  benefits   of  giving  junior   members  of  a  family  equal  opportunities 
with  the  first-born.      Relief  for   dissatisfaction    with  government,  is  to  be 
found   individually   in  the   right  of  expatriation;    in   regard   to  which  our  itritiUii 
teachings  and  practice   are  undoubtedly  right,  and   Rutherforth  and  other  rxiiairiaUyu. 
British  authorities  wrong.     Israel's  law  is  surely  the  Law  of  Nations  on  that 
point;  and   when  any  Nation,  be  it  Great  Britain,  or  France,  or  even  our 
good  friend  Russia,  shall  authoritatively  dare  to  call  in  question  the  rights 
of  expatriation,  and  of  the  transfer  of  a  subject's  allegiance  from  her  to  one  k  j,.oi„a— 
of  these  States,  which  thereby  obligates  the  Federal   Agency  of  that  State 
to  render  its  faithful  liege  subject  all  due  protection  against  any  foreign 
power;  that  protection  to  the  humblest  subject  will  surely  be  rendered,  cost— wo  Bgi.t— 
what  it  may,  unless  the  stars  and  stripes  cease  to  wave  in  heaven's  breeze. 
European  diplomatists  may  higgle,  and  assert  prerogatives  too  long  uni|ues- 
tioned  :  but  no  civilized  Nation  dare  resort  to  ultima  ratio  rajum  witli  tlic-if  nw:*.- 
United  States  upon  that  point.    The  full  benefits  of  tliese  political  considerations 
cannot  be  estimated  without  thorough  examination;  yet  who  will  refuse  to 
acknowledge  their   importance   in   multiplying  immigrants,  many  of  whom 
will  be  manufacturers  ? 

The   chief  part  of  our  labor,  however,  for  manufacturing,  also  mining.  Anriont 

P  \  •  r\    •  \        •■'■Ipnl  our 

agriculture,  building  railroads,  etc.,  is  to  come  from  the  ancient  (Jrient,  butocciJenu 
the  American  Occident.     Thither  the  star  of  destiny  points  our  Caucasian 
way  to  the  spot  where  God  created  Adam,  and  gave  him   and  his  posterity 
dominion  of  the  whole  earth.     As  a  means  preparatory,  we  are  no  doubt  to 


193 


M'lnu/acturinj  Advantages  of  Chicago— Rapid  i'rogrcHs. 


Millions  of 
Asiatics  to 
come. 


Develop 

iiiiiuulac- 

tiires. 


have    millions   upon    millions  of  Mongolians,    Malayans,   Hindoos,    etc,,   to 

develop  the  unequaled  natural  advantages  here  enjoyed  and  elevate  our  race 

to   its  ultimate  glory.     Two  or  three   Pacific   railroads,   creating   intimate 

commerce  with   China  and  other  Asiatics,  are  to  have  more  eiFect  to  develop 

manufacturiu"-  by  cheapening  labor,  than  any  other  instrumentality  that  can 

be  conceived.     What  other  section  will  receive  more  of  them  than  the  Glreat 

Vallies  of  the  Rivers  and  of  the  Lakes  ? 

Cii)itai  to  be      Ncxt  to  labor,  capital  is  essential.     What  means  so  efficient  to  draw  hither 

Euruoe.        the  superabundant   capital   or  Jliurope,  as  to  strengthen   confidence  m  our 

institutions  ?     Developments  which  we  oui'selves  must  make  of  the  sacredness 

of  covenant  obligations,  in  order  to  maintain  our  governmental  system,  and 

Confidence    i\^q  eamcstncss  and  sincerity  with  which  on  all  hands  our  declarations  will 

in  our  proiii- 

iaes  to  pay  \)q  made  to  pay  every  dollar  of  our  liabilities,  together  with  increasing 
knowledge  of  our  immense  resources,  will  satisfy  the  world  that  our  indebt- 
edness of  every  sort,  city,  county,  State,  Nation,  will  surely  be  paid.  When 
any  one  of  these  States  shall  refuse  to  obey  the  adjudication  of  the  Supreme 

state  rights  Court,  and  refuse  to  pay  a  just  debt,  of  which  there  is  not  scarcely  a  possibility'; 

guard.  '  it  will  be  found  a  question  aiFecting  the  credit  of  every  State,  and  a  violation 
of  covenant  obligations,  for  which  a  remedy  will  surely  be  found,  and  in 
virtue  of  State  Sovereignty,  too,  for  the  preservation  of  which  these  States 

state  SoT-     formed  the  first,  and  then  the  "  more  perfect  Union."    What  is  State  Sovereignty 

ereignty  to  .  .  o         -rr  . 

be  appeciat- good  for  Without  faith  and  honor:  When  that  august  prerogative, the 
Sovereignty, the  summum  bonum  of  the  State,  shall  once  be  realized  together 
with  its  corresponding  obligations,  never  can  one  of  these  States  refuse  to 
fulfil  its  engagements;  and  if  one  should,  the  benefits  of  a  National  Union 
of  free  and  independent  States,  will  be  found  sufficient  to  protect  the  State 
from  a  fiite  worse  than  felo  de  se. 
Dispute  Had  we    correct  apprehensions  upon  these    points,  could  we  so  dispute 

tht  bonds.  °  about  paying  part  of  the  Federal  bonds?  We  endeavor  actually  to  make 
an  Issue  in  the  coming  Presidential  contest,  concerning  payment  of  part  of 
the  bonds,  as  if  we  expected  to  continue  indefinitely  the  present  shaving 
system  of  National  Bank  issues,  and  never  have  specie  payments.  We  shall 
return  to  the  one  as  we  relieve  ourselves  of  the  other,  and  substitute  the  true 
national  currency  of  green-backs ;  and  then,  what  is  the  difi'erence  whetho- 
principal  or  interest  be  payable  in  specie  or  not  ?  Now,  we  are  selling  these 
securities  to  foreigners  for  thirty  to  forty  per  cent,  discount ;  the  best  security 
in  the  world,  and  which  we  shall  pay  dollar  for  dollar.  During  the  war  it 
was  to  be  expected,  but  how  much  longer  should  this  state  of  things  continue 


Keturn  to 
specie  pay- 
ments. 


LosB  upon 

our 

aei^urities. 


Pay  dearly 
for  cajjital. 


with  peace  ?     It  mattered  little  about  discount  so  long  as  traffic  in  bonds  was 
chiefly  at  home;  but  selling  abroad  at  a  discount  is  a  dead  national  loss. 

We  are  certainly  paying  dearly  for  the  use  of  foreign  capital ;  and  as 
indebtedness  on  account  of  the  war  is  yet  to  be  immensely  augmented,  and 
Europe  will  seek  it  more  and  more,  it  is  of  prime  consequence  that  we  soon 
learn  enough  of  the  economy  of  politics,  to  ascertain  the  difference  between 


Pasi,  Present  and  Future  of  Chircvjo  Investments.  199 

two-thirds  of  a  dollar  and  the  whole  of  it,  and  find  SDnie  speedy  way  to  riil  Wayofro- 

ourselves  of  national  banks,  save  interest  to  the  Nation  by  using  greenbacks 

for  currency,  and  return  to   specie   payments,  the  only  possible  way  to  get 

the  whole  dollar.     Then  shall  we  have  abundant  means  to  obtain  capital  fur  yu-^nntnt 

manufacturing  and  for  railroads,  of  which   the   West  will    obtain  its   duo  lurli."'^' 

proportion. 

As  to  the  prospects  of  Chicago  to  obtain  its  own  projtortion  of  \\\'st«,'rn  ri,ic««o'. 
benefits,  the  following  general  observations  from  the   circular  of  ISGl,  are '/vl^'i  iMi. 
appropriate  : — 

Commerce  alone  seldom  if  ever  makes  a  large  city.     A  few  persons  can  sell  ami  MHinifnfv 
handle    millions    of  dollars    worth    of  property.      But  a   strong   commercial   point  .'."jV,,",',"^^ 
draws  to  it  all  kinds  of  business,  chief  of  which  is  manufacturing.     New   York  i.«  i,iiii,u  i*rg8 
our  principal  city  for  both  domestic  and  foreign  trade,  but  far  more  of  her  people  are  ritii-'<. 
concerned  in  manufactures  than  in  mere  selling  and  shipping.     Tliougii  all  materiul.H  ;^xiimplo   of 
must  there  be  brought  from  a  greater  or  less  distance,  and   higii   rents  and   extra  •*'•  ^* 
expenses  incurred,  yet  its  advantages  as  being  an  important  business  centre  arc 
more  than  an  equivalent. 

So  it  is  to  be  at  Chicago.     As  already  intimated,  the  West  abounds  in  raw  materials,  '^'""*'  ' 
and  nowhere  else  than  here  can  coal,  lumber  of  various  kinds,  iron,  copper,  lead, 
wool,  cotton,  food,  etc.,  be  more  easily  and  cheaply  brought  together.     Wt-re  it   not  AilvunUgo* 
so,  its  advantages  of  distribution  would,  as  in  New  York,  offset  considerable  expense  ','j„'y_ 
in  procuring  materials.     It  must  ever  be  an  influential  consideration  to  a  manufac- 
turer to  make  his  location  where  daily  or  oftener   he  can  put  his  articles  on  a  car 
that,  without  change,  will  carry  them  to  his  customers  in  all  directions,  and  hundreds 
of    miles  distant.       But   having    unsurpassed    facilities    for    gathering   ™'^'c''''»l^' JJ,1,\'j.r|]^^^ 
combined   with   unequaled  means  of  distribution,   Chicago  must  become  a  great 
manufacturing  city.  _  ^Ypu,  ,„ 

Not  long  is  the  present  system  to  be  pursued.     From  these  lakes,  lumber  is  sent  „,„„„f|«.. 
all  the  way  to  New  England,  and  food  for  the  hands  that  carry  it  and  manufacture  t.ir.- fur 
it,  and  they  build  our  furniture,  carriages,  etc.,  in  large  proportion,  and  even  many  "»>•"■- 
farming  tools,  wagons  and  the  like,  and  they,  or  somebody  besides  ourselves,  do' 
nearly  all  our  other  manufacturing.    Perhaps  in  cotton  and  wool,  and  all  finer  branches, 
their  capital  and  experience  may  enable  them  for  some  time  to  hold  superiority,  but 
of  common  articles,  that  cost  a  good  per  cent,  on  their  value  to  transport,  the.West 
will  soon  be  its  own  producer,  and  will  steadily  gain  in  all.  Varioiu    ad- 

Climate  and  healthiness,  and  other  local  advantages  hereafter  noticed,  are  also  ^_^,,^g^ 
favorable  and  important  influences,  and  the  extensive  home  market  the  West  allords 
is  another.     If  correct   in  the  previous  suggestion,  that  much  of  the   increasing 
capital  of  our  country  is  to  find  employment   in  manufactures,  is  it  not_  reasonable  ^,^uf.etnr« 
to  believe  that  the  advantage  an  establishment  would  have  at  Chicago  in  obtaining  K..me  for 
materials  and  food,  and  in  supplying   western  consumers,  would  in  many  articles  >-u.t. 
enable  it  to  ship   eastward   and  abroad  in   successful  competition   with  the  New 
England  producer  ?  .        .  ,     •  CapitAl   will 

If  manufactures  are  to  be  speedily  increased  by  the  necessity  of  employing  money  ^;„„_,. 
advantageously,  no  one  point  will  receive  more  of  it  than  Chicago,  which  '■«"'«!*'%  ,..,,„ 
our  chiel-  obstacle-lack  of  capital.     The  next  difficulty  is  in  the  supply  and  price  i-^^r.!*. 
of  labor,  which  in  these  days  of  information  and  of  rapid  intercommunication,  and 
with  so  migratory  a  people,  cannot  be  very  considerable.  .     ,,    •     ^„„  ,juTj^n,ll. 

Railroads  themselves  require  a  large  amount  of  manufacturing,  in  their  car«  ;-rf„,^^l 
engines,  etc.,  and  had  Chicago  no  other  manufacturing  business  except  that  resulting  ,„„,urtDg. 
from  her  railway  system,  it  would  build  up  a  large  city.  _ 

We  have  already  a  great  variety  of  manufactures  commenced  m  a  smalMyay.  an.  '-r 
thousih  the  life's  blood  has  been  drawn  out  of  them  by  the  enormous  rate  of  interesi 


^?r:n  ^n^^;:;ed  l^r;^Vugi;  ..tferiug  with  all  other  business  by  Oic 
Se^re  sion  of  the^times,  yet  a  brighter  day  is  about  to  dawn.  <==»P>'''l  "'-.'--  ^^^ 
for  their  benefit,  and  soon  prosperity  will  attend  upon  them  as  in  few  cities  in  the 


Pro<ip«rt« 
ggood. 


country. 


200 


Manufacturing  Advantages  of  Cldcago — Rapid  Progress. 


Slow  growth      Our  lack  of  capital,  especially  as  compared  with  St.  Louis,  has  been  felt 

hitherto  r         ;        i  ^  -,       n   •     •,  -d        •  p        i      • 

gives  more    more  in  manufactures  thaa  any  branch  oi  industry,     aui  it  relative  progress 

in  future,  .  ,  ,  ,     .       „  . 

therein  has  not  equaled  commerce,  it  only  proves  that  growth  in  future  is  to 
be  accelerated  as  capital  shall  increase.     Still,  we  have  never  been  ashamed 
Dem.  Press,  of  our   manufacturing  statistics,  and  this  table  is  taken  from  the  Chicago 
Democratic  Press,  exhibiting — 


Chi.  raan- 
nfactnres 
1865. 


Chicago  Manufactures  in  1855. 


Manufactures. 


$11,031,491, 


Iron  Works,  Machinery,  etc 

Agricultural  Imiilemeuts 

Railro:id  Cars,  etc 

Brass,  Tin,  Copper  Ware,  etc 

Type,  Printers'  Furnishing,  etc 

Carriaces,  Wagons,  etc 

Lead  Pipe,  etc.  (estimated) 

Planing  Mills,  Sash  Factories,. 
Shinglo  Mills,  etc 

Cabinet  Furniture,  etc 

Marble  and  Stone 

Whisky,  Ale,  Porter,  Beer,  etc 

Oils,  Soap,  Candles,  etc 

Gas,  Coke,  etc 

Leal  her 

Brick 

Saddlery 

Musical  Instruments, 

Daguerreotypes,  I'hotographs,  etc., 

Jewelry,  Silver  Plating,  etc , 

Quick  Lime 

Confections 

Stoves 

Wooden  Ware,  Brooms,  etc 

Blank  Books  and  Stationery 

Barrels 

Glue 

Ship  Building 

Hats.  Caps,  etc 

Mill  Stones 

Trunks 

Lithography,  Engraving,  etc 

Saleratvis 

Matches 

Boots  and  Shoes,  Clothing,  Milli-.. 
nery.  Tobacco,  Crackers,  Bread,  . 
Coflee  and  Spices,  Surgical  In-., 
Btrumenls,  etc 


HO 


Recapitulation  of  1854., 

lucrease  during  1S55 $2,075,000 


Capital. 


1,102,000 
454,000 
760,000 
142.000 

15,000 
417,000 

20,000 

374,000 
300,000 
578,000 
397,500 
3(31,000 


150,000 
50,000 
5-J,(i00 
16,000 
4.3,500 
77,000 
80,000 
24,000 
80,000 
90,000 
26.500 
30.000 
10,000 
50,000 
17,0H0 
5,000 
50,0'10 
10,000 
6,000 
5,000 


$6,235,000 
4,220.000 


Hands. 


1,395 

480 
5.50 
188 

12 
792 

75 

396 
530 
676 
180 
104 


l.SO 

220 

1-0 

38 

47 

37 

110 

60 

92 

48 

66 

100 


1,866 


8,7i0 
5,000 


3,740 


Value  of 
Manufrs. 


$1,926,500 
649,790 
950,100 
377,200 


702,104 
50,000 


749, 
455, 
588, 
826, 
464 
126 
290, 
260, 
142, 
45, 

7o: 

80, 

96. 

SO, 

19.^, 

120: 

124 

105, 

i. 

zm. 

40, 
23. 

180, 
20, 
18, 
18! 


1,954, 


$11,031 

7,870 


,684 

500 

,900 

645 

,130 

442 

,000 

,000 

000 

000 

,000 

,100 

,000 

000 

,000 

,000 

,000 

000 

,072 

,000 

,000 

,418 

,000   il 

000  ->  . 

,000  ^  i 

000  J^ 

^/" 

,006.  <, 

491    ^ 

,000 


$3,161,491 


ivi^ij^pr^^'        "^^^  ^\>OYG  table    was   compiled  with  great  care  by  Mr.  Ballantyne,  then 
pared.  of  the  Democratic  Press,  now  of  the  Rejmhiican,  who  visited   every  estab- 

lishment. A  similar  one  was  prepared  in  1856,  giving  figures  upon  some 
items  here  omitted,  and  omitting  some  here  given.  But  it  is  not  necessary 
to  repeat  unofficial  statements  of  consecutive  years,  particularly  as  we  have 
none  of  St.  Louis  whereby  to  compare  relative  progress.  In  no  invidious 
spirit,  but  merely  to  invite  attention  to  a  point  worthy  of  consideration  it 

micii  i^!^'er"^^y  ^^'^  °^*^^^'^'^*^' *^^^'^*  ^'^^^^  figures  be  obtained,  they  would   exhibit  the 

in^manufac-  imme'hse  advantage  St.  Louis  has  had,  not  only  in  capital,  but  in  established 

manufactures,  the   result    of  her   wealth.     Relative    figures    in    1856    and 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments. 


201 


previously  I  have  been  unable  to  find,  but  in  18G0  she  was  more  than  double 
of  Chicago.  The  panic  and  revulsion  of  1857,  so  disastrous  to  the  wliolo 
country,  was  more  severe  at  Chicago  than  any  other  city,  because  di;licieiu-y 
of  capital  compels  use  of  credit  to  a  large  extent,  which  in  the  general  cuUapse 
was  temporarily  destroyed.  Then  in  1857  and  '58  the  farmers  having  poor 
crops,  and  being  unable  either  to  buy  or  pay  for  what  they  had  bougbt,  a.s  I 
learned  to  my  ruin  in  reapers,  manufacturing  was  slow  in  regaining  natural 
channels.  Still,  manufactories  must  have  been  steadily  growing,  both  in 
variety  and  in  number,  or  the  census  of  1860  could  not  have  exliibited  so 
large  increase.  The  remarks  of  1861  quoted,  p.  199,  were  made  before  the 
statistics  of  the  census  had  been  published.  Though  well  sustaining  the 
opinion  concerning  increase,  the  eight  years  since,  as  we  shall  next  see,  have 
done  vastly  better.     These  are  the  — 


I'aiiii;  ..f  '47 


PK)r  crop* 
'i7-8. 


.'■'till  kikmI 
iiicreone. 
ttliuwn  by 
cviuuit. 


Statistics  of  Manufactures  in  Cook  County  Illinois,  per   U.S.   Census  1800. 


r.  S.  Oenaut 

1S60. 


MANUFACTURES, 
COOK  CO. 


Agricultural  implements 

Mowers  and  reapers 

Thrashers  and  powers 

Alcohol 

Bags 

Blacksmi  thing 

Bone  black 

Brass  founding.  <fec 

Book-biiiiiing  and  blank  book 

Boots  and  sho.  s 

Boxes,  packing 

Boxes,  paper 

Bread 

Brick 

Brushes 

Camphene 

Carpentering 

Carriages 

Carriages,  childi  en'i 

Cars  and  car  repairing 

Car  wheels 

Cigars 

Cisterns 

Clothing. 

Coffee  and  spices,  ground 

Coffins 

Confectionary 

Cooperage.. 

Copper-mithing 

Cordage 

Cotton  batting  and  wadding.. 

Engraving 

Flour  and  meal. 

Furniture,  cabinet 

Gas 

Gas  fixtures 

Glue 

Hardware,  files 

Hals 

Hay  pressing 

Iron  castings 

Iron,  railroad 


Carried  Forward. 


$6,000 

9fi,-.ilO 

l.o,S90 

333,750 

70,000 

7,210 

990 

51.491) 

3:330 

95,543 

42,045 

2,().J0 

23S,.Sfi4 

15,795 

115 

180.325 

34,390 

55,595 

1,4S0 

37,500 

4;!.5(i0 

12,285 

1,000 

328,846 

158.090 

84'400 

77,723 

4fi0 

1340 
10,000 

2.150 

970,.550 

^■8,311 

60,"00 

2,000 
67,0'iO 

1,002 
10,930 

89,075 
445,000 


?25.000 

50n,(lnO 

137,000 

17.500 

1,0(10 

18,1.150 

8,000 

54,000 

1,000 

75,800 

24,000 

4,500 

121,Mm 

95,7iiO 

i;nn 

6,000 

15,2.)0 

253,000 

G,000 

130,000 

10,1.100 

6,650 

1,000 

113,900 

62,000 

9,200 

15,000 

205,450 

260 

100 

1,200 

3,300 

193,000 

83,750 

768,000 

7,000 

12,5li0 

2.000 

10,4ii0 

25,000 

129,000 

200,000 


$3,717,128 
ICuntinued.] 


$3,347,500     3,' 


27 
200 
67 
10 
14 
27 
10 


9 

128 

266 

2 

2 

50 

188 

4 

82 


399 

27 

7 

26 

243 

1 

3 

5 

12 

78 

212 

140 

13 

60 

16 

22 


$10,680 

64.996 

26,160 

3.600 

3,648 

10.848 

1,800 

31,820 

1,872 

80,724 

39,360 

2,:i04 

46,740 

85,800 

3S4 

4.80 

19,560 

74,028 

1,200 

3'i,2'<0 

2,160 

'8,liiO 

1,14<) 

Il5,y4i 

11.640 

3,240 

11,0SS 

96,336 

300 

900 

1.440 

5.7IK) 

32,700 

6'.t,4S4 

48,1  KH) 

4,S(W 

17.2H0 

1.2(X) 

6,780 

6,600 

39.180 

96.1  kK) 


$1,101,896 


3  |.g        M  inurtr- 
£■32        tures,     Cook 
f>0«        Co. 


fa'i.ooo 

414,tiOO 
8(1.0:  tO 

.'.2:i,0<»0 
93.0- H) 
80,150 
8,500 

lao.ooo 

9.31  fl 

216,231 

S6,o40 

K,O0(J 

3(t|.t!'*S 

13j,2i»i) 

600 

19n,(N>0 

7:!,9T5 

213,070 

11,100 

82.OU0 

56.000 

6.-..7I6 

;),iiMj 

640,7*^ 

192.700 

I2.1HIO 

1 4.5,9  ■)0 

178.765 

1,100 

2..'>i)0 

].'),0'K) 

I2..V,0 
1,13    125 

2l7.Ml,l 

24..'>.>0 

l.'.,o  n 

boslO 

4,320 

24.7S0 

13.000 

221,1100 

660,000 


$0,600,871 


202 


Manufacturing  Advantages  of  Chicago — Rajnd  Progress. 


Tj.  S.  Cmsus 
1860. 


Manufac- 
tures,    Cook 
Co.  conclud- 
ed. 


Statistics  of  Manufactures  in  Cook  County  Illinois,  per   U.  S.   Census  1860. 

\^Contirmed.'\ 


MANUFACTURES, 
COOK  CO. 


Establisli- 
meuts,  4C9. 


Materials, 
$8,026,670. 


Capital, 
$6,571,ij2j. 


Hands,  5,.593. 


Labor, 
$1,992,257. 


Product. 
$13,555,671. 


87  articles 
196a. 


Chi.  I6tli 
city. 
Increase 
from  1850. 


Mo.  and  St. 
L.,  1S6U. 


8llViS(-qiir>nt 
in<  r<M-c 
unknown. 


Brought  Forward. 

Iron  work,  ornamental 

Jewelry 

Leather 

Leather,  morocco 

Lightning  rods 

Lime 

Liquors,  distilled 

Liquors,  niiilt 

Liquors,  notified 

Looking-glasses  and  picture  Jrames.. 

Lumber,  planed 

Machinery,  Steam  engines,  &c 

Malt 

Marble  and  stone  Work 

Matches 

Mattresses 

Millinery 

Mineral  water 

Musical  instruments,  piano  fortes.... 

Painting 

Plastering 

Pottery  ware , 

Printing 

Provisions — Pork,  beef,  &c 

Regalia,  Masonic 

Saddlery  and  harness 

Sash,  doors,  and  blinds 

Scales 

Sewing  machines 

Shingles 

Ship  and  boat  building 

Shirts 

Silver-plating 

Silverware 

Soap  and  caudles 

Staves 

Sugar  refining 

Tin,  copper  and  sheet-iron  ware 

Trunks 

Turning,  ivory 

Turuing.  wood 

Type  fiiunding 

Vinegar 

Wliite  lead 

AVigs  and  hair  work 


1^ 


Total. 


277 
1 

3 
1 
1 
1 
1 

14 
6 
2 
6 

16 
1 
4 
2 
3 

12 

2 

4 

2 

1 

I'J 

5 

1 

13 

13 

1 


S.'S 


P~.^ 


13,717,128 

1,950 

.15-257 

lfi,'620 

2a,000 

5.100 

9.9S0 

110,300 

214,v32 

119,360 

1,290 

356.875 

249,034 

9,240 

131,000 

487 

1,240 

72.075 

37,000 

7,050 

4,531 

2,3S0 

250 

190,716 

1,443.825 

4.500 

21,6S1 

124,j64 

945 

44i) 

27,oU0 

1,505 

7,964 

2,500 

25,520 

121,337 

14,000 

727.000 

22,002 

14.616 

2.600 

1,200 

6,210 

6.000 

153,000 

4,610 


$8,026,670 


$3,347,500 

2,000 

4,800 

31.500 

10,000 

10,000 

18,000 

60,0(JO 

445,500 

92,000 

2,500 

49,000 

346,000 

2000 

177,000 

1,800 

1,150 

26,600 

13,000 

15,500 

4.500 

1,400 

300 

307,700 

155,000 

1,'00 

26,525 

188,800 

5,500 

2,800 

3-1,000 

2,500 

1,600 

2,000 

20,000 

48,300 

5,500 

13,000 

20,150 

•15,000 

1,000 

"2,500 

25.000 

3,000 

24,000 

3,000 


$5,571,025 


3,608 

10 

10 

12 

7 

12 

10 

36 

140 

37 

6 

74 

597 

2 

182 

6 

3 


10 
1 

356 

146 

5 

52 

278 

10 

4 

72 

S 

27 

6 

9 

43 

12 

75 

28 

26 

1 

4 

16 

4 

29 


5,593 


CO'-' 


$1,104,296 
3,600 
4,740 
3,984 
2,100 
3,600 
3,000 

14,400 

44,664 

18,012 
1,956 

19,992 

234,120 

600 

69,840 

1,920 

900 

22,740 
3,660 
2,820 
7,680 
3,240 
600 
154,428 

27,886 
1,320 

17,244 

96,936 
4,800 
1,080 

12.864 
2,160 
7,104 
2,520 
4.320 

14,712 
3,ri00 

27,000 

10,440 
9,216 
480 
1,800 
4,824 
1,200 

12,000 
1,860 


$1,992,257 


Of  G31  articles  in  tlie  list  of  tlie  Union,  Cook  county  had  only  87. 
Chicago  was  then  9th  among  the  cities  in  population,  had  in  manufactures 
a  capital  $5,422,225.,  producing  a  value  of  $11,740,684.,  making  her  16th 
in  the  scale  of  manufactures.  But  her  relative  increase  that  decade  vras 
large.  The  total  of  Illinois  manufactures  in  1850  was  only  $16,534,272, 
and  857,580,886,  in  18G0,  raising  her  from  15th  to  the  8th  State.  Chicago 
had  nearly  one-fifth.  Missouri  in  1850  was  10th,  producing  $24,324,418.; 
in  1860  she  was  11th,  producing  $41,782,731.;  of  which  St.  Louis  county 
had  actually  $27,010,070. 

It  would  be  interesting  and  profitable  to  ascertain  sub,sequent  increase 
both  in  value  and  variety.  But  supposing  statistics  had  been  regularly 
gathered  as  formerly,  no  means  have  been  taken,  and   it   is   impossible  to 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chi'djo  Livrstmrnts. 


203 


obtain  fcnem  for  this  first  editiou,  except  upon  a  few  articles.  The  U.  S 
returns  of  Internal  Revenue  ought  to  and  will  afford  a  true  result;  but  th( 
clerical  force  is  inadequate  to  foot  last  year'3  returns  for  several  weeks. 
Knowledge  of  what  has  been  done,  however,  is  chiefly  valuable  to  indicate  .y",'""!''''  ^ 
what  may  and  should  be  done.  An  enterprising  manufacturer  any  where  j^J;'J '""*  ** 
— in  Old  or  New  England — who  looks  largely  to  the  West  for  a  market, 
must  see  at  a  glance,  the  advantages  of  this  point,  whenever  manufactures 
can  be  introduced  in  sufficient  variety  and  amount  to  support  each  other  and 
draw  hither  labor.     Meanwhile,  those  who  shall  have  come  early  and  have '^''**"'*«* 

•'  of  oarly 

established  themselves  at  home  and   abroad,  will   reap  ample  reward   for*^"'"""- 
foresight  and  energy.     On  this  account  rather  than  to  display  growth,  would 
information  about  miscellaneous  manufacturing  be  valuable.     From  Edwards' 
city  directory  we  compile  the  following — 


List  of  Manufactures  in  Chicago^  May  1867,  and  Number  of  Establishments. 


Mmmfuclnr- 
ill);  vatnb- 
'  lixliniriiU   in 


Agricultural  Implements 3 

Alcohol  and  Spirits 7 

Ale  Boxes 1 

Atiflcial  Flowers 1 

Artificial  Limbs 4 

Artists 21 

Axles 1 

Axle  Grease 1 

Bags 5 

Bakeries 107 

Bank  Vaults 2 

Banners  and:  Ensigns 1 

Barrels 2 

Baskets 2 

Bedsteads 2 

Beef  Extract 1 

Bellows 1 

Bent  Carriage  Timber 1 

Billiard  Tables 2 

Binder  (Shutes  ready) 1 

Bird  Cage 1 

Bitters 5 

Blacksmiths 84 

Blank  Buoks 12 

Block  and  Piiinp 1 

Block  Letter 1 

Boat  and  Yawl 4 

Boiler U 

Bone  Dust 1 

Book  and  Edge  Gilders 1 

Book  Binders 14 

Bootn  and  Shoes 207 

Boys  Clothing 3 

Brass  Cock  and  Faucet 3 

Brass  Foiinder-J 7 

Brass  Tub'i.. 1 

Breweries 80 

Brick 14 

Broom 5 

Brusli 6 


Candle 5 1  Elevator  Biiilders 1  *"''' .  May, 

Candy n  I  Knibroidcry  Stamps j  lSt57. 

Can*> IJEn^ine  Builders 6 

Card  Engravers 1 1  Engravers,  Bank  Note ] 


Carpenters  and  Builders 109 

Carpenters  and  .loiniTS 3 

Carp,  and  St.iir  Builders 1 

Carpet-bags.  Valises,  kc 3 

Carriage  Builders 30 

Chain  Humps 1 


Engravers,  Card 4 

Engravers,  Genera! 21 

Engravers,  Lithograpliic 13 

Ellgr;lVrrs.  Wood 4 

Family  Medicines 1 

I'elioe  Builder i 


Cattle-Brands 1  Kilo \ 

Chair  Factories 3:  Kilter •> 

Chemical  Works S'FIro  Sliovel l 

Children's  Carriages aJKire  Works \ 

Children's  Clothing 2  ^  Flavoring  E.xtrrtCl8 3 

Chronometer 1|  Flour  Mids 10 

Cigar  Box 2 1  Flour  Mill  Machinery \ 

Cistern 2!     ■'      Sacks 1 

Cloak liFonndrios I3 

Cloak,  Shawls,  Mantillas 4|Friuges 1 

Clock 3  Furniture 25 


Clothing 15 

Coal  Hods 1 

Coffee  and  Spice 7 

Coffin 2 

Collar 4 

Coopers 44 

Contractors  and  Builders 20 

Copper  and' Sheet  Iron  Ware....     2 

Copper  Smiths 5 

Cords  and  Tassels 1 

Cork 2 

Cotton  Presses 1 

Curled  Hair 1 

Dental  Instruments 2 

Distillers 11 

Dress  makers 138 

Dyers  and  Scourers 16 

Eavon  Trough 1 

Electro  I'lates 3 


Fur 2 

Galvanic  Batterii-s 1 

0:is  Stove  and  Lamp 1 

"     Light  and  Coke 9 

Genta  Furnishing  ijoodn 7l 

Gilt  and  Kose  W.  .Mouldings 2 

Gilt  Block  Letters 1 

Gla.ss  Kactorii-3 3 

Glove  and  .Mitten 1 

Glue  Factories 8 

Gold  anil  Silver  Platers 4 

Gold  Leaf. 1 

(iold   I'en 4 

Grain  Separator I 

Grate  and  Fender 1 

Grist  .Mills 3 

Guitar  and  Banjo I 

Guns  and  Pistols 4 

tlair  Jewelry 4 


[^Cmxiirvucd.'l 


*Thelistsfromwhichthisiscompiled,  giving  name  and  location  of  each  houae,  cannot  bo  exHgK.T.»t.Hj  The  Ibt  not 
But  very  many  kinds  of  business  have  different  branches,  under  each  of  which  a  firm  thai  pro..ecnte.  lK.tl.  rxaggorutoJ. 
as  cigars  and  tobacco,  is  listed.  It  is  too  tedious  to  comp  ire  and  see  what  cigir  mak.rs  ar.'  not  iu>l..dea 
in  the  tob;tcco  lists:  and  as  most  tobacconists  make  cigars,  the  latter  list  is  wh  .lly  omitted.  .S.  hor^o. 
Bhoers  are  omitted,  because  most  are  doubtless  in  the  list  of  blacksmiths.  Though  less,  Votl.  in  varlMy 
and  number  than  it  might  be  made,  this  prevents  exaggeration,  and  the  amounts  are  still  abundantly 
satisfactory. 


204 


Manufacturing  Advantages    of  Chicago — Rapid   Progress. 


Manufactur- 
iDj;  estali- 
lisiiDifiits   ill 
Chi.,  May, 
1867. 


List  of  Manufactures  in  Chicago,  May  1867,   and  Number  of  Establishments. 

\C(mcluded.'\ 


No.  2,! 


318  kinds. 


Five-fold 
iucrease. 


Hair  Workers,  (Wigs,  Ac.) 4 

Hand  Stamps 

Harness 38 

Hat  and  Bonnet  Block 1 

"     Frame 1 

I[at6 5 

"     Caps  and  Fur 2 

Hay  Press 1 

Hominy  and  Split  Peas 1 

Hoop  Skirt  and  C'.irset 9 

Horse  Collar 4 

"      Nail 2 

"      Power 1 

Hose  Carts 1 

Hosiery 2 

Hot-!)ir  Furnaces 3 

Ice  Cream 1 

Indellible  Ink 1 

Indigo  and  Washing  Crystal 1 

Ink 4 

Iron 3 

Ivory  Turners 3 

Jappanned  Ware 3 

Japan  ners 1 

Jewelers 37 

Kercisene  Oil  Safe l 

Labels,  Cut  and  Gum 1 

Ladder 1 

Lanterns 2 

Lard  Oil 5 

Last 1 

Leather  Belting 2 

Leather 7 

Lightning  Eod 1 

Lime 8 

Linings \ 

Linseed  Oil .  2 

Lock 1 

Locksmiths 11 

Locomotive  Lamp 1 

Machine  Belting i 

"        Twist 2 

Machinists 21 

Maltsters 7 

Mantillas 1 

Marble  Workers 10 

Match 4 

Mathematical  Instruments 3 

Mill  Pick 1 

Millers 3 

Mineral  Water 1 

Model  2 

Mouldings 8 

Mu^^ical  Instrument 3 

Miihtard 3 

Muzzles 1 

Ottice  Furniture 2 

Oil  Electric 1 

Oil 7 

Oils,  Lubricating  and  lUumin...  2 

Organ 3 

Packing  Houses 38 

Painters,  Banner  and  Sign 14 

"        Carriage 9 

"        House  and  Sign 81 

Total 


Paper  Bag 

"       Box 

"       Collar 

"       Hangers 

Pattern 

Perfumery 

Pli(itogiai)hic  Galleries 

I'iano  Stool 

Pickle , 

Picture  Frames , 

Pipe , 

Planing  Mills 

Playing  Cards 

Plow 

Pliuiiliers 

Pockft-book 

Powder 

Printers,  Book  and  Job 

Card 

"        Commercial 

"        Furniture 

'•        Publishers 

Pumps 

Reapers  and  Mowers 

Rectifiers 

Regalia 

Ribbons 

Roofs 

Rolling  Mills 

Rootling  Paint 

Rope 

Saddle  and  Harness 

Sails.  Awnings  and  tents 

Sash  Doors  and  Blinds 

Lock 

Sausage 

Saw 

Mill  Machinery 

Smithing... 

Scale 

Screen 

Scroll  Sawing  and  Tui-ning 

Sculptors 

Seal  and  Stencil 

Seamless  Bags 

Sewer  Builders 

Sewer  and  drain  Pipes 

Sewing  Machine  Frame 

"      Silks 

Shingle 

Sliipsmiths 

Shirt 

Shoe  and  Harness  Wax 

Shoulder  Braces 

Show  Cases 

Sidewalk  Builders 

"  Vault  &  Deck  Lights. 

Selves 

Silver  Plated  Ware 

I'laters 

Ware 

Soap  and  Candle 

Soda  Water 

Sofas  and  Chiirs 

Spice  Mills 


3  Spring  Bed 

7  Stair  Builders 

5  Starch 

14  Stave  and  Shingle  Joiners.... 

2  Stave  Cutting  Machine 

2  Staves  and  lleadiogs 

40  Steam  and  Gas  Pipe  Fitters.. 

4 [Steam  Kngine  and  Boiler 

2'iSteam  Engine  Governors 

22|Steam  Guage 

2 1  Steel  Stamp  Cutter 

27  Steel  Works 

1 'stencil  Cutters. 

llStill  and  Cistern 

51  [stocking  Weaver 

2 1  Stove  Fouiulers 

2|Stove  and  Furnace 

41  "     and  Hollow  Ware 

1 1  Straw  Good-i 

2  j  Sugar  Cane  Mills 

1  jSurgical  Instrument 

42  Surveyors        "  

e'Syrups,  Plain  and  Fancy 

6 !  Tailors 

2  Merchant  Tailors 

2  Tanners  and  Curriers 

1  Tea  Caddies. 

17  Teeth,  Porcelain , 

2  Telegraph  Instrument 

1  Threshing  Machine 

4  Tin  Ware 

26  Tinners  Goods 

4  Tinsmiths 

34  Tobbacco 

1  "        Pipe 

3  Travelling  Bag 

7  Trunk  and  Valise 

1        "      Box 

1        "      Lock 

3  Truss  and  Bandage 

1       "      Hoop 

3  Type  Foundries 

1  Umbrellas  and  Parasols , 

1  Upludsterers 

1  Varnish 

10  Ventilator 

2  Vermicelli , 

1  Vinegar , 

2  Violin 

7  Wagon. 

6  Water  Proof  Wagon  Cover.. 
13  Whip  Lash 

1  Whips 

1  White  Lead 

9  Wig  and  Toupee 

1  Willow  Ware 

1  Wind  Mill 

1  Window  Shade 

2  Wire  Works 

6  Wood  Carvers 

2  Wood  Working  Machinery... 

16  Wooden  Ware 

8  Woolen  Factories 

2  Writing  Fluid 


19 
1 
1 

1 
2 
1 
1 

18 

60 
1 
4 

13 
2 
1 
1 
1 
3 
5 

26 
6 
2 
1 

14 
1 

59 
1 
1 
4 
5 
3 
3 
1 
4 
6 
4 
1 
4 
2 
1 


There  are  three  hundred  and  eighteen  difi'ereut  branches  of  manufacture, 
a;,'ainst  87  iu  1860.  Then  Cook  county  had  469  establishments.  Now  this 
list  of  the  city  alone  containes  2,848;  and  doubtless  many  branches,  and 
still  more  shops,  have  been  overlooked.  That,  however,  is  over  six-fold 
increase  in  numbers,  and  over  five-fold  in  variety,  in  eight  yeai's;  being  only 
three  less  in  variety  than  the  census  crave  New  York  City  in  1860.     What 

Chi.  acer-         ii,        •    £•  •         •  •   .  ^  /~n  .  •      • 

tain  centre    Other  intoniiation  IS  requisite  to  establish  the  claims  of  Chicago  to  superiority 
facturcs.       i'l  uiauuracturing  ?     Why  have  these  *^''>"S!auds  of  mechanics  come  here  in 


Past,  Present  and  Future    of  Chicago  Invrxliivuli.  205 

the  last  eight  years  ?  Their  establlshiueiUs  are  of  ci)urs(>  mostly  sniall  con- 
cerns, though  rolling-mills,  and  some  foundries  and  macliinu  sliops  would 
be  respectable  anywhere.  And  the  least  of  thoin  will  in  a  few  years  have 
grown  to  large  establishments,  or  have  given  way  to  otliers  who  liad  more 
energy,  and  capital.  Let  us  look  at  the  progress  of  two  or  three  as  indicative 
of  the  rest,  the  newspapers  having  recently  compiled  information.  r,„-  jr,-,^ 

Leather  Manufacture. — The  Chicaf/oTimrs,  2(jth  .Marcli,  well  observes: — '•"'"'■''■ 

Everybody  now  concedes  to  Chicago  unrivalled  commercial  advantages,  from  which  '""^"' 
have  sprung  her  wonderful  growth  and  development;   but  those  wlio  are  ac(jiiainted  \  nomncc  of 
■with  the  progress  made  here  in  the  mechanic  arts  are  not  so  large  in  numbers.     The  our  protcraM 
railroads  that  radiate  from   the  city  in   every    direction,  and   I  lie  while   sails  that  '"   '"<«l"»nlc 
catch  the  busy  gales  of  the  lake,  are  elements  in  the  greatness  of  Chicago  that  all" 
must  acknowledge  from  their  very  obviousness;  but  the  sound  of  grinding  wliccls, 
the  clank  of  hammers,  the  flash  of   the  forge,  the  roar  of  the  furnace,  and  all  the 
peculiar  phenomena  of  a  manufacturing  town,  must  be  sought  for  in  their  respective 
localities,  or  they  will  not  so  readily  be  seen.     And  it  is  not  exaggeration  to  say  Mnnnfac- 
that  Chicago  is  rapidly  adding  to  its  purely  commercial  character  that  of  a  varied  |''r'-»  rapidly 
and  extensive  manufacturing  activity.      Hardly  a  day  passes  that  does  not  see  some 
new   branch    of  manufacturing    industry,   requiring  skill    and    capital,   introduceii 
among  us.     But  a  few  days  since  it  was  announced  in  The  Times  that  forges  were  to 
be  set  up  on  the  South  branch  for  the  reduction  of  Lake  Superior  iron  ore,  and  it  is 
believed  that,  if  these  are  successful,  as  they  are  almost  certain  to  be,  they  will  be 
but  the  initial  steps  in  a  very  extensive  business. 

But  it  is   not  alone  new  manufacturing  interests  that  are  beginning  to  attract  a  _itrpi,iy  a 
wide  interest.     The  success  of  most  of  those  that  have  been  established  for  a  sufli- ciic.-vi. 
cient   length  of  time,  and    under   sufliciantly  favorable  circumstances  to  test  them, 
has  induced  a  general  belief  that  Chicago  is  shortly  to  be  as  noted  for  its  industrial 
as  for  its  commercial  pursuits. 

Antiquity. — Among  those  branches  of  the  former  art  that  have  become  established  Antiquity  oJ 
here,  is  that  of  the  manufacture  of  leather.     The  art  of  tanning  is  one  of  the  oldest  ''■<'fi">-- 
in  the  world.      From  the  mythical  days,  men  have  been   habituated  to  the  dressing 
of  skins  for  personal  comfort  and  for  economical  ends.     Among  the  lost   arts,  that 
of  tanning  could  never  be  numbered,  and  science  in  the  present  age  has  lent  its  aid 
to  perfect  what  the  experiments  of  former  times  have  bequeathed. 

Its  Exlent.^Vrom  small  beginnings,  the  leather-dressers  of  Chicago  have  grown  Kxij-ut  of 
into  a  powerful  guild;  and  the  business  itself  involves  in  its  management,  at  the  «'«»»''i'*«- 
present  time,  over  a  million  and  a  quarter  of  dollars.     Including  all  the  separate 
establishments  in  the  city  for  the  making  of  leather,  large  and  small,  there  are  3.j.  •»  ""• 

These  are,  for  the  most  part,  situated  along  the  North  branch  of  the  river,  and 
within  the  city  limits,  although  there  are  two  or  three  tanneries  along  the  other 
branch  of  the  river.  The  pungent  aroma  of  hemlock  bark  and  neat's  foot  oil,_aii<l 
the  rubric  hue  of  the  landscape  in  this  vicinity,  arising  from  the  exposure  of  the 
skins  to  the  air  and  light,  sufficiently  mark  th.e  broad  acres  that  are  devoted  «" 
the  tanner's  and  currier's  skill.  The  buildings  that  have  been  erected,  and  the  •J>^;'»n«'«« 
machinery  introduced,  are  of  the  most  substantial  and  approved  styles  and  „,^,„„'; 
patterns  for  the  most  part,  and  there  seems  to  be  no  reason  wliy  the  manufacture 
should  not  be  very  greatly  extended  beyond  its  present  proportions. 

The  principal  elements  for  the  successful  establishment  of  the  business  are  hides,  ni.l.>.  »nd 
and  bark  containing  a  sufficient  quantity  of  tannin.     The  first  is  a  stap  e  article  ol    ••     ■ 
export  in  Chicago,  tand  the  bark  of  the  hemlock,  which  grows  in  abundance  across  ;»n-_<'  •«?• 
the  lake  in   Michigan,  and   which   can   be    transported   to   Chicago  at  a  very  small 
expense,  supplies  the  other  main  item  in  the  establishment  of  the  l)usines8. 

All  the  leather  tanned  in  Chicago  is  what  is  called  hemlock  leather,  since  no  oak  All  hem- 
growing  in  the  north  has  yet  been  found    with   a  sufficient   quantity   ot  tunnmtol-l'- 
permit  of  the  economical  and  successful  manufacture  of  leather  from  it. 

The  demand  for  the  home-manufactured  leather  is  at  pre^etit  fully  «;i"'^'  "''^^  J'^^;^^ 
supply,  and  the  rapidly-developing  boot  and  shoe  manufacture  in  the  city  is^^'-nd 
constantly  increasing  the  demand. 

The  Times  describes  the  chief  establlshmouts,  which  we  condense  :     Union 
Hide  and    Leather  Co.  employed    last  year  100  men,  tanned  50,000  bides. 


206 


Manufacturing  Advantages  of  Chicago — Rapid  Progress. 


Labor  and 
product   of 
large 
tannerios. 


Small  onoa. 


Enlarging. 


Seasons    for 
increase. 


Receipts  and 
shipment  ot 
bides. 


Boots  and 
shoos. 


Clii.  Times. 


Extent  of 
business. 

M<183. 

amounts. 


I'hil.  next. 
In  Chicago — 
-began  1859. 


Increase. 


Chicago  Hide  and  Leather  Co.  can  tan  35,000  hides  per  annum  (vats  not 
now  full)  employ  20  to  30  curriers.  Bristol  &  Engle  employ  40  men,  tan 
about  18,000  hides  per  annum.  Chicago  Sole  Leather  Co.  tans  10,000  hides 
per  annum,  with  20  men.  Grey,  Clark  &  Co.  tan  40  to  50,000  hides  per 
annum,  and  60  to  70,000  sheep-skins,  employing  70  men  and  using  4  to 
5,000  cords  of  bark.  Garden  City  Hide  and  Leather  Co.  tan  20,000  hides 
per  annum.  Eliel  &  Co.  tan  18,000  hides,  and  10  to  12,000  kip  and  calf- 
skins, employing  40  men.  Grey,  Marshal  &  Co.  tanned  last  year  11,412 
hides,  employing  30  men.     The  editor  adds : — 

There  is  a  large  number  of  smaller  tanneries,  employing  from  1  to  8  or  10  men, 
and  there  are  in  these  about  100  men  employed,  and  from  40,000  to  50,000  hides 
transformed  into  leather. 

Nearly  all  the  manufacturers  of  leather  at  present  located  in  the  city  are  making 
arrangements  for  the  enlargement  of  their  business,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that, 
within  a  very  short  time,  tlie  business  will  be  double  its  present  magnitude. 

Compared  with  the  figures  of  the  census  of  1860,  p.  202,  these  are  quite 
satisfactory.  Nor  is  this  trade  at  all  what  it  will  be.  Here  should  all  the 
hides  stripped,  and  all  that  come  in  a  green  state,  be  dressed.  Having 
unsurpassed  facilities  for  obtaining  bark  from  the  entire  lake  region,  where 
the  hemlock  abounds,  no  reason  can  be  given  why  the  hides  of  the  whole  west 
should  not  come  here  to  be  converted  into  leather.  Less  and  less  should 
they  be  shipped,  though  owing  to  the  packing  business,  we  actually  ship 
more  than  we  receive.  In  1866-67,  we  received  20,125,541  tbs.,  and 
shipped  23,234,791  lbs. ;  in  1865-66,  received  19,285,178  fts.,  shipped 
20,379,955  lbs.;  in  1864'5,  received  20,052,235  lbs.;  shipped,  27,656,926 
lbs.  So  that  this  branch  of  trade,  with  the  reputation  Chicago  leather  has 
obtained,  offers  great  inducements  to  manufacturers  and  capitalists.  One 
trade,  too,  begets  another ;  and.  as  closely  connected,  let  us  look  at — 

Boots  and  Shoes. — -This  business  is  even  more  remarkable  for  its  growth, 
because  labor  is  a  heavier  item,  in  which  we  are  deficient  as  compared  with 
New  England,  the  chief  manufacturing  region.  The  Chicago  Times  March 
27th,  gives  a  history  of  foot-covering  and  adds — 

Where  the  Best  Shoes  are  Made. — In  the  United  States  the  manufacture  of  shoes  has 
reached  the  highest  perfection.  The  shoes  of  Massachusetts  have  a  world-wide 
reputation  for  their  beauty  of  form,  and  they  excel  those  of  any  otlier  part  of  the 
world.  A  century  ago  the  town  of  Lynn  was  famous  for  its  manufacture  of  shoes, 
and  at  the  present  time  about  10,000,000  pairs  of  boots  and  shoes  are  made  in  this 
town  alone,  and  in  the  state  of  ]\Iassachusetts  in  18G0  there  were  made  nearly 
33,000,000  pairs  of  shoes,  and  11,500,000  pairs  of  boots. 

Outside  of  the  New  England  States,  Philadelphia  is  the  city  of  next  note  as  a 
manufacturer  of  boots  and  shoes. 

L'ool  and  Shoe  Manufacture  in  Chicago. — About  nine  years  ago  tlie  subject  of  the 
manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes  for  the  jobbing  trade  was  agitated  in  Chicago,  and 
one  or  two  firms  undertook  the  business  in  185'J  and  1860.  It  was  thought  to  be  an 
experiment,  and  by  some  of  the  best  dealers  it  was  believed  that  it  would  prove 
successful.  The  war  coming  on  soon  after  at  first  had  a  tendency  to  prevent  the 
successful  execution  of  these  experiments  ;  but  after  a  year  or  two  it  was  found 
that  the  increased  demand  for  shoes  for  the  army  stimulated  the  business,  and 
accordingly  other  manufacturers  came  to  the  city  and  embarked  in  the  trade,  until, 
at  the  conclusion  of  18G5,  a  half  dozen  large  manufactories  were  well-established, 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  207 

and  doing  a  paying  business.  At  the  present  time  more  or  less  new  firm-i  for  ilio 
manufaoture  of  shoes,  put  up  their  signs  each  year,  while  almost  invariably  those 
who  have  gained  a  foothold  remain. 

Superiority  of  Chicajo  />m/7ut.— Chicago-made  boots  and  shoes  had  not  been  tested  W.rk 
more  than  two  years,  before  it  was  found  that  they   were  decidedly  Buperior  lo  •"l"'"''^- 
eastern  oues  in  durability,  and  a  demand  was  created,  which  has  grown  eacli  year 
until,  by  the  Assi^ssor's  returns  last  year,  there  was  more  than  $l,oO().Oi)(J  worth  of 
boots  and  shoes  made  in  Chicago  in  18U7.     Oue  cause  for  the  superiority  of  Chicigo-  l^»ih«r 
made  goods  is,  the    better   quality  of  leather  made  here.     It  is   snid  that  Chicago- •"I'T'or. 
manufactured  leather  is  decidedly  superior  to  that  made  east,  owing  to  the  skill  of 
the  tauners,  and   their  greater  care  iu  the  handling  of  hides  uuring  the  process  of 
tanning.     So    decided   have    the    preferences  of  the  farming   communities  of  the  Ctii.  work 
northwest  settled  in  favor  of  Chicago  boots  and  shoes,  that  every  whole-tale  jobb-.-r''"'"^"^ 
in  the  city  is  compelled   to  manufacture  or  to  purchase  these  goods.     With  a  single 
exception,  all  the  shoes  and  boots  at. present  made  in  the  city  are  of  the  staple  cilf 
and  kip  skins,    and  comprise  men's,   women's,  boys',  and  youths'   sizes.     All  the 
lighter  serge  gools  sold  in  this  city  are  manufactured  at  the  east. 

Eztent  of  the  Business. — The  proportion  of  Chicago-made  boots  and  shoes  to  those  Kxi-ni  of 
of  eastern  maaufacture,  as  at  present  sold  in  this  city,  is  from  2  J  to  '2'>  per  cent.  '""'"«««• 
The  business  is  rapidly  growing  in   importance,  and  almost  every  manufacturing 
dealer  for  the  cocaing  year   will  increase  his   proluct  from  1-5  to  20  per  cent,  over  ^'^''^'—^ 
that  of  last  year.     The  following  is  a  statement  of  the  amount  of  business  done 
last  year  by  the  most  prominent  manufacturers  of  the  city,  as  compiled  at  the  United 
States  Assessor's  office. 


Whitney  Bros.  Co $  294,593 

W.  D.  Wells  &  Co 197,888| 

McDougil,  Nicholas  &  Abbot.  154,807, 

C.  M.  Henderson  &  Co 131,936; 

Davis,  Sawyer  &  Co 219,453 

Fargo,  Fales  &  Co 102,059 

Dogget,  Basset  &  Hills 84,194' 


Ohi-rnMO- 

E.  Chapin $  02.310  uliKiurcrfc 

T.  B.  Webber  &  Co 54,10d 

S.  AValker  &  Co 53.140 

S.  Nelson  &  Co 40,034 

C.  McFarland 37,539 

Gillette,  Aiken  &  Follett 20,1')0 

Haight  &  Bowen 17,055 


Chapin  &  West 80,229  iGrifSn  &  Palmer 12,159 

J.L.Watson 79,113'  

Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co 72,670||     Total $1,650,081 

Machinery. — In  all  these  wholesale  establishments  labor-saving  machinery  is  used  Marhintry 
and  anxiously  sought  after,  for  on  its  uses  the  proprietors  chiefly  rely  for  their  "^ 
profits.     In  no  department  of  shoe-making  has  there  been  a  greater  revolution  than 
in  that  of  stitching.     The  work  that  was  once  performed  slowly  and    with  great 
tediousness  by  the  awl  and  bristle,  is  now  done  in  a  twentieth  part  of  the  time  by  l'»»'ii"'ri- 
a  sewing   machine.     The   lap-stone  has  given  place  to  iron  rollers  for  hammering  'I'l'^j^.^il'iVi^r 
and  spreading  the  leather;   the  knife  and  pattern  for  shaping  soles  have  fallen  into 
disuse,  and  a  single  blow  with  a  steel  dye  does  the  work  better  and  in  a  tenth  part 
of  the  time  required  by  the  old  method.     Skiving  machines,  splitting  machines,  and 
a  multitude  of  other  appliances  and  inventions  diversify  the  old  trade  of  shoe-making, 
and  render  a — 

Division  of  Labor  absolutely  necessary  in  a  wholesale  manufactory.     In  the  best  Dirlsion  of 
establishments  of  this  city,  a  boot  in  its  maauficture,  requires  to  piss  through   the  '•'''"'■• 
following  hands:     The  roller,  the  heel  cutter,  the  outsole  cutter,  the  insole  cutter, 
the  heel  maker,   the  sorter  of  soles,  the  counter-fitter,  the  cutter  of  uppers,  the 
crimper,  the  trimmer,  the  fitter,  the  stitcher,  the  bottommer,  the  finisher,  the  trecr.  uop^r^ 
and  the  packer,  making  16  distinct  operations  and  operators.     In  iloing   this  work  Uoa: 
it  is  remarkable  with  what  speed  some  of  the  workmen  learn  to  operate.     A  single 
man  can  cut  6,00!)  soles  per  week,  or3,6:)0  uppers;  he  can  crimp  90  pairs  of  boots 
per  day,  or  bottom  6  pairs  in  the  same  time. 

Female   Labor. — All   the   light    work,    such   as   attending   the   sewing-machines.  Kpm»l« 
stitching  the  uppers,  fitting,  etc.,  is  done  by  females,  nearly  all  of  whom  receive  '*'"«■• 
good  wages. 

Many  of  the  large  jobbing  manufacturing  establishments  are  in  connection  with 
the  wholesale  boot  and  shoe  establishments  at  the  head  of  Lake  street. 

The  Times  adds  a  description  of  the  18  chief  inaaufactoriea,  number  of  D«vriptian 
hands,  kind  of  work,  amount,  etc.,  for  which  space  cannot  be  taken.     Ihcyri-  omituA 


208 


Manufacturing  Advantages  of  Uliicago  —  Rapid  Progress. 


each   employ  from  75  to  140  hands,  and  many  speak  of  large  increase  this 


year. 


Increase  of 
business 
8i:ice  ISCO. 


According  to  the  U.  S.  census  of  1850,  Illinois'  total  of  this  manufacture 
was  8473,925.;  and  in  1860  was  $1,133,458,  Cook  county  having  66 
establishments,  capital  $75,800.,  producing  a  value  of  $216,231.  It  is  mere 
guess  work  to  judge  of  present  product,  but  deducting  the  18  above,  if  the 

diicf"*  ^'^'^  other  189  produce  a  proportionate  amount  with  the  census  of  18l]0,  over 
6600,000  should  be  added  for  small  manufacturers,  making  over  $2;250,000.; 
an  increase  more  than  ten-fold  in  eight  years. 

These  items  afford  satisfictory  indications  of  progress  made  and  making 
in  general  manuflictures.  Yet  they  are  less  impressive  than  others  for  which 
Chicago  is  already  famous.  If  packing  of  provisions  have  such  tendency 
to  centralize,  which  requires  little  machinery  is  of  universal  demand,  and 
more  than  almost  anything  else  would  be  supposed  most  advantageous  nearest 
the  place  of  production  ;  how  much  more  the  thousand  and  one  little  articles 
of  manufacture,  which  find  purchasers  only  here  and  there,  to  say  nothing 
of  great  ones  requiring  extensive  facilities  for  manufacture  ?  That  city 
which  attains  preeminence  in  ordinary  manufacture,  surely  wants  only  time 

ry  "branches,  and  capital  to  developc  equally  the  extraordinary,  unless  laboring  under  great 
disadvantages  in  obtaining  raw  materials.  Of  the  ordinary,  no  safer  guide 
of  judgment  can  be  found  than  that  of — 


$2,2&0,000. 


Success  in 
ordinary, 
success  in 
extraordiii; 


Ctii.  Tints. 

Pork  and 
Beef-paclc- 
ing. 

Its  begin- 
ning. 

Increase. 


Chi.  chief 
packing  city 

Advantages, 


Corn 
abundant. 


My  earliest 
recollections 
of  pork- 
packing. 


Pork  and  Beef  Packing.  * 

IliHtory  of  Business. ^The  first  packing  house  in  the  city  commenced  operations 
in  1835,  when  3,500  hogs  were  cut  and  packed  by  Qurdon  S.  Hubbard.  Since  that 
time  the  business  has  increased  with  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  West,  until 
it  has  assumed  its  present  proportions  as  one  of  tlie  three  or  four  leading 
branches  of  business  in  this  great  commercial  city.  During  the  sea'^on  of  1861-62 
one-fifth  of  the  whole  number  of  hogs  packed  for  market  in  the  Western  States 
were  put  up  in  the  Chicago  packing-houses.  They  furnislied  nearly  one-fourth  of 
the  total  product  of  these  States  during  the  season  of  1862-63,  and  more  than  one- 
fourth  the  succeeding  season;  while  during  the  season  of  1864-65  almost  one-third 
of  the  hogs  packed  in  the  Western  States  were  packed  in  Chicago. 

These  figures  show  Chicago  to  be  the  most  prominent  packing  point  in  the  world. 
It  has  secured  that  position  by  the  advantages  of  its  position  and  the  perfection  of 
its  communications,  both  natural  and  artificial.  To  the  east,  cheap  transportation 
of  provisions  is  afforded  by  lakes  and  canals;  while  from  the  west,  numerous  lines 
of  railroad  furnish  the  only  means  of  carriage  which  can  profitably,  be  used  for  the 
transportation  of  live  stock.  Living  animals  must  be  transported  rapidly,  for  they 
rapidly  become  unfit  for  butchering.  Canals  and  rivers  never  can  compete  with  rail- 
roads fur  this  class  of  freight.  The  country  reached  by  railroads  which  lead  into  Chicago 
is  especially  productive  of  corn,  and  consequently  well  calculated  for  the  production 

*  Notliing  bettor  upon  this  important  branch  has  been  noticed  than  the  article  quoted  in  Hunt's 
^fer(■han(s'  Magazine  from  the  Chicago  Times,  from  which  these  extracts  are  taken.  But  I  have  earlier 
recollections  of  the  business.  '' 

My  first  winter  in  Chicago,  1S32  '3,  I  boarded  with  that  whole-souled  friend,  and  natural  gentleman, 
Miirk  Ueanbien.  The  "  Iloosiers  "  drove  in  a  lot  of  hogs,  of  the  breed  more  famous  for  tho  time  they 
could  make,  than  for  the  lard  they  could  yield.  The  bipeds  staid  a  week  or  two  to  kill  and  pack  tho 
(luadrupcds,  and  it  was  my  privilege  to  have  the  former  for  fellow-boarders.  They  were  never  too  busy 
with  killing,  and  never  wasted  time  with  washing,  to  keep  them  behind  at  meal  times.  Mrs.  Beaubien — a 
noble  woman  was  she,  and  devoted  Christian  mother,  who  corrected  many  of  my  New  England  anti. 
Catholic  notions — tried  her  best  to  get  some  of  the  "slap-jacks"  to  me,  but  the  hog-killers  were  so  on  the 
alert,  that  two  week's  fighting  for  my  living,  impressed  upon  my  memory  pretty  effectually  the  early 
days  of  Chicago  pork-packing ;  rather  a  contrast  to  present  operations.    Nor  am  I  very  old  either. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Invcstnwnts.  209 

of  hogs  and  cattle.     These  can  be  raised  for  this  market  at  a  profit  ercn  in  the  P"<  l»t'» 
interior  of  Missouri,  Iowa,  and   Minnesota,  although   tlie   freights   on   grain   from  jl""'',""'^ 
points  so  distant  make  it  a  profitless  crop  unless  fed   to  stock.     Lililu  of  the  ^rruiii         "" 
received  in  thin  market  is  raised  west  of  the  Mississippi.     The  rates  of  freight  will 
not  permit  it.     The  territory  from  which  we  receive  live  stock  is  four  or  five  times 
as  extensive  as  that  from  which  we  receive  grain.     Great  as  is  this  branch  of  busi- 
ness, it  is  yet  iu  its  infancy.     Chicago  must  always  be  the  great  live  stuck  emporium, 
and  the  great  provision  in.mufacturer  for  the  Eastern  and  Kuropean  markets. 

The  advantages  of  this  business,  however,  are  not  limited  to  the  citizens  of  Chicago.  R-""'"  to 
Our   packing-houses    are  of  immense    importance    to    all    the    producers   of  stock.  •'"*''••■"'»'■''• 
Everything   which  in  any    way  facilitates   the   transportation  of  produce  from  the 
farm  to  the  consumer   is  of  great   value  to  the   producer.      Hogs   and   cattle    when  8.it<««  In 
reduced   into  barrels  of  pork  and  beef,  of  lard  and  tallow,  are  not  only  materially  tr«iii.i».rui- 
reduced  in  weight,  but  put  into  a  much  more  convenient  and  manageable  form.      .V  ''""■ 
few  days  continement  in  cars  tells   wonderfully  on   these   stock.     The  shipper  must 
not  only  pay  freight  on  good  butchers  meat,  but  also  on  blood  and  bones,  horns  and 
hoofs  and  all  manner  of  olfal ;   he  must  hire  men  to  care  for  them,  and  buy  hay  and 
grain  to  feed   them.     Barrels   of  provisions,  on  the   contrary,  submit    to   be  rolled 
about   from   wagon   to  car  and   warehouse;   they  will  rest  contentedly  and  without 
injury  on  tlie  longest  journey,  with   no  one   to   watch  over  and   take  care  of  Ihem  : 
they  require  no  outlay  for  either  food  or  drink,  and  are  neither  decreased  in  weight 
or  injured  in  quality  by  hard  travel  or  long  keeping. 

There  is  every  reason  why  the  cattle  and   hogs  of  the  West  should  be  butchered  Px^klnu' 
and  packed  ; — in  other  words,  should  be  manufactured  into  provisions, — befcjre  they  ,''']"',',^,'l  * 
are    exported;   and  it  is  not  to  be   wondered  at  that   Chicago  and  Cincinnati  have  Cm!  i,«iur»l. 
become  the  greatest  packing  points   in   the    world.     The  causes  which    are   now 
operating  will  continue  to  operate,  and  we  can  hardly  fix  a  limit   to  the  increase  To  lacroMe. 
which  may  be  expected  in  packing  operations.     The  great  weight  of  grain  compared 
witli  its  value   will  always  tend  to  discourage  shipments  of  bread-stuffs  to  distant 
markets,  and  we  must  expect  to  see  trade  in  live  stock  and  provisions  increase  more 
rapidly,  and  reach  greater  proportions,  than  the  grain  trade. 

There  are  many  reasons  why  it  is  desirable  that  the  farms  of  the  west  should  be  Stock-rmWnj 
devoted  to  raising  stock  rather  than  grain  for  export.  Besides  the  difference  in  the  f™^,/**  *' 
cost  of  transportation  which  has  just  been  mentioned,  a  very  important  considera- 
tion is  the  difference  in  the  effect  on  farming  lands.  Repeated  crops  of  wheal  and 
corn  will  eventually  exhaust  even  the  rich  soil  of  western  prairies.  Flocks  and 
herds  enrich  the  field  which  feeds  them.  Continued  cropping  of  prairie  farms  will 
sooner  or  later  leave  the  land,  like  that  of  the  e  xhausted  plantations  of  Virginia, 
barren  and  unproductive,  while  a  system  of  culture  which  includes  the  raising  of 
animals,  and  consequently  the  production  and  use  of  fertilizing  agents,  will  preserve 
and  increase  the  productive  capacity  of  this  magnificent  agricultural  country  which 
is  now  deservedly  known  as  the  garden  of  the  world. 

No  statement  of  beef-packiag  at  St.  Louis  is  found.     The  Mo.  Dnnnrrntll'^)]^'^^ 
gives  a  list  of  pork-packers,  aggregating  204,132  hogs  up  to  1st  January, -""•  ■"'"• 
thus  prefaced  : — 

Provisio7is.—^i.  Louis  as  a  packing  city  is  surpassed  in  the  amount  of  her  business,  .m.  u  «- 
by  both  Cincinnati  and  Chicago,  but  in  the  reputation  of  her  prepared  ""*'"""'*'^7,-'';'!'y 
stands  unrivalled.     Ames'  "  breakfast  bacon,"  Whittaker's    "star   h*ms,'    Maxwell -"" 
&  Patterson's    "Magnolias"    are  known    far    and    wide,  while    the   quality  of  the 
barreled  meat  and  lard  her  packers  put  up  is  too  well  known  to  need  a  reference  to.  ^^^  ^^  ,^^ 
But  when  St.  Louis  learns  to  do  less   swearing  by  her  rivers  and   determines  to  put  ,„., ,,,  hor 
more  capital,  energy  and  faith  into  the  construction  of  railroads,  into  the  agricul- nv.-n.. 
tural  regions  of  her  own  and   sister  States,  she  will   find   the  result  of  her  packing 
seasons  ever  so  much  more  in  her  favor. 

They   take  consolation   for  present  losses   in   future   hopes,  never  to  be  |iow^o«n  ^«il 
realized.     If  Cincinnati  could  not  hold  what  she  had,  what  advantages  over  hope? 
her  in  provision  trade  has  St.  Louis,  that  she  can    now  draw  suecc.-^sfully 
against  Chicago,  with  the  multiplying  facilities  here,  which   St.  Louis  caa 
never  have  ? 
1^ 


210 


Manufacturing  Advantages  of  Chicago — Rapid  Progress. 


The  Pork  Packing  Association  makes  the  following  report  of  last  season's  business; 
Statistics  of  the  Pork  Packing  in  Chicago^  1867-8. 


■3  S 

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Cf       ,->'r- 

87-,()00 
750,000 
108,000 
277,000 

350,000 
123,000 
122,000 
407,000 

145,000 
""  '338,006 

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6"  i  ;  i  !  :  ic  ;  J"^-^ 

Z,-^    •■:■■■■  C    ■■  °  S---C 
>-  r  .2  m  ao  M-2  £  5  g  §  o 
S  n  —  •-  =  -°,2'^'°      "  Z.^ 

1^ 1  1  1  M  1  Ifi  1  1^ 

u 

1 

t*. 

c 
c 

0 

Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicarjo  Investments. 


•Jll 


The  page  not  receiving  all   the  figures,  it  should  be  added,  that  there  are  A-i-iitio,..  u. 
also  of  long-clean   middles,   1,G91,00()  lbs.;  long-rib  middles.  GO'), Odd  lbs;**'''"" 
rough  sides,  3,930,000  lbs.;  dry  salted  hams,  38,200  lbs.;  dry  suited  shoulders' 
11,644.000  lbs.;  long-cut  hams,  25,118    pieces. 

The  editor  of  the  Gonnnercinl  Report  ami  MirJcct  Review,  says;—  Om.  Ktpori. 

Quite  as  promiaeat  a  feature  is  the  differeace  in  the  kind  of  produot  miiauf.icturcd  Cut  nu-«u 
— the  amount  of  barreled  pork  showing  a  large  decrease  and  of  cut  meals  a  corres-  '"'»««■«'•  oi 
ponding  increase.     This  is  partly  the  result  of  the  decrease  in  net   weight  of  the  '"""'•'^^'«'- 
hogs  cut,  packers  especially  in  the  opening  of  the  season  making  very  liiile  barreled 
pork,  in  anticipation    of  a  heavier  run  of  hogs  ;   thn  principal  cause,  howevi-r,  was 
the  anticipation  of  liberal  English  and  Southern  demands — the  former  for  English  —'"'"■  '■'"K- 
cuts,  and  the  latter  for  bacon.     This  anticipation  has  been  fully  met,  as  our  table  *"***>""• 
of  shipments  elsewhere  given  will  show— the  former  demand  having  already  t'lk.-n 
a  liberal'supply,  and  the  latter   sti.uulated    largely  by  the  advance  i^n  cotton,  being 
lately  and  now  a  liberal  purchaser,  and  to  this  as  well  as  a  revulsion  in  the  feeling 
of  despondency  generally  prevailing  at  the  opening  of  the  season,  may  the  upward 
turn  in  the  market  be  attributed. 


Mr.  Gillette   Secretary  of  the  Pork  Packer's  Association,  suddHcs —  ■%<:.  Pnrk 

''  '        ^*^  JMckeri. 


Statistics  of  the  Beef  Packing  in  Chicago,  1867-8. 


NAMES  OF 
PACKERS. 


Culbertson,  BUir  &  Co.. 

Crajiin  &  Co 

A    E.  Ivent  &  Co 

Jones.  Hough  &  Co 

D.  Kreigh  &  Co 

Favorite  &  Co 

Joseph  Jones 

G.  S.  Hubbard  &  Co 

H.  M.  Chapin  &  Co 


Total  for  the  season 

Total  for  the  season  1S06-7.. 


No.  of 
Cattle. 


7,025 
8,510 
7,1.32 
3,780 
2,414 
1,984 
1,650 
1,852 
999 


35,346 

26,998 


India 
Beef, 

tC8. 


India 

Mess, 

tC8. 


1,178 
2,090 
2,977 
1,302 


1,200 
230 
742 


Prime 

Mess, 

tC8. 


2,482 
3,582 

5,687 

ooi 


350 
442 

508 


13,652 


Megs 
Beef, 
bbls. 


4.569 
9,0(H) 
1,4.32 
3,239 
4,1-23 
3,217 
150 
2,380 


Beef-pockiog 
1867-«. 


28,110 


Kx. 
Mess 
Beef, 
bl>W. 

3,146 

500 

51 

1,215 


79 
600 


5,691  35,316  head. 


In  March,  1857,  11  years  ago.  Hunt's  Merchants'  Magazine  said  of —         -W""'''  •"•'?• 


The  Chicago  Beef  Trade. — Every  day,  says  a  cotemporary,  we  meet  in  some  journal 
or  other,  convincing  proof  that  a  new  branch  of  agriculture  or  industry  is  advancing 
with  incredibly  rapid  strides,  and  building  up  cities  and  great  populations  as  it 
advances.  We  remember  some  obscure  hamlet,  some  quiet  village,  which  we  once 
visited  in  youth,  and  are  startled  some  day  by  receiviag  from  it  a  newspaper  con- 
taining proof  that  it  has  grown  up  to  cityhood  just  as  rapidly  as  we  have  advanced 
to  manhood. 

One  of  these  indications  is  shown  in  the  extent  of  the  provision  trade  of  Chicago, 
Illinois,  some  particulars  relative  to  which  we  find  in  a  reliable  German  cotomponiry, 
the  Illinois  Staats  Zeitwi'j,  which  is  addicted  to  statistics.  Those  who  follow  the 
markets  may  be  aware  that  Chicago-salted  provisions  bring  a  markedly  high  price 
in  eastern  cities,  and  that  they  are  well  known  in  England.  During  the  late  great 
•war,  contracts  were  directly  made  with  a  Chicago  house  to  supply  the  allied  army 
with  a  vast  quantity  of  salted  beef,  and  in  1855  not  less  than  (j:5,000  barrels  of  that 
provision,  requiring  29,000  oxen,  were  prepared  in  that  city.  During  185r,  the 
amount  has,  of  course,  diminished,  there  being  no  extra  cause  of  demand,  so  that, 
as  it  is  said,  the  horned  cattle  keep  pace  with  the  hogs. 

Facilities  for  Slaughtering  and  Packing.— The  trade  in  animals  h.-rc 
centering,  would  create  extensive  packing  facilities;  while  these  facilities 
would  also  draw  the  stock.     Nor  is  it  a  slight  advantage,   in   a  trade   .so 


Chi.  l>eof 
trade. 


K.ipid 
cliuoge«. 


Hisl.l.v 
eateomed. 


Pirfcing 
facilities. 


!12 


Mannfaduring  Advantages  of  Chicago — Rapid  Progress. 


Advantages 
at  Chi. 


Com.  Exp. 


Description 
of  largest 
est.iblish- 
meut. 


Slaughter 
300  cattle, 
2,000  hogs 
daily. 


Cooling. 
Lard. 


Purifier. 


Skill. 


Mere  storage 


Future  in- 
crease. 


Corn,  great 
staple. 


Ilm.  S.  B. 
Rugglet. 


Orain  raiH- 
ing  in  west 
just  begun. 


variable  as  that  of  provisions,  to  locate  a  packing  establishment  where  an 
unlimited  supply  of  hogs  or  cattle  can  be  had  if  packing  be  desirable.  If 
the  trade  promise  well,  the  packer  can  select  the  stock  wanted  ;  if  otherwise, 
it  goes  to  other  markets.  Year  by  year  must  Chicago  have  more  and  more 
of  this  advantage,  so  that  her  relative  impoi-tance  as  a  stock  market  will 
more  and  more,  augment.  Information  concerning  packing  houses  would  be 
expected,  which  Mr.  Wells  supplies  by  describing  the  largestin  his  Commercial 
Express.,  January  30th. — 

At  the  corner  of  Eighteentli  and  Canal  streets  is  located  their  packing-house,  a 
substantial  brick  structure  of  four  stories,  200  by  210  feet,  with  adjacent  yards, 
and  exterior  stock-ways  for  driving  either  cattle  or  hogs  up  to  the  level  of  the  floor 
where  tliey  are  to  be  introduced  within  the  building.  Hogs  are  taken  in  at  the  top 
of  the  house,  where  the  whole  floor  is  divided  into  pens,  which  will  ensily  hold 
4,000.  Cattle  are  taken  in  on  the  second  floor,  through  smnll  pens,  holding  two  or 
three  each,  easily  supplied  from  the  adjacent  yards.  Without  going  into  details  of 
the  slaughtering  operations,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  when  the  season  is  at  its 
height,  300  cattle  and  2,000  hogs  per  day  can  be  disposed  of,  neither  branch  of  the 
business  interfering  with  the  other.  The  appliances  of  machinery  dispense  as 
much  as  possible  with  manual  labor,  everything  is  done  or  handled  with  the  greatest 
ease,  regularity  and  rapidity,  and  yet,  when  the  house  is  in  full  blast,  300  persons 
find  active  employment. 

One  whole  floor  of  the  building  is  devoted  to  the  hanging  of  carcasses  for  cooling, 
another  to  bulk  meats,  another  to  barreled  meats.  The  lard  room  contains  nine 
enormous  rendering  tanks,  one  high-pressure,  and  the  others  low-pressure,  the 
preference  being  given  to  the  latter.  In  this  room  is  also  a  lard-purifier,  an  immense 
kettle,  into  which  all  the  lard  from  the  tanks  is  drawn,  for  a  second  process,  which 
renders  it  absolutely  perfect  before  it  passes  into  the  tierces.  This  purifier  is  a 
peculiar  feature  of  this  establishment,  and  to  its  use  is  doubtless  to  be  attributed 
the  fact  that  their  brand  of  lard  has  borne  the  highest  price  in  this  market  all  the 
season. 

The  most  skillful  and  experienced  workmen  are  employed  in  all  the  processes, 
besides  which  the  proprietors  give  their  constant  supervision  to  every  department. 
In  the  selection  of  stock,  the  materials  for  the  methods  of  cure,  the  putting  up  for 
market,  and  the  storing  and  subsequent  handling,  their  motto  is  excellence  in  every 
grade  of  product. 

Tlie  firm  have  hitherto  experienced  some  disadvantages  from  want  of  sufficient 
storage  which  they  are  now  remedying,  and  propose  to  further  remedy.  A  brick 
structure  of  equal  size  with  the  present,  and  contiguous  to  it,  is  projected  and  will 
be  ready  for  the  next  season's  operations.  A  wooden  storehouse  400  feet  long  and 
(jfj  feet  wide,  of  only  one  floor,  is  already  completed  and  occupied.  It  has  double 
filled  walls,  double  windows,  double  ceiling  and  roof,  so  that  an  even  or  nearly  even 
temperature  may  be  preserved ;  never  freezing  in  winter,  and  sufficiently  cooled 
in  summer  by  an  adequate  number  of  ice  bins,  constructed  at  intervals  through 
the  centre. 

Future  Increase  of  Provision  Manufacture. — Immense  as  are  these  figures, 
what  are  they  compared  with  the  future  ?  As  we  have  seen,  Illinois  and  the 
States  adjoining  are  the  chief  producers  of  that  grandest  American  staple, 
Indian  Corn,  which  John  Taylor  of  Caroline,  pronounced  "bread,  meat  and 
nianure."  This  of  all  grain  sliould  be  put  in  the  most  concentrated  form 
for  transportation,  its  cost  of  production  on  the  form  being  under  ten  cents 
a  bushel.  Hon.  S.  B.  Ruggles  of  New  York,  at  the  Ship-Canal  Convention, 
considering  the  benefits  of  "  cheapening  the  transportation  of  western 
products  through  the  proposed  enlarged  canals,"  remarked  : — 

For  who,  in  all  this  large  assemblage,  regards  for  a  moment  these  520,000,000 
bushels  as  the  full  measure,  or  even  a  tythe  of  your  product,  when  the  whole  of 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chirayo  Livestmcnta.  213 

your  260,000,000  acres  shall  be  brought,  into  full  nn.l  careful  cultivation  ?  True,  it 
already  exceeds  the  whole  cereal  product  of  the  British  IMands.  and  nearly 
approaches  that  of  carefully  cultivated  and  carefully  governed  France;  but  can  a 
man  be  found  upon  these  magiiiliconi  western  waters  small  enough,  or  stupid  enough 
to  assert,  that  these  eight  great  Stales  have  now  reached  their  full  maturity,  have 
now  got  all  their  growth  ?  What  human  being  in  his  senses,  not  wholly  idioiic.  or 
utterly  blinded  by  political  bigotry,  or  lust  of  political  power,  could  assert  that  this 
God-given,  exuberant  and  all  but  virgin  West  has  now  reached  its  "culniiniting 
point?"  For  oae,  I  stand  awe-struck  and  amazed  at  the  immeasurable  prospect 
opening  before  us.  I  can  see  nothing  smaller,  nothing  more  diminutive  ,  nothing  t.i„ 
less  stupendous,  than  a  yearly  product  of  cereals,  to  be  measured  not.  as  now,  ).y  ..I'm'imo.i'. 
hundreds,  but  by  thousands  of  millions  of  bushels— a  result  so  vast,  so  solemn,  so  "f  biul'oU. 
fraught  with  consequences  so  momentous  to  our  nation  and  to  the  world,  that  1  can 
but  bow  with  reverential  gratitude  before  such  a  wonderful  manifestation  of  the 
providence  of  our  great  Creator.  Never  before  in  human  history  did  lie  lay  out  a 
garden  so  wide-spread  and  fertile ;  never  before  did  He  provide  a  granary  so 
magnificent  for  the  use  of  man. 

For  what  was  ancient  Sicily,  the  "granary  of  Rome,"  or  the  fertile  plains  of  thn  American 
Po,  or  the  exuberant  valley  of  the  Nile  itself,  compared    with  this  our   great  conii-  »up«riority. 
nental   garden,   pouring    forth    yearly    volumes    of  food    so    enormous    and    yet  so 
inevitably,  resistlessly  increasing?     In  view  of  such  a  power  to  feed  our  race,  who 
■will  venture  to  depict  or  limit  the  commercial    and    the  political   destiny   of  this 
unequaled  portion  of  the  earth  ?     Was  it  thus  specially  endowed  and  set  aside  by  i}<.„,.flu  not 
the  Great  Architect  of  Nations  merely    to  feed  the  petty  State  of  Illinois,  great  as  hom.-  re- 
it  is,  and  large  enough  to  hold   a  half  dozen  Sicilies;   or  the  still  more  petty  Stale  •"''^'***- 
of  New  York,  with  all  its  golden  gates  of  commerce;   or  rocky  little  New  England, 
with  its  thousand  and  one  "notions"  on  land,  and  its  ever  "victorious   industry" 
both  on  land  and  sea;   or  even  the  whole  majestic  Union  of  these  temporary  jarring 
American  States,  soon,  I  trust,  to  be  happily  pacified? 

No,  my  feliow  countrymen,  the  manifest  destiny  and  high  office  of  this  splendid  sv.w  world 
granary,  of  which  this  Chicago  of  yours  and  of  ours  is  the  brilliant  centre,  stands  to  fc»a  the 
out  plain  as  the  sun  in  heaven.      It  is  unmistakably  marked  by  the  tiuger  of  God  on' 
these  wide-spread  lands  and   waters,  that  it  is  to  be  our  special  duty  to  feed  not 
ourselves  of  this  New  World  alone,  but  that  venerable,  moss-covered  fatherlaml — 
that  old  father   world    of  ours   across  the   ocean — as    the   pious  Grecian  daughter 
nourished  her  aged  sire — to  carry  abundant  food,  and   with  it  the  means  of  higher 
civilization  and  refinement,  and  that  too  in  the  truest  Christian  spirit,  to  that  over- 
crowded but  under-fed,  European  Christendom  to  which  we  owe  our  common  origin. 
Let  us   then   come  fully   up  to  the  measure  of  this   world-wide  idea.     Let  us.  by  (i^h^p  ,„n. 
cheapening  the  transit  of  food  to  our  seaboard,  prepare  vigorously  to  carry  out  the  "it  wiuite<J. 
predestined  and  providential  arrangement  of  God  himself  to  increase  the  happiness 
of  man. 

And  now,  my  esteemed  friends,  let  us  make  a  slight  descent;  let  us  talk  a  little  Uoc— <l<iu't 
about  hogs,  and  the  glorious  West  as  a  gigantic  hog-pen.      I  must  really  beg  you  not  [i'^'^'^J^''  ■' 
to  laugh,  for  I  am  profoundly  serious,  and  do  earnestly  assure  you  that  the  hog  is  a 
very  praise-worthy,  interesting,  and  important  animal.     For  how,  let  me  beg  to  ask. 
could  you  possibly,  without  his  benevolent  and  eincient  aid  and  cooperation,  bring 
down  the  whole  of  these  five  hundred  millions  of  bushels  of  grain  to  the  sea?     How  Orrai  com 
could  such  a  mountain  mass  of  cereals,  and  especially  of  Indian  corn,  ever  be  sold  carrier. 
or  disposed  of?     But,  thanks  to  the  ingenuity  of  man  and  the  necessity  of  tiiecasc, 
the  process  has  been  found.      The  crop  is  condensed  and  reiluced  in  hulk  by  feeding 
it  into  an  animal  form  more  portable.      The  hog  eats  the  corn,  ami   Europe  eats  thcc.im  Incar- 
Hog.      Corn  thus  becomes  incarnate  ;  for  what  is  a  hog  but  fifteen  or  twenty  bushels  n.tc. 
of  corn  on  four  legs  ? 

It  is  among   the  many  providential  features,  of  which  this  subject  is  full,  that   a  sv»  mode 
Striking  revolution  has  taken   place  just  within  the  last  two  troubled  years,  in  ihc  of  curing. 
destiny  of  the  American  hog.     By  a  new  process  of  curing  or  preparation,  brougiit 
in,  as   I    am    told,    from    England,    the    animal    has    suddenly    become    extensively 
marketable  in  Europe. 

Heretofore,  the  quadruped  has  passed  after  death  in  brine,  obedient,  perhaps,  to  Kumpctn 
the   traditions   of  New  England,  where  a  pork-barrel   in   every    family   is  a  sacred  traJc 
institution.     But  Europe  did  not  relish,  and  would  not  eat  the  hog  in  brine— so  that 
a   great   hog-reformation    is   now    in    vigorous    progress    through    these    interior 
States,  in  packing  the  animal,  not  in  brine,  nor  in  a  barrel,  but   in  dry  salt,  in  a 


214  Manufacturing  Advantages   of  Chicago — Rapid  Progress. 

light,  cheap  wooden  box.     In  that  shape  Europe  has  recently  consented  largely  to 

eat  him.     But  let  us  ascertain  precisely  and  statistically  just  how  far  the  tickling 

Crt  meats     *'^'^  palate  of  the  Old  Vv'orld  has  already  advanced.     In  the  year  1859,  the  exports 

oxported,       of  pork  in  the  box  (barbarously  denominated   "cut  meats"  in  the  oificial  tables) 

1S59,  9,00i>,     were  only  nine  millions  of  pounds.      In  round  numbers  they  rose  to  twenty  millions 

OtO  lbs.         j^  18t)0,  to  seventy  millions  in  18G1,  to  one  hundred  and  thirty  millions  in  1862,  and 

1?63  300  000  during  the  present  year    1863,  will   probably  very  nearly  ascend   to  three  hundred 

000  lbs.  '     'millions  of  pounds.      Inverting  the  calculation,  and  bringing  the  "cut  meats"  back 

to  "hog"  again,  this  export  is  equivalent  to  an  a' my  of  one  million  and  a  half  of 

these  interesting  animals,  marching  across  the  ocean.     After  this,  will  you,  can  you 

laugh  at  the  hog? 

Fiscal  ^^  ^^y  rate,  you  will  consent  to  be  more  serious  when  you  perceive    the  fiscal 

eifects.  effects  of  such  a  swinish   exodus  on  our  national  treasury.     These   three  hundred 

millions   of  pounds   are  worth  in  Europe  thirtj'  millions  of  dollars,  sending  back 

imports,  paying  in  duties  nine  millions  of  dollars  in  gold. 

,  ^j.j  Nor  is  this  quite  all.     We  have  a  little  more  of  "  the  whole  hog  "  in  a  fiscal  point 

of  view.     The  skill  of  our  artificers   in   pork   expresses  out  the  very  quintessence 

of  tlie  creature  into  lard,  an  humble  element    which   has   suddenly  risen  from  its 

ancient  culinary  office  of  making  cakes  and  greasing  kitchen  utensils,  to  the  more 

exalted    duty   of  illuminating  houses,   and  oiling   the   millions   of   wheels   of   our 

Increased      locomotives,  and  other  labor-saving  machines.     Not  only  has  it  literally  smoothed 

use.  our  way  to  this  very  convention,  in  this  great  hog-mai-ufaciuring  city,  but   it  is 

exerting  its  world-wide  influence  in  relieving   the   whales    within   the  Arctic  and 

Antartic  circles  from  the  indefatigable  pursuit  of  that  same  rock-bound  but  vigorous 

New  England. 

RRquisite  Who  Can  doubt  that  all  requisite  facilities  to  promote  intercourse  between 

ft-.cilities  to  _  ■' 

be  opened  to  consuuiers,  and  the  great  provision  market  of  the  world,  will  be  speedily 
supplied  ?  If  the  natural  operation  of  causes,  with  limited  facilities  hitherto, 
have  concentrated  at  Chicago  the  beef  and  pork  of  the  West,  until  it  has 
already  become  the  chief  provision  market  of  the  world ;  what  must  be  the 
effect  upon  that  market,  to  open  to  the  whole  world  a  free  and  direct  transit 
to  it  of  vessels  of  1,000  to  1,500  tons  burthen  ? 

Provision  More  and  more,  too,  will   live  stock   be  manufactured.     Wheat  and   corn 

to  increase.  Can  be  Sent  east  to  manufacture  with  advantage,  because  in  bulk  it  is  handled 
with  facility,  eats  and  costs  nothing  by  the  way,  and  the  oflal  is  more  valuable 
on  the  seaboard.  But  each  of  these  items  operate  largely  in  favor  of  packing 
at  Chicago.     The   offal,  both   expensive   and   offensive  at  lesser  markets,  is 

Baugh  <£  here  converted  into  glue  and  fertilizers,  and  other  valuable  products.  Messrs. 
Baugh  and  Sons,  from  Philadelphia,  under  the  name  of  the  Northwestern 
Fertilizing  Company,  supply  this  information : — 

Ct.Ujzing  Utilizing  of  Offal. — At  their  Depot  in  the  city,  box-cars'are  always  ready  to  receive 

offal.  the  material  as  it  comes  from  the  packing  houses  ;  and  each  day  the  cars  are  taken 

to  their  works,  \?>  miles  from  the  city,  where  they  have  erected  an  immense  building 
in  whicli  the  material  is  at  once  converted  into  a  merchantable  condition  by  patented 
driers  and  mills.  Heretofore  the  material  has  been  dried  in  the  sun  ;  but  it  is  now 
taken  from  tho  car,  immediately  dried,  disinfected  and  ground  ready  for  market. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicayo  Investnwnts.  '_'15 

Flour. — We  now  come  to  an  item   ia  which    time  and   capital  give  larg.;  Ki..,.r. 


superiority  to  St.  Louis  : — 

flour  Manufactured  in  Cliicago  for  Seven  Years. 


Trailf  Itrp. 

Maimfi4cturs 
7  j'tMiri. 


MILLS. 

Barrels. 

MILLS. 

Barrels. 

1 

YKAK^^. 

Total 
lUrreU. 

Oriental  Mills 

86,200 
73.157 
53,641 
51,850 
47,285 
35,000 
Si.OOO 

Chicago  City  Mills 

Marple's  Mills 

30,000 
2;J,895 

18,000     1 
500     1 

ISii.'i  fi 

301.770 

State  Mills 

IStU-.'i 

i.sH:»-t 

Isti2 

B.  Adams  k  Co 

22;M28 

2«i<l,»>«) 

•I  2,0U) 

Michigan  Mills 

Star  &  Crescent  Mills.. 

Maple's  Mills 

Total  in  1866-7 

462,528 

I 

18(J0 

LakeStreut  Mills 

The  Chicago  Republican^  in  its  statement  1st  January,  pre.sents- 
Statement  of  Flour  Manufactured  at  Chicago  since  18G0. 


B.  Adams  &  Co 

J.  D.  Cole,  Jr.  (lonica  mills), 

Empire  mills 

Lake  Street  mills 

Michigan  mills 

Oriental  mills 

State  mills 

City  mills 

Maple's  mills 

Marple  s  mills 

Star  and  Crescent  mills 

Robinson,  Rice&  Co 

Garden  City  mills 

National  mills 

other  mills 

Total. 


1865. 


47.4J8 
86.162 

9.1  "10 
18,500 
35,5(10 
40,11(10 
45,000 
25.;iOO 
12,600 


1866. 


20,000 


288,390 


69,112 
45,(100 
Is.dOO 
45.0(10 
4ll,r>.'9 
.')7,(HK) 
70.iX)0 
2S,7S3 
4(>,(»()0 
20,1  HK) 
600 


8.6<I0 


18«T. 


CIU.  li'p. 


.1  y»i»m 

nutnufiic- 

ture. 

List  of  mjlli. 


446,624 


86,000 
4)1,416 
10,0<lO 
46.1  NiO 
46.UU0 
97,:iUU 
7S,.')<)0 
36,000 
27,o<i0 

69,700 
16.000 
10,500 
•2r>.i**) 
8,000 


•574,04<6 


In  1864  the  amount  manufactured  amounted  to  255,058  brls ;  in  1863,  236,261 ;  in  ,^ 

1862,  260,980;  in  1861,  291,852  ;  in  1860,  232,000.  ^""^  **^ 


Flour  Manufactured  by  St.  Louis  Mills  for  \T  Years. 


?\.    L.  nuQ 
17  J  car*. 


1851 408,099 

1862 3S31S4 

1853 457,070 

1854 503,157 

1855 603,353 


1856 678,496 

18.57 662,548 

1898 826,6.1 

4869 863  446 


1860 839,165  1«64 782,5tO 

1861 694,1101 1  m;-i 74:t.2'l 

1862 906,860  186(i S1K,3(  0  Tradt  Krp. 

1863 758,  i22  1867 766.2U8 


High   Wines  Manufactured  in  Chicago  for  11    Years. 


ItiKh    WiDM 

nmnubc- 
tiirvd,  Chi. 
11  jmx%. 


YEAR. 

Barrels. 

Gallons. 

1856 

27,550 
6(1,000 
60,000 
53,000 
62,400 
89,915 

1,653.000 

1857 

3,000,000 

1858 

3.600,000 

1859  

3,180,000 

1860 

3,744,000 

1861 

5,394,900 

1S52 

1863 

1^64-5 

1865-9 

1866-7  (City  A  County) 


61,7<>3 
7-/.2» 
6.S,8.'i5 
7.514 
42,616 


3,7<r2.1'«0 

47«.5W 
2,650.724 


The  oifal    in  high-wines,  flour,  starch,  and  other  <>;rain  pmduots,  is  W(irth  Di(«<iran- 
BO  much  more  at  the  sea-board  than  here,  that  tliese  manulactures  will  never  ^"aiV" 


rn»n- 
ulftCturlDg. 


216 


Manufacturing  Advantages  of  Chicago — Rajn'd  Progress. 


attain  the  proj^ortiou  of  provision  manufacture, 
more  cheaply  handled  than  in  barrels 


Besides,  jirrain  in  bulk  is 


These 
branches 
indices  of 
others. 


Obstacles  in 
starting 
mnuufuc- 
tures. 


Present  in- 
crease 
remarkable. 


N.  y.    man- 
ufactures— 

-jet 

imports 

everything. 


\o  advan- 
tage over 
Chi.  but  age 
and  capital. 


Phil, 
compared. 

Chi.  has 
advantages 
of  both 
cities. 


](a|>id 

increaso 

already. 


When  reach 
N.  Y. and 
Phil,  figures. 


These  items  suffice  to  indicate  something  of  what  Chicago  must  become 
in  manufactures  with  capital  and  time  brought  to  bear  upon  the  abundant 
re.^ources  of  the  Northwest.  Time  is  requisite,  the  demands  of  a  newly 
.settled  country  not  being  for  luxuries,  but  necessaries  ;  and  what  of  these 
is  not  produced  of  the  soil,  comes  mostly  from  abroad.  With  appliances 
of  machinery  now-a-days  in  all  sorts  of  manufactures,  the  distant  establish- 
ment can  with  profit  send  products  to  supply  those  who  must  depend  wholly 
upon  manual  labor.  To  erect  buildings  and  machinery  on  any  considerable 
scale,  large  capital  is  requisite  ;  and  considering  the  paramount  claims  of 
agriculture,  and  of  railways  to  move  its  products,  is  it  not  a  wonder  that 
since  1850  so  much  should  have  been  done  for  manufactures  ?  We  might 
estimate  for  the  present,  but  guess-work  is  not  the  basis  of  these  calculations. 
Nor  does  the  intelligent  reader  require  long  argument  to  convince  him  of 
the  importance  of  this  City  for  manufactures.  The  unexampled  growth  in 
eight  years  past,  both  in  variety  of  articles  and  number  of  shops,  surely 
indicates  what  is  to  come ;  even  were  it  at  all  doubtful  whether  a  point  of 
such  unexampled  commercial  facilities  was  to  concentrate  manufactures. 
New  York,  though  she  imports  every  thing,  her  food  as  well  as  raw  materials, 
is  actually  our  chief  city  in  manufactures.  The  superficial  examiner  at- 
tributes her  greatness  to  commerce.  No  doubt  commercial  facilities  have 
drawn  to  her  manufactures ;  but  probably  five,  perhaps  ten,  of  her 
denizens  are  dependent  upon  manufacturing,  to  one  dependent  upon 
commerce.  Comparison  with  New  York  comes  hereafter  to  obtain  some 
idea  of  what  our  own  growth  is  to  be.  But  what  single  advantage  has  New 
York  except  age  and  capital,  which  Chicago  possesses  not  in  larger  measure  '/ 
What  were  her  distributing  facilities  twenty  years  ago — what  even  are  they 
to-day — compared  with  what  this  young  Queen  of  the  West  already  has  ? 

Philadelphia  comes  next,  her  marvelous  growth  being  due  to  superior 
advantages  for  obtaining  food  and  raw  materials,  particularly  coal  and  iron. 
Chicago,  as  we  shall  see,  as  much  excels  Philadelphia  in  gathering  as  New 
York  in  distributing.  Therefore  our  measure  of  progress  in  manufactures  is 
to  be  calculated  by  combining  that  of  the  two  chief  cities  of  the  East,  with 
due  allowance  for  age  and  capital  in  their  favor,  and  every  other  advantage 
in  our  favor  that  can  be  conceived. 

Of  course  this  City,  yet  in  her  teens  in  manufactures,  could  not  vie  in 
products  with  those  which  can  boast  of  centuries  of  solid  growth.  But  if 
from  manufacturing  87  articles  in  18G0,  she  has  318  in  1867  ;  and  if  in 
1860  the  whole  of  Cook  county  had  but  469  shops,  and  in  the  City  alone 
2,830  in  1867  ;  how  long  before  she  overtakes  in  products  the  6,298  shops 
of  Philadelphia,  as  enumerated  by  the  census  of  1860,  with  their  variety 
of  365  articles,  and  the  4,375  shops  of  New  York  with  their  321  varieties  ? 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  217 

The    number  of  shops  we  may  not  speedily  equal,   hut   the   varii'ty  we  By  isso 
8hall ;  and  like   New   York,  with   less  shops  the  product  will  bu  relatively  ii'i'Tir-i.'ir' 
greater.     The   total  of  New   York   was   in    18G0,   8ir)'J,l()7,:i(J!» ;    and   ..f'""^-^'- 
Philadelphia,   $135,979,777.     When  we  shall  have  looked  a  little  farther 
into    operating-  causes,  it  will  not  be    deemed  extravagant  to  expect  that 
the  census  of  Chicago  in  1880  will  at  least  e({ual  the  latter  figures,  possibly 
the  former. 

As  remarked,  in  1861,  p.  199,  had  we  no  other  manufacturing  to  do  but  itiiiwiiy 
to  lurnish  bnicago  railways,  that  would  build  up  a  great  city.     Two  heavy  lujix-rtaut. 
rolling  mills  are  now  employed  almost  entirely  in   re-rolling  railroad   iron. 
No  doubt  steel  is  to  supplant  iron  rails,  which  will  be  made  mainly  from  the 
charcoal  iron  of  Lake  Superior,  in  obtaining  which  no  other  city  has  e<jual 
advantages  with  Chicago,  as  we  shall  sec  under  the  next  topic.     But  if  mere  Aiivanugo 
iron  is  to  be  used,  none  is  equal  to  that  of  Lake  Superior.     All  branches  of  i".riur  iroa. ' 
railway  manufacture  will  follow;  and  with  the  advantage  of  so  many  home 
railways    to    supply,    we   can   compete  successfully  with    any   city  in    fur- 
nishing  any  railway.     The  only  drawback   is  lack  of   capital,   which    will 
surely  find  its  place  of  safe  and  profitable  investment.     The  RaUrond  Junr-  n^iUroad 

Joumtxl  1857 

nal  said  eleven  years  ago,  in  1857  : 

Manufactures  of  Machinery  in  the  West. — Had  the  railroads  of  the  West  been  built  M.itifr.  miv- 
upon  local  means  they  would  have  been  stocked  with  machinery  manufactured  wi-xt  ''''"'Ty  '" 
of  the  Alleghanies.      The  capital  of  the  West  is  held  mostly  in  lands  and  agricultural '  "'     *"'' 
improvements,  to  the  holders  of  which  iron  and  steam  engine-making  would  be  a 
new  and  doubtful  business.     The  western  people  do  not  seem  fully  awake  to  ihe 
advantages  they  possess  for  the  prosecution  of  this  branch  of  industry.     Chicago,  i^ir^.  rail- 
for  instance,  has  2,500  miles  of  railroad   trunk   lines,  and   1,500  miles   of  branch  r.M.l  .k- 
lines  immediately  tributary  thereto,  and  about  the  entire  equipment  of  engines  for  ""'x'"- 
those  roads  is  built  or  building  at  the  East.     Chicago  has  one  establishment  for  the 
manufacture  of  locomotives,  but  this  is  wholly  inadequate  to  the  wants  of  the  mar- 
ket, the  capacity  of  its  capital  and  machinery  being  equal  only  to  SlOO.OOO   worth 
of  work  per  annum,  while  the  value  required  to  stock  the  above  4,000  miles  of  road 
would  be  full  $7,000,000;  or  enough  to  ^m^Xoy  fourteen  such  shops,  each  live  years 
to  complete. 

We  should  say  that  no  better  investment  could  be  made  than  in  these  branches  ofchi.  a  good 
business   in   the   large   western   towns.      We   have   advocated   such    inve-'tineuts   at  point. 
Cleveland  and  Detroit,  and  for  the  same  reason  we  should   recommend  Chicago  as 
another  extremely  favorable  point.     Not  that  we   suppose    that   o«e  establishiiKMit, 
or  one  city  will  derive  all  the  profits  of  this  business,  tor   as    well    might  one  Hour 
mill  or  one  saw  mill  supply  tlie  domestic  wants  of  the  West.     The  demand  for  cu-  Many  citioe. 
gines  is  such,  that  each  important  city  must  be  able  to  produce  them,  at  least  cities 
having  such  elements  of  success  as  Cleveland,  Detroit,  Chicago  and  St.  Louis.     The 
successful  prosecution  of  engine  building  at  one  of  these   towns  will   naturally  be 
an  inducement  for  others  to  go  into  it. 

Manufacturino;  has  now  obtained  sufficient  foot-hold  to  strengthen  itself,  >i,inufao- 

.-,,,.     tiiri'S  to 

and  must  inevitably  grow  faster  in  proportion  than  population.  iMr.  i^^a- Btrnigthen. 
munds  observed  concerning  the  U.  S.  census,  p.  195,  that  while  populati..n 
had  increased  four  and  a-half  fold  in  50  years,  manufactures  had  increased 
ten  fold.  A  corresponding  relative  increase,  probably  greater  will  be  seen 
throughout  the  West,  especially  at  the  chief  manufacturing  centre,  if  there 
be  one. 


218  Mamifacturing  Advantages  of  Chicago — Rapid  Progress. 

No  city  to         No  one  city  of  the  West,  however  great  its  superiority,  is  to  monopolize 
monopuUse.  ,j,.j„u{'^ctures.     They  will  spread   more  or  less  to   every  town  and  hamlet, 
with  all  branches  of  industry,  and  the  Great  West  will  have  various  impor- 
Yet  the  West  taut  CGutrcs  of  manufactures  as  of  commerce.     Yet,  as  the  business  of  the 
MtJtrll*      whole  country  has  built  up  manufactures  at  Philadelphia  and  New  York,  so 
will  that  of  the  Northwest  operate   upon  its  centre  or  centres ;  and  with 
immensely  greater  effect,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  because  never  was  there 
such  a  centralizing  power  as  the  modern  railway  system,  and   never  was  it 
-save  prof-  brought  to  bear  on  such  a  country.     Profits  hitherto   given   to  the  East  by 
solves!'"""    the  West,  because  neither  time  nor  capital  have  sufficed  to  create  manufac- 
tures, will  gradually  be  withdrawn  to  their  own  region  ;  and  by  so  much  as 
the  Northwest  excels  in  vastness,  in   richness,  in  feasibility  of  occupation, 
in   means   of  intercommunication,  will  the  manufacturing  city  or  cities  of 
U.S.  Ceniu.!:.i\iQ  West  be  advanced.     The   editor  of   the   U.  S.  Census  Statistics,  Mr. 
Edmunds,  forcibly  remarks  : — 

Increase  of  The  rapidity  with  which  manufactures  have  increased  in  the  West,  as  well  as  the 
manufactur-  Y.Si's.t.  render  it  highly  probable  that  in  future  there  will  be  a  much  greater  home 
Wes't"  ''"  demand  for  agricultural  products  of  all  kinds  than  existed  for  a  few  years  previous 
to  the  war.  Some  of  the  largest  coal  fields  in  the  world  exist  in  the  Western  States, 
while  iron  and  other  metals  are  found  there  in  great  abundance.  Everything  is 
Causes  oper- favorable  for  building  up  a  great  manufacturing  interest.  Whatever  may  be  the 
rtting.  result  of  the  war  in  other  respects,  it  seems  certain  that  the  price  of  manufactured 

articles   must  also  continue   high.     The  interest  on  our  national  debt  and  the  in- 
creased yearly  expenses  of  the  Government,  will  require  heavy  duties  on  foreign 
manufactures,  and  this,  in  addition   to   the   heavy  expenses  of  transportation,   will 
liiniense       give  the  manufacturers  in  the   West  all  the  protection  that  can  be  desired.     The 
niiuerai  re-    discovery  and  development  of  the  immense  mineral  resources  of  our  Western  Ter- 
Bources.         ritories,  and  their  astonishing  richness  in  gold,  silver  and  other  metals,  also  favor 
the  idea  that  in  a  few  years   the  centre  of  population  will  be  found  in  the  West, 
whither  it  has  been  marching  with   steady  progress,  rather  than  in  the  Atlantic 
Home  mana- States.     Most  of  the  produce  which  is  now  sent  East  at  such  a  great  expense,  will 
factures.        be  consumed  at  home,  and  the  farmers  of  the  interior  will  thus  obtain  a  more  equable 
market,  at  fair  remunerative  prices. 

Cost  of  labor      The  chief  drawback   in  our  manufacturing   is  scarcity  and   cost  of  labor. 

Btacie"  '  But  with  only  existing  facilities  of  intercourse,  how  long  is  this  to  last  to 
our  disadvantage  ?  Hitherto  the  world  has  looked  to  the  East  for  population 
and  wisdom.     None  more  than  we  have  realized  and  practised  the  truth. 

Westward  the  course  of  empire  takes  its  way. 
Eastchanged  Rut  thc  end    of  the  West,  ultima  thiile,  has  at  length  been  reached :  and 

to  AVest  to  _        _  '  '^ 

pursvieour    now.  Still  in  fulfilment  of  the  destiny  of  our  race,  we  make  of  the  Orient, 

destiuy.  .  j  > 

our  Occident.     What  was  the  East  we  make   the   West  that   we   may  go  on 
conquering   and  to  conquer.     No   doubt   that   ultimately,  ages  hence,  when 
untold  myriads  of  inferior   races  shall    have  been  brought  to  the  knowledge 
AsiaUo  la-    of  Jkhovah,  they  wiU  have   passed  away;  but  meanwhile  they  are  to  be 
ing.  made  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers   of  water   until   we   shall   have   attained 

our  GoD-given  dominion  and  occupy  the  whole  earth. 

Nor  should  we  be   impatient,  and   endeavor  to  expedite   the   decrees  of 
Providence.    Let  us  wait  in  full  confidence  that  the  Infinite  Creator  will  iu 


Past,    Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  219 

His  own  good  time,  give  the  race  "in   the  image  of  God   created" — these  Let  uh  wao 
"sous  of  God" — their  full  dominion.     Not  with  Great  Britain  should  war o.ii.morco 
and  conquest  lead  our  way ;  but  Providence  indicates  our  course  through  thciK'  """^ 
peaceful  paths  of  commercial  intercourse.     From  instinct  the  Japanese  and 
Chinese  seem  to  favor   the   United   States   above  other    Caucasian  Natious, 
perhaps  anticipating   the  sway   under   which   they  are   ultimately  to  come. 
Mr.  Burlingame's  appointment  is  only  a  first  step  to  the  influence  which  we 
shall  acquire  by  a  uniform  course  of    honor  and   good   faith.      Nearest  to  -Vjfin  to  do- 
them,  they  will  naturally  learn  to  look  to  us  for  protection   against   Europe. 
Shall  we  not  render  it  as  may  be  necessary  ?  * 

With  myriads  from  Asia,  here  congregating  as  laborers  who  will  never  Labor  from 
be  Citizens;  crowds  from  Europe,  both  laborers  and  capitalists  drawn  hither  Knru^e. 
by  the  august  privileges  of  Citizenship,  which  will  be  awarded  to  all  of  our 
race  upon  due  qualification ;  both  Europe  and  Asia  uniting  to  give  this 
intermediate  region  advantage  over  the  other  to  supply  the  necessities  of 
their  native  land ;  what  limit  can  be  put  to  the  power  of  manufactures  here 
to  be  developed  ?     No  other  land  so  abounds  with  all  varieties  of  raw  mate-  m  itiTwU 

...  ■        n        ^  11  11-  •  1-  ahiiuJaiit. 

rials ;  m   none   is  lood    more  cheaply  produced ;  in  none    is  cumate   more 
invigorating  and  health  more  general.     With  the   multiplication  of  human  imj.rove- 

,..,..  ,  T  p  1  111  lucntH  in- 

wants  by  civilization,  and  corresponding  means  or  supply;  what  have  been  cri-asiug. 

the  attainments  of  the  last  century,  half-century,  quarter-century,  compared 

with  what  each  of  these  periods  will  witness  here  in  this  land  of  freedom, 

and  especially  in  the  West  ?     When  we  come  to  practice  upon  such  questions, 

these   practical  Citizens  are  a  good  deal  more   agreed   than   they  seem  to  be 

when  discussing  abstract  questions  of  politics.        The    Merchant's  Magazine,  ^^rch.  Mag. 

which  has  been  regarded  a  free-trade  journal,  in  Nov,  1866,  said  of — 

American  Manufactures  and  Emigration. — While  we  are  not  the  advocates  of  special  Am.  manufr. 
legislation  on  the  part  of  our  Government   for  the  purpose   of  planting  among  us  ","„_'""'^'"''" 
particular   branches  of  industry,  especially  such    as   are   not  well   ailnpted   to  our 
country,  or  to  the  genius  of  our  people,  we  cannot  refrain  from  taking  deep  interest 
in  the  development  of  manufacturing  enterprise.     Perhaps  there  is  no  vocation  or  .Mnfr.  ossen- 
department  of  labor  more  essential   to  national  greatness.     We  may  cultivate  the  [!;^J^ '*""»"■ 
soil,   and    render    it    sufficiently    productive    to    nourish    the    inhabitants    of  other 
countries.      We  may  dig   the   precious    ores   in   quantities   ample  to  supply   every 
nation;   we  may  produce  the  fibre  for  every  spindle  and  loom;  but  so  long  as  we 
require  from  other  countries   the  principal    manufactured  wares  necessary  to  our 
comfort,  we  lack  a  necessary  element  of  independence.     Our   commerce,  which 


*  Let  us  study  into  the  prinoiples  of  political  science,  tiiat  in  our  ignorance  we  commit  ..Rainst  AfciaticH,  '^^'•'j^^^J^ 
no  such  wrongs  as  against  the  Cherokees,  for  which  the  Supreme  Court  of  The  United  States  is  more  renpon-  ^'"^  "^^^^^ 
sible  than  Georgia.     In  our  peculiar  circumstances  we  need  to  have   thorough   knowIodRe  of  the  ".■ll  „,„!  ,|„,i^.g  as 
established  code  of  International  Law,  which   we  have  had  no  hand  in  founding,  but   which  we  Hhall  States  and  a 
endeavor  faithfully  to  practice,  and   hold  any  other  Nation  responsible  for  its  infringement  Bgainst  our  "»   "  • 
rights.     Our  rights  iupart  will  be  to  protect  the  weak  against  the  strong:  and  interest  may  move  there,  too. 
Let  us  patiently  bide  our  time,  and  European  jealousies  will  work  out  our  o[)pnrtuiiitie».     No  nHti..n  over 
had  so  much  to  g:iiu  from  sound  knowledge,  thorough  practice,  of  the   L.nvs  of  Natnre  and  of  Nature's 
GoD-none  so  much  to  lose  from  malpractice  and  ignorance-as  this  Nation  of  States  united.     Let  us 
study  them  to  appreciate  the  superlative  excellence  of  onr  system,  and  that  with  no  misstep  we  may 
march  on  to  our  destiny.J 


220 


Manufacturing  Advantages  of    Chicago  —  Rapid  Progress. 


Commerce 
made  a. 
menus  of 
vassaliipre. 


Dependen- 
cies not 
allowed 
manufac- 
ture. 


to 


Eng. 
supremacy. 


A  change 
coming. 


Loss  by 
emigration. 


Cheap  labor 
made  Eug. 


Better 
living. 


Labirers 
leaving — 


— otlierH 
better  paid. 

Cheap 
labor  en- 
abli'8  her   to 
control. 


Ko  sudden 
change. 


ought  to  be  a  reciprocal  exchange  of  values  created  by  industry,  is  rendered  to  a 
large  extent,  an  agency  to  place  us  under  a  form  of  vassalage;  for  the  taking  of 
the  products  of  the  soil  and  mine  abroad  for  manufacture,  is  but  an  element  of 
dependence  which  tends  to  enfeeble  a  nation.  Such  a  country  is  liable,  upon  the 
sudden  recurrence  of  a  war,  to  tind  itself  in  a  pitiable  condition  indeed,  deprived 
as  it  is,  to  a  great  degree,  of  the  means  of  defence. 

So  conscious  of  this  have  the  governments  been  that  have  held  countries  and 
colonies  in  subjection,  that  it  was  long  the  practice  to  discourage,  and  even  to 
prohibit,  the  people  of  such  colonies  engaging  in  manufactures.  When  Parsena 
conquered  Rome  he  forbade  the  working  of  iron  in  that  State,  compelling  it  to  depend 
upon  tlie  forges  and  furnaces  of  Etruria.  The  Philistines,  when  they  overrun  the 
country  of  the  Israelites,  permitted  no  smith  to  work  among  them.  The  European 
nations  of  modern  times,  so  far  as  lay  in  their  power,  carried  out  a  like  policy. 
The  Dutch  Government  made  manufacturing  a  penal  offence  in  the  colony  of  New 
Netherlands;  and  the  British  Parliament  enacted  laws  against  slitting  mills  and 
other  branches  of  industry  in  their  American  provinces.  But  it  is  unnecessary  to 
multiply  instances.     It  is  evident   that  a  state   of  dependence  is  not   one  of  power. 

This  subjet  is  invested  with  new  interest  by  the  events  of  the  present  period. 
Up  to  this  time  England  has  been  able  to  retain  her  manufacturing  supremacy,  and 
the  product  of  her  looms  now  fill  the  markets  of  the  world.  Hitherto,  her  millg 
have  produced  at  so  low  a  price  as  to  preclude  successful  competition.  It  was  more 
profitable  for  the  planter  to  raise  cotton,  and  the  farmer  wool  and  breadstufFs  for 
the  manufacturing  towns  of  England  than  to  erect  factories  at  home  to  convert  the 
raw  fibre  into  cloths,  muslins  and  other  articles  of  prime  necessity.  Statesmen 
often  sought  to  change  this  condition  by  sp^-cial  legislation,  not  being  sufficiently 
far-sighted  to  perceive  that  they  were  attempting  to  set  aside  the  omnipotetit  laws 
of  trade.  They  have  always  failed,  of  course,  to  take  away  from  England  her 
supremacy.  It  was  not  legislation  which  could  remedy  the  matter,  but  a  law  higher 
than  man  could  devise. 

Agencies  are,  however,  now  in  operation,  which  are  almost  certain  to  modify  this 
condition  of  things,  and  to  give  our  people  greater  importance  among  manufacturing 
nations.  We  place  no  dependence  upon  the  remarkable  declaration  of  Mr.  Glad- 
stone, in  regard  to  the  exhaustion  of  the  coal  beds  of  England.  It  is  a  contingency 
too  remote  to  be  taken  into  calculation,  while  science  and  commerce  can  both  be 
pressed  into  service  to  obviate  the  difficulty.  But  there  is  another  agency  at  work, 
more  rapid  in  its  influence  and  more  sure  to  accomplish  the  result.  We  refer  to 
the  equalizing  movement  now  going  on  in  the  emigration  that  is  taking  place  at 
prodigious  and  constantly  increasing  rates. 

The  supremacy  of  England  as  a  manufacturing  country  has  been  due  to  the  cheap 
prices  of  labor.  Her  dense  population  has  proiluced  manufactured  goods  at  rates 
low  enough  to  enable  the  merchant  to  undersell'  Americans,  even  in  our  own  mar- 
kets. As  long  as  this  condition  could  be  maintained  we  were  dependent  upon  that 
country  for  our  supplies.  But  there  has  been  a  change  taking  place  for  several  years. 
The  wages  of  English  operatives  have  been  steadily  increasing.  With  this  im- 
provement intheir  circumstances  comes  naturally  the  acquirement  of  more  expensive 
habits.  Better  food  has  been  obtained,  better  clothing  worn  ;  not  only  has  the 
importation  of  breadstufFs  been  continued  as  heretofore,  but  other  articles,  like 
beef  and  the  products  of  the  dairy,  have  been  added  to  the  requirements  of  the 
laboring  population.  The  European  supply  of  these  products  is  annually  falling 
shorter,  and  the  demand  is  at  the  same  time  increa-^ing  rapidly.  This  necessarily 
tends  not  only  to  keep  up  the  rates  of  wages,  but  to  make  it  necessary  to  increase 
them,  and  is  telling  upon  the  manufacturing  enterprise  of  the  country.  Thus, 
while  the  better  classes  of  operatives — the  more  skillful  laborers — are  swelling  the 
multitude  of  emigrants  that  are  coming  v/eekly  to  the  United  States  to  better  their 
condition,  those  who  remain  are  demanding,  and  must  receive,  a  large  increase  in 
their  rates  of  wages. 

The  cheapness-  of  labor  has  enabled  England  to  control  the  enterprise  of  other 
countries.  Slie  could  import  cotton,  wool,  and  other  raw  material  for  her  factories, 
and  breadstuff's  for- the  operatives,  and,  by  reason  of  the  low  price  of  work, 
could  keep  the  price  of  manufactured  goods  lower  than  they  could  be  afforded 
where  labor  was  better  remunerated.  But  this  is  imposssible  when  a  considerable 
iiicrease  of  wages  shall  have  taken  place.  Of  course,  we  predict  no  immediate 
violent  change.  The  influence  of  this  movement,  however,  which  is  even  now  being 
lelt,  will  gradually  work  out  the  result  indicated,  enabling  our  manufacturei:s  tp 


Past,  Present  and  Future   of  Chicago  Investments.  221 

successfully  compete  in  foreign  markets.  In  all  particulars,  except  the  one  of  labor,  r,.i.  ,r  our 
our  advantages  have  ever  been  greatly  superior.  We  produce  the  raw  material  for  liiiH'ulty. 
mostclasses  of  manufacture,  not  only  cotton  and  wool,  but  ihe  most  important  metals  ; 
our  country  is  an  immense  coal  field;  almost  every  State  in  the  Union  abounds  MitrTidls 
with  water  power  enough  for  all  the  mills  and-forges  of  the  world,  and  generally  i«i"i'"l'iiit. 
running  waste  ;  we  produce  all  the  food  required  fur  laborers.  With  the  enormous  ImmiKration 
influx,  then,  of  population,  we  will  have  the  last  impediment  removed  to  succe.-^Hl'ul '""'  ''''''*'''^" 
competition  with  every  other  country. 

This  does  not  involve  the  necessity  of  reducing  the  price  of  labor  as  low  as  Ihe  I'rico  of 
rates  in  Europe.      To   be   sure,  whenever   values   shall    become  properly  adjusted,  '"'"''' ""'  '" 
there  will  be  important  modifications    in  that   particular.      l>at  another  element  iti  ' 
computation  will  exist  of  which  our  laborers  will  have  the  principal  benefit.      While  Our  ndvan- 
the  operatives  in  England  require  that  both  material  and  food   shall   be   shippp'l   to ''-''•'" 
them  at  enormous  waste  of  capital  for  transportation,  our  workmen    will    have  all  ti.jn." 
these  supplied  at  their  hand  from  our  own  fields.     The  importance  of  this  fact  can 
readily  be  perceived. 

Another   important   consideration   is   the   fact    that   a  few  years  will  give  to   the  Conimorro 
United  States  the  control  of  the  commerce  of  China  and  the  other  countries  of  the  "''i''  ^^'*' 
East  Indies.     The  Pacific  Railroad,  when  finished,  will   with    its  collateral   routes,  Pac.  rail- 
make  a  speedy  transit  from   ocean   to    ocean,   all  Asia   will   thus   be   brought  into  ^^''J'- 
communication  with  the  United  States  in  a  period  of  time  many  days  shorter  than 
can  be  effected  with  any  commercial  town  of  Europe.     We  thus  not  only  gain  this 
eastern  trade,  but  have  the  facility  for  easily  distributing  our  products  and  manu- 
factures in  the  East,  giving  us  a  transit   to    an  extensive    market,  cheaper  because 
nearer,   than  any  other  country  possesses.     Hence   we  see  that  emigration — this 
equalizing    movement — must  in   the  end  necessarily  work  out  a  change  which  will 
be  hastened  and  rendered  more  certain  and  complete  by  other  agencies  now  or  soon 
to  be  at  work. 

These  iudicious  thouoilits  scarcely  need   application  to  the  West.     Whowcstto 
doubts  that  in  the  process  of  events,  never  so  rapid  as  here,  that  the  chiet  for  itself, 
manutacturing  for  the  West  is  to  be  done  by  the  West?    No  one  interest  is 
more   conceutrative   in  its  nature  than   manufactures.     And  if  commerce  To  have  its 

TTT  1        centre  for 

without  manufactures,  before  their  power  was  at  all  felt  in  the  \Vest,   has  this- 

already  made  Chicago   the  centre  ;  will   not  this   powerful   adjunct  render 

sure  what  has   been  so  well  begun  ?     As  we  we  have  seen,  though  without -mNY 

1     XT  AT-        1  J  ""       ^^''*' 

direct  'comparison,   our  distributing  facilities  excel  New  York;  and  as  we 
shall  next  see,  our  gathering  facilities  of  chief  metals  and  coal  excel  Phil- 
adelphia.    With  unequaled  supplies  of  food  and  lumber,  unsurpassed  local 
advantages,  as  we  shall  also  find,  what  can  prevent  Chicago  from  having  the 
same   preeminence  in  all  sorts  of  manufactures  that  she  already     has   in 
provisions?     Could  we  never   look   beyond   the  western  boundary  of  Iowa,  cm,ntry^^^ 
what  other   city  ever  had  such  a   manutacturing  business    as  this  GOt),<)l>()  «i,n...iant- 
square  miles   will  surely  give  its  emporium  ?     Were  we  compelled  to  look -«jso  that 
solely  to  the  west  of  Iowa,  having  never   a  dollar's  worth  of  business  this 
side,  what  other  city  ever  had  such  a  trade  as  that  1,000,000  square   miles 
of  minin"-  reirion  must  2:ive  somewhere  "?     What  other   city  is   likely  to  get 


8  a 

clincher. 


.^n  equal  amount  of  it  with  Chicago  ? 

But  the  clinching-  of  the  argument  lies  in  the  driving  home  by  these  ituiwayi 
gigantic  corporations,  each  one  striking  for  its  own  interest,  of  these  Ion 
stretchers  of  iron  rails.  What  other  place  can  a  manufacturer  find,  notu.,.iiy^^ 
merely  in  this  land  of  great  enterprises,  but  on  the  continent,  or  on  the  ,iut.-ibu. 
globe  itself,  at  which  he  can  place  his   wares  simultaneously,  several  times  '"^ 


222 


Manufacturing  Advantages   of  CJiicago — Rapid   Progress, 


— to  be 
increased. 


No  obsta- 
cles inten- 
tionally 
overlooked. 


daily,  upon  fifteen  diiFerent  cars,  running  to  every  desirable  point  of  the 
compass,  from  242  to  1,000  miles  and  over  without  a  change  ?  This  advan- 
tage, which  no  city  will  probably  equal,  but  which  will  be  here  increased  by 
five  to  ten  or  more  trunk  lines  within  ten  years,  would  countervail  for  many 
disadvantages,  did  any  exist.  But  these  have  been  sought  for  in  vain.  To 
pass  over  silently  any  which  were  perceived,  in  a  discussion  purporting  to 
be  full  and  fair,  would  be  injudicious  ;  stamping  the  entire  argument  as  su- 
perficial, if  not  dishonest.  No  one  is  discovered  except  lack  of  capital  and 
labor.  In  lumber  of  all  sorts,  and  in  food,  as  already  shown,  Chicago  is 
peerless.     Yet,  her  chief  strength  lies  in — 


Conjunction 
of  coal,  iron, 
etc. 

Chi.  has 
neither. 


Conjunction  of  Coal,  Iron  and  other  Minerals. 


Nor  I'hila,, 
nor  N.  Y. 


Chi.  can 
have  iron 
ore. 


Views  fiiTor 
able  to  St.  L 


Chicago  has  neither  coal  nor  iron  in  close  proximity,  as  yet  discovered. 
Nor  is  it  essential  in  even  heavy  iron  manufocture  that  she  should  have. 
Philadelphia  brings  both  fuel  and  iron  from  a  distance,  yet  eclipses  interior 
towns  where  ore  and  fuel  are  found  side  by  side ;  and  New  York  at  even 
greater  disadvantage  eclipses  Philadelphia.  It  would  be  very  possible,  there- 
fore, for  a  city  to  import  wholly  its  pig  iron  or  blooms,  and  yet  have  great  pre- 
eminence in  iron  manufacture.  It  would  seem,  however  that  Chicago  must  be 
able  in  large  measure  to  take  crude  iron  ore  and  transform  it  into  engines, 
locomotives,  nails  and  watch-springs. 

Strange  as  it  may  appear,  the  examination  begins  with  an  article  in  the 
interest  of  St.  Louis.  But  it  is  the  best  exposition  met  with  of  the 
incalculable  mineral  wealth,  deposited  by  nature  upon  the  same  grand  scale 
which  spread  out  prairies,  dug  channels  for  lakes  and  rivers,  and  reared 
mountains  on  the  east  and  on  the  west  of  this  uuequaled  valley, 
nomouop!^^  '^^^  Superficial  examiner  might  think  that  the  prosperity  of  Chicago 
"'y-  depended  upon  a  monopoly  of  iron  and  other  chief  manufactures.     On  the 

contrary,  as  we  saw  in  regard  to  commerce,  she  desires  the  largest  freedom, 
^!mmsq  ^^^  '^^  general  diffusion  of  manufactures.  Because  Chicago  is  the  centre 
miles.  "of  the  richest  area  of  the  globe— of  600,000— of  1,000,000— of  1,500,000 
square  miles — not  only  rich  in  agricultural  productions,  but  in  mineral 
wealth — must  she  become  the  great  city  of  the  continent.  Should  that 
wealth  be  locked  up  to  the  injury  of  the  country,  that  tribute  might  be 
paid  to  Chicago?  Nay;  but  because  of  wide-spread  abundance,  can  each 
city,  town  and  neighborhood  have  manufactories  of  their  own  ;  and  of  their 
prosperity  and  extending  wants,  all  of  them  will  require  now  and  then  an 
article  from  the  central  city.  Then,  some  articles,  as  bar-iron,  nails,  heavy 
machinery,  etc.,  will  be  chiefly  produced  here.  The  more  use  can  be  made 
throughout  the  interior  country  of  nature's  rich  gifts,  the  richer  becomes 
Chicago  from  its  dependent  country,  albeit  it  may  have  large  cities.  If  not 
dependent,  the  wealth  or  poverty  of  the  country  makes  no  difference  to  the 
if  dependent,  we  desire  its  every  section  to  make  the 
best  possible   use  of  natural  advantages,  that  each   may  do  its  part  to  raise 


Each  local- 
ity to  have 
manufac- 
tures. 


Country  to 
UHe  its 
Wealth — 


-^to  advance  Queen  of  the  Lakes 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  223 

the  emporium  of  the  "West  to  that  position  iu  the  scale  of  the  Union  wliioh 

the  West  itself  may  claim.     Therefore,  we  begin  with  an  article     from     the  J-  ^-  Biakt, 

Merchants'  Magazine^  October,  1866,  entitled : — 

MINES  AND  MANUFACTURES  IN  THE  MISSISSIPPI  VALLEY.  Mii..-«an.l 

niiiinifr.  in 

By  J.  A.  Blake.  mihh.  Vui. 

A  trip  through  some  of  the  leading  mining  States  of  the  west,  for  the  purpose  chirfly  Biineral 
of  recording  developments  already  made  but  secondarily  of  pointing  out  new  fields  wi-ulth  pro- 
of promise,  has   led  us  at  the   termination  of  our  travels  to  combine  in  one  article  u'fuc'iure*."' 
a  review  of  mining  statistics,  and  from  their  connection  with  and   almost  absolute 
control  of  another  branch  of  industry,  to  point  out  and  urge  both  the  facilities  and 
necessities  for  manufactories  in  the  Mississippi   Valley.     If  we  succeed  in  showing 
where  the  chief  workable  minerals  are,  how  they  may  be  mined,  and  what  the  protiia 
shall  be,  what  the  natural  elements  of  successful  man\ifacturing  are,  how  widely  they 
exist,  and  what  markets  they  may  control,  we  shall  have  accomplished  our  object. 

The  chief  mining  States  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  are  Missouri,  Illinois  and  Iowa.  Mo.— variety 
Missouri  has  a  total  area  of  67,380  square  miles.  *  *  In  the  absence  "'^  "niui-rals. 

of  any  regular  scientific  survey  we  are  left  in  doubt  whether  there  is  not  even  better 
mining  territory  in  the  enormous  area  yet  unexplored.  Thirty-one  valuable  min- 
erals have  been  found.  The  enumeration  is  as  follows  beginning  with  the  most 
important  and  extensive :  iron,  coal,  lead,  zinc,  copper,  platina,  kaoline,  hydraulic 
cement,  nickel,  cobalt,  metallic  paints,  emery,  plumbago,  silver,  gold,  salt,  sulphur, 
petroleum,  silica,  granite,  marble,  fire-clay,  fire-rock,  chalcedony,  agate,  jasper, 
alabaster,  pipe-clay,  salt-petre,  muaganese,  and  tin. 

The  iron  ore  deposits  of  Missouri  comprise  the  famous  Iron  Mountain  which  with  Iron  ore. 
a  hight  of  228  feet  and  an  area  at  its  base  of  500  acres  it  is  thought  will  give  for 
every  foot  from  summit  to  base  an  average  of  3,000,000  tons  of  ore ;  Pilot  Knob 
whose  hight  is  1,118  feet  is  known  to  be  solid  iron  to  440  feet  below  the  surface 
where  the  base  has  an  area  of  over  200  miles;  and  Shepherd  Mountain,  000  feet 
high,  amass  of  the  finest  magnetic  and  specular  iron  ore.  *  *  The  Quality, 

ore  is  mostly  specular,  yields  56  per  cent,  of  pure  iron  ;  the  product  of  which  is 
strong,  tough  and  fibrous. 

The  coal  measures  in  Missouri  have  been  discovered    in  upwards  of  40  counties.  Coal. 
***** 

The  area  of  lead-bearing  rocks  in  Missouri  is  said  to  be  over  6,000 square  miles.  Loa.l. 
***** 

Copper  has  been  found  in  18  counties  in  Missouri.  *  *  *  Copper. 

Illinois  has  an  area  of  55,409  square  miles,  nearly  as  large  as  all  New  England,  liis.-va- 
She  is  the  richest  agricultural  State  in   the   Union,  and  yet  one-fifth   of  her  entire  ^';:^>,^°l^_ 
area  is  mineral    territory.     Coal,  lead,  gypsum,  silver,  gold,  petroleum,  iron,  salt, 
copper,  zinc,  freestone,  lime  and  silver  have  been  found.     We  have  in  a  former  com- 
munication spoken  at  length  of  the  location,  extent  and  quality  of  these  minerals. 
It    will   be    sufficient   for    the    purposes    of  this    communication    to  present  a  few 

ThVlTlinois  coal  field  is   estimated  by   Prof.  H.  D.  Rodgers  to  contain  1,227  500,- Coai^^  it, 
000,000  tons.     The  Pennsylvania  coal  field  contains  310,400,000,000  tons.     Al\  <he   " 
coal    fields  of  North  America,  4,000,000,000.000.     The  coal  fields  of  Greal   I.ritam 
190,000,0110  000.      The  Illinois  coal  measures  then,  contain  four  times  as  much  coal 
as  those  of  Pennsylvania,  nearly  one-third  as  much  as  all  those  of  North  Ainerica, 
and  over  six  times  as  much  as  all  the  coal  fields   of  Great   Britam.     It  will  take 
100,000  years  to  exhaust  them.     The  prominent  seams  are  the  Belleville  and  La  .Salle 
occupying  the  southern  and  middle  parts  of  the  Slate.      Mining  is  now  chiefly  carrie. 
on  in   St     Clair,   Madison,  Randolph   and   La  Salle  counties.     The  present   annuU 
product  of  the  entire  State  is  about  1,500.000  tons.      St.  Louis   Chicago  the  markets 
of  the  Upper  Mississippi,  and  the  home  consumption  are  supplied  mainly  or  in  part 
by  Illinois' coal.      Las^y'ear,  Southern    Illinois   ^-^l^'^OO-OOO   bushels   of  coal   -oP^^^^^^^^^ 
St.  Louis  markets,  of  which  the  St.  Louis,  Alton  and  Terre  Haute  carried  b.OOO.OOO, 
and  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  road  4,000,000  bushels.  w.,«<,on  «,>,pnt  Oalona  lead 

There  are  three  staples  iu  which  Illinois  is  singularly  '  strong.       A  e  ^jan  wheat  OaU^na  lead 
coal  and  lead.     If  she  is  not  first  in  the  former,  she  certainly  is  in  the  latter^    For 
20  years   the  entire  lead  product  of  the  country  has  come  from  the  famous  Oalena 
mines  in  Joe  Daviess  county,  which,  with  judicious  and  regular  working,  would 


Chief  seams. 


224 


Conjunction  of  Coal,  Iron,  and  other  Minerals. 


Iron  abun- 
daut. 


Sllex,  etc. 


Variety  of 
minerals. 


Manufac- 
tures gen- 
erally to 
spread — 


— help  a 
central  city. 


Prof.  Water- 
lunise. 


have  been  not  only  amply  sufficient  to  shut  off  any  foreign  demand,  but  even  to 
create  a  foreign  market.  A  few  mines  circling  Galena  have  supplied  and  smelted 
15,000,000  pounds  a  year. 

The  great  Galena  lead  district  occupies  a  portion  of  three  States,  extending  East 
and  West  87  miles,  and  North  to  South  54  miles.  This  belt  includes  62  townships 
in.Southwestern  Wisconsin,  8  in  Eastern  Iowa,  and  10  in  Northern  Illinois.  The 
portion  included  in  Wisconsin  and  Illinois  is  directly  accessible  to  Galena,  and  is 
called  the  "  Galena  Mines."  This  district  has  an  area  of  1,000,000  acres.  The 
ore  has  been  struck  in  every  direction  all  over  this  great  field.  The  lead  is  found 
in  horizontal  veins,  varying  from  half  an  inch  to  ten  inches  in  thickness.  It  is 
sometimes  found  in  solid  masses  of  great  weight.  The  average  of  pure  lead  in  the 
ore  is  about  70  per  cent. 

Iron  has  not  been  extensively  worked  in  Illinois,  though  it  exists  in  workable 
quantities.  It  abounds  in  the  Northern  part  of  the  State.  In  Hardin  County,  on 
the  Ohio,  large  deposits  have  been  found.  Several  furnaces  are  in  operation.  In 
]\Ionroe  and  Randolph  there  are  said  to  be  extensive  deposits  of  iron  ore.  About 
four  miles  north  of  .Jonesboro',  in  Union  County,  ami  two  and  a  half  miles  west  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  there  is  a  ridge  rising  abruptly  to  the  hight  of  200 
feet,  called  Iron  Mountain.  The  base  of  the  hill,  for  50  feet  or  more,  consists  of 
fossil  shale  intermixed  with  masses  of  hematite  iron  ore. 

The  best  qualities  of  silex  for  glass  manufacture  are  found  in  Alexander  and 
Pulaski  counties.  Salt  in  Hardin,  Saline,  Effingham  and  Pope  counties.  Petroleum 
in  Clark,  Livingston  and  La  Salle  ;  copper  in  Monroe,  Fulton,  Rock  Island  and  Jo 
Daviess;  crystalized  gypsum  in  St.  Clair;  quartz  crystal  in  Gallatin;  gold  in  Jo  Daviess 
and  Fulton ;  and  silver  in  Stevenson  county. 

Iowa  has  a  total  area  of  57,045  squire  miles,  nearly  the  size  of  Illinois.  Her 
area  has  not  been  ascertained.  The  State  has  not  seen  fit  to  order  a  geological 
survey.  But  from  what  appears  on  the  surface  of  the  country  merely,  is  sufficient 
evidence  of  very  great  mineral  wealth. 

Lead,  coal,  copper,  hydraulic  limestone,  and  iron  have  been  found.  Her  coalfield 
is  very  extensive  throughout  the  valley  of  the  Des  Moines.  Lead  is  abundant  in 
the  Northeast;  copper  along  the  river  opposite  .Jo  Daviess  county,  Illinois  ;  and 
hydraulic  limestone  in  several  of  the  central  counties  in  the  valley  of  the  Des  Moines. 

We  wish  in  the  light  of  facts  now  presented,  to  urgue  the  advantages  that  these 
rich  mineral  areas  afford  for  manufactures. 

Space  cannot  be  aiForded  for  the  interesting  argument  in  favor  of  manu- 
factures, naturally  deduced  from  these  premises.  The  iuexhaustible  amounts, 
and  wide  distribution  of  coal,  iron  and  lead,  promise  a  general  spread  of 
common  manufactures,  to  the  great  benefit  of  all  interests ;  ::nd  the  great 
variety  of  minerals  will  enable  a  central  manufacturing  city  to  obtiiu  all 
requisite  materials  for  extraordinary  products. 

We  are  also  indebted  to  Professor  Waterhouse  for  another  paper  in  the 
Merchants'  Magazine,  March,  1867  : — ■ 


THE  ILLINOIS  CHESTER  COAL  FIELDS. 

By  Prof.   Waterhouse. 

ins.  Chester     Some  researches  which  I  have  recently  made  on  the  subject  of  our  iron  interests 

have  led  me  incidentally  to  investigate  our  available  resources  of  coal  fit  for  the 

manufacture  of   iron.     The  following  results  are  derived  from  authorities    which 

seemed   entitled  to   credence.     If  there   are   errors  in  the  statements,  it  is  thought 

they  are  not  of  sufficient  magnitude  materially  to  affect  the  soundness  of  the  general 

^^  conclusions. 

The  Chester  coal  bed  is  located  in  Randolph,  Jackson  and  Perry  counties,  Illi- 
nois.    Eighteen  thousand  acres  has  been  tested,  and  three  strata  of  coal  found. 
The  situation  and  richness  of  these  beds  are  indicated  in  the  following  figures  : 
Strata.  Vpinn  _ 

r,-*  '"  Depth.         Thickness. 

l"^^^- 36  feet.         6   feet. 

feeCOnd ■t't      ,1  ^j      ^^ 

'^^•''•i ^""i^l!"!ZZ!ZZZ"""Z'"'"  119    "  6^   " 


Past,  Present  and  Fnfiire  of  Chicago  Invnstmrnts.  225 

The  quantity  of  coal  in  the  area  already  examined   is,  according  to  the  common  Qnintify. 
methods  of  measurement,  4-j(),00l),(i0()  tons.     So  vast  an  amount  fatigues  the  im- 
agination.    The  quantity  is  practically  inexhaustible.     The  coal  deposits  of  Illinoi* 
alone  are  said  to  exceed  those  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain. 

The  Chester  mines  are  accessible  and  convenient.     There  seems   to   be   a   provi-  Cf,nfl(niouB 
dential  design  in  their  location.     In  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  our   colossal '"  '''"" 
mountains  of  iron,  there  are  immense  beds  of  coal  fit  for  the  purposes  of  smelting.  """"''"'°- 
The  coal  field  lies  only  twelve  miles  from  the  Mississippi  lliver,  fifty  miles  from  tlie     . 
iron  mountains  of  Missouri,  and  seventy-two  from  St.  Louis  by  river.     A  railroad  Rniiwuy  to 
from  Chester  to  the  mines  is  now  contemplated.     This  road  will  connect   with  ihe^'el'"'"- 
St.  Louis  and  Cairo  Railway,  which  has  been  already  surveyed.     It  will  be  twelve 
miles  long,  and  cost  $300,000. 

Tho  quality  of  the  Chester  coal  is  superior.     Its  freedom  from  impurities  fits  it  Qimllty 
for  the  manufacture  of  iron.     It  has  less  than   one   per  cent,   of  sulphur,  and  i3''"l'""or— 
comparatively  free  from  bitumen.     It  has  been  tested   in  the    blast-furnaces  of 
Ironton,  Ohio.     Tried  by  practical  men,  it  has  borne  the  severest  tests,  and  proved 
its  superiority  to  the  coal  from  the  mines  of  Hrier   Hill.      Heretofore  this  Ohio  coal— tonricr 
has  been  regarded  as  the  best  in  the  country,  but  now  it  must  yield  its  preeminence  '!'"• 
to   the  Chester  mines.     Iron  manufacturers  assert  that  this  Illinois  coal  makes  a 
better  and  stronger  metal  than  the  Scotch  pig. 

The  value  of  these  exhaustless  coal  fields  to  the  Western  country  may  be  inferred  Conl  tn  mnke 
from  the  fact  that  there  are,  in  the  whole  Mississippi  Valley,  but  three  other  places  '''""  '"  ''"'''* 
where  coal  suitable  for  the  manufacture  of  iron  is  found.  put. 

The   mines    of  Pittsburg  yield  golden  revenues.     The  shipments  from  that  port  Pitts,  mines, 
during  last  November  were  2,600,000  bushels,  and  the  net  profits  $800,000;  (550,000 
tons  were  Imded  at  Cairo  for  marine  and  manufacturing  uses.     St.  Louis  annually 
consumes  400,000  tons  of  coal,  at  an  average  of  $3.75  a  ton.     In  1860  Pennsylvania  Pa.  product, 
shipped  to  the  tide  water  upwards  of  $67,000,000  worth  of  coal.     There  is  no  sub- 
stantial reason  why  the  Chester  mines  should  not  yield  a  corresponding  wealth. 

The   strongest  economic   motives  urge   the  West  to   develop  its  own  coal  fields.  Wi'st  to 
Coal  from  the  Chester  beds   can  be  delivered  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  at  <ifv«'i.>i)  its 
$1.50,  and  at  St.  Louis  for  $2.20  a  ton.  _      '^'"'; 

This  coal  can  be  used  for  manufacturing  purposes.     But  it  is  a  strange  illustration  ch.'sf-r  conl 
of  the  indifference  of  Western  men  to  their  own  interests  that  blacksmiths  within  ^'^JJ^p"  '""■ 
thirty  miles  of  the  Chester  mines  are  using  for  their  forges  an  inferior   coal  from '"       *>■ 
Pennsylvaaia.     The  freight  from  Pittsburg  is  more  than  the  total  cost  of  the  Chester 
coal.     The  Pittsburg  coal  must  be  converted   into  coke  before   it  can  be  used  f^or  Compnrwl 
smelting  iron  ore  ;   but  the  Chester  coal  requires  no  change.     It  can  be  used  in  its  w'tl>  l't«»- 
original  state.     Steamboat  men  prefer  this  coal.     It  generates  more  steam,  and  is 
free  from  clinker.     On   the  lower  Mississippi,  Pittsburg  is  bringing  $6.00  a  ton. 
Illinois  coal  can  be  furnished  for  one-third  of  this  price. 

Dr.    Litton,    Professor   of   Chemistry   in    Washington    University,     has    recently  Dr.  Litton. 
analyzed  two  specimens  of  Chester  coal,  with  the  following  results  : 
Moisture -'^^  percent.  Analysis  of 


Volatile  Combustible  Matter 


31.02         "  Clieuter  coal. 


Carbon  in  Coke '^Y^^ 

Ashes  (light  colored -Vn 

Coke 60.00        I 

Sulphur ^' 

Sulphur  and  Bitumen  are  the  chief  elements  which  unfit  coal  for  the  manufacture  T.mio  8..1- 
of  iron.     The  amount  of  these  substances  in  the  Chester  coal  is  surprisingly  small.    [Ij,^^,,.,; 

The  early  doubt  that  mineral  coal  could  be  used,  without  coking,   to  make  iron,  c.,ki>,K  un- 
is  now  dissipated  by  conclusive  facts.     In  Pennsylvania  and  tlie   Mahoning  \  alley,  necessary, 
raw   mineral   coal   is  not  only  employed   in  making  iron,  but  it  is  .actual  y  driving 
charcoal  furnaces  out  of  competition.     Raw  coal  affords  a  far  intenser  heat  than 
coke.     The  richness  of  our  ores  and  the  superiority  of  our  coal  greatly  increase 
the  productive  capacity  of  our  furnaces.  . 

The   fortunate    inventioa   of  the  Bessemer  process  of   smelting  iron,   will  still  Bessomor 
further  enlarge  the  results  and  diminish  the  cost  of  production      But  even  if  it  is  I  • 

necessary  to  reduce  the  Illinois  coal  to  coke,  there  is  still  a  prohtab  e  J'ff^rence  in 
our  favor.  The  cost  of  coking  Pittsburgh  coal  is  70  cents  per  ton  ;  that  of  Chester, 
50  cents  per  ton.  

•Of  what  18  the  "  volatile  combustible  matter"  composed?  suggests  Col.  Foster.  A  query. 


226  Conjunction  of  Coal,  Iron,  and  other  Minerals. 

Coal  used  But  practical  experiments  show  the  fitness  of  Chester  coal,  in  its  raw  state,  for 

•^w.  the  manufacture  of  iron.     The  importance  of  this  fact  can  scarcely  be  exaggerated. 

Benefits  to        It  will  lead  to  the  erection,  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Louis,  of  the  largest  iron  works 

St.  L.  in  the  United  States.     It  is  difficult  to  magnify  the  possible  extent  of  this  industry. 

Thirty  thousand  tons  of  iron  were  recently  shipped  from  Ironton   to  Pittsburgh  to 

fill  a  single  order.     Doubtless  a  portion  of  the  iron  manufactured  from  this  ore  ia 

brought  back  to  St.  Louis.     Our  dealers  would,  therefore,  incur  a  triple  expense. 

Cost  of  iron  Freight  of  ore  to  Pittsburgh,  per  ton $7  00 

at  Pitts.        Freight  of  manufactured  iron  from  Pittsburgh,  per  ton 8  00 

Cost  of  manufacture,  per  ton 8  00* 


Chi.  rejoices 
in  St.  Ls'. 
prosperity. 


Both  must 
import  ma- 
terials. 


St.  L.  can- 
not supply 
Chi. 


Near  Ches- 
ter the 
place. 


Cost  Chi.^ 
per  ton 
extra. 


Offset  in 

freight 

facilities. 


We  rejoice  in  the  prospects  of  St.  Louis  for  maDufacturing.  The  more 
numerous  and  larger  the  cities  of  the  Great  West,  the  larger  must  that 
become  which  shall  be  emoorium  of  all.  Therefore  Chicago  rejoices  in  the 
special  advantages  of  each,  the  general  of  all. 

Neither  St.  Louis  nor  Chicago  having  coal  or  iron  in  close  proximity, 
they  expect  their  commercial  and  distributing  facilities  will  enable  them  to 
compete  with  sites  more  ftivorable  for  one  or  the  other  or  both  minerals. 
As  between  these  chief  points,  the  difference  in  cost  of  transportation  would 
be  the  first  item  to  be  coiisidered,  though  there  are  others.  Were  Chicago 
compelled  to  draw  coal  from  Chester,  iron  from  the  Iron  Mountain,  she 
would  have  to  lose  the  first  manufacture,  and  take  pigs  and  blooms.  But 
would  that  profit  go  to  St.  Louis  ?  The  furnaces  on  the  Mississippi  that 
could  supply  Chicago,  would  have  so  wide  demand  from  other  cities  of  the 
West,  that  to  save  a  few  cents  per  ton  each  on  ore  and  coal,  would  be  a  good 
profit.  To  Sulphur  Springs  on  the  Mississippi,  just  above  Chester,  is  40 
miles  from  Ironton.  There,  or  in  the  vicinity,  will  coal  and  iron  come 
together,  pigs  and  blooms  costing  Chicago  the  extra  tonnage  by  river  and 
canal  with  no  handling.  If  we  depend  on  Chester  coal  also,  the  same 
extra  cost  lies  against  us,  perhaps  S2.  per  ton  on  iron  and  coal.  Against 
this,  we  have,  as  we  shall  see,  an  important  advantage  in  climate ;  and  how 
far  could  St.  Louis  distribute  manufactures  upon  the  11,000  miles  of  western 
railway,  listed  p.  oG,  before  her  advantage  will  have  been  doubled,  tripled 
and  quadrupled  in  railway  freights  ?  So  that  had  we  no  sources  of  supply 
but  those  of  St.  Louis,  we  could  still  compete  with  her  successfully.  But 
we  have  other  dependence.     First — 


Prof.  AVater- 
house  hard 
on  Pitts. 


*Were  the  Professor's  subsequent  calculations  given,  some  sharp  fellow  or  other  might  set  himself  to 
analysing  them,  and  imaj;ine  something  wrong  ii  the  figures,  casting  discredit  upon  other  stiitements 
which  are  doubtless  correct.  One  would  suppose  that  such  a  "triple  expense"  was  enough  for  poor  Pitta- 
burgh  to  beiir  ;  but  the  iron-hearted  St.  Louisian  cyphers  it  out.  that  "a  daily  product  of  pig  metal  would 
cost  at  Pittsburgh  $.^SS.OO  ;  St.  liOuis,  $226.80.  Difference  in  favor  of  St.  Louis  furnace,  $361  20."  All 
this  Pittsburgh  has  to  bear,  besides  the  extra  cost  of  20  cents  per  ton  for  cokiug.  Anybody  but  a  St. 
Louisian  would  have  let  Pittsburgh  off  at  a  cost  of  $2.3.00.  throwing  in  the  first  cost  of  the  ore,  as  the 
Professor  did  ;  for  that  makes  him  pay  $7  per  t<m  for  freight  of  ore,  and  then  $8  back  ($1  extra  because 
it  is  now  manufactured  and  must  go  down  stream  most  of  the  way),  and  then  $8  per  ton  to  the  manufac- 
turer. 

The  practical  part,  therefore,  had  bo9t  be  exscinded,  lest  it  should  weaken  the  scientific,  which  is  no 
doubt  fair  and  truthful. 


Pa»t^  Present  and  Future  uf  Cluc'mjo  Investments.  227 

LaJce  Superior  Iron   and  Copper. — This  uncqualed    retrion  of  the  globe  uko  8ui,.Ti. 
for  the  supply  of  these  priceless  minerals,  is  the  chief  dependence  of  Chicago,  copper"  ""** 
The  canal  around  St.  Marie's  Falls  was  opened   in  1855,  previous  to  which 
a  little  ore  had  been  hauled  below  the  falls  for  shipment.     That  season  1,417  i^S'.,  1,447 
tons  were  shipped ;  and  1867,  fioe  hundred  thousand^  tico  hundred  and  thirtt/-  oro- 
one  (  )00,231)  gross  tons   of  ore  and  iron,  according    to  the  Lake  Superior —^^57,  500,- 
Mining  Journal.     Mr.  S.  C.  Baldwin   reports  the  shipments   of  ore   alone  groe»'.'"* 
five  hundred  and  thirteen  thousand,  and  sixttf-two  (513.062)  tons  of  2,000  lis. 
This  is  nearly  one-sixth  of  the   total    U.  S.  product,  in    1860,  according   to 
the  census : 

From  the   first  use  its  superiority  has  been  acknowledged  by  competent  jfercA,  Mag. 
judges,  and  the  Editor  of  Hunts'   Merchants'  Magazine,  in  his  Journal  of 
Mining  for  January,  1857,  spoke  of — 

THE  IRON  OF   LAKE  SUPERIOR. 

The  superiority  of  Lake  Superior  iron  over  that  obtained  from  any  other  locality  Siippri<irity 
has  been  often  proved  in  our  pages  to  our  readers,  but  our  attention  has  again  been  '^'  ''■''f 
called  to  it  by  an  article  from  the  pen  of  one  of  our  cotemporaries,  whose  scientific  iruo. 
knowledge  has  contributed  not  a  little  to  the  interest  of  our  pages  and  the  enlight- 
enment of  our  readers.     The  article  in  question  speaks  for  itself,  and  we  will  now 
only  refer  to  tenacity  and   strength   of  this   iron  as  compared  with   that  of  other 
localities.     The  following  results  obtained  by  Professor  W.  B.  Johnson,  will  show 
the  exact  position  of  the  different  metals : — 

Strength  in  lbs.  Strength 
per  square  inch. -7i,. 

Iron  from  Salisbury  Connecticut,  by  means  of  40  trials 58,000 

"      Sweden  "  4     "  58,084 

«'      Center  County  Pa.  "  15     "  58,400 

"      Lancaster  County  Pa.  "  2     "  58,0(31 

"      Mclntire,  New  York  "  4     "  58,912 

"      England  (cable  bolt)  "  5     "  59,105 

"      Russia  "  5     "  76,009 

"      Carp  River,  Lake  Superior,  determined  by  Major  Wade 89,582 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  Lake  Superior  iron  is   about  one-third  better  than  all  On..-ti,lr.l 
other  kinds  but  one,  and  that  one  kind  is  far  iuferior.  hviwv. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  when  once  the  most  perfect  mode  of  manufacturing  That  suf- 
it  is  attained  by  experience,  it  will  prove  better  than  the  above  estimate;  but  even  "'•"''«• 
should  it  not,  the  present  position  which  it  occupies  is  a  sufficient  guaranty  of  its 
gxcsIIgiicb^ 

In  speaking    of  this,  the    Buffalo  Express  says  some   of  this  iron  was  recently  Trio.i  in 
tested  in  Shepherd's  Foundry  in  that  City,  with  a  view  to  try  its  tenacity.     A  piece  ""O"'"- 
of  rolled-iron,  of  the  thickness  of  one's  wrist,  was  subjected  to  various  processes, 
and,  after  bending  across   an  anvil,  twisting  it  in  opposite   directions,  and   in  fact, 
employing  upon  it  all  possible  force  and  skill,  the  experimenters  were  compelled  to 
acknowledge  that  they  never  before  had  known  any   iron  capable  of  suchsiubhorii 
resistance  to  breaking  force.     The  fracture  of  this  pig  metal  glistens  like  steel,  an.l  Fihro 
the  fibre  of  the  rolled-bars  is  tougher  than  that   of  any  other  iron  known    to  llie '""8  • 
trade.      Of  the  different  qualities   found   there  it   is    not   necessary    to  speak,  as  it 
varies  in  the  same  mines,  yet  it  can  be  reduced  to  about  the  same  average  in  near  y 
all  of  them.      We  learn,  on  good  authority,  that  the  Eureka  ore,  which  has  generally  ,v,t  «t 
been  considered  of  inferior  quality,  makes  the  best  iron  manufactured  at  the  ^\  yan-  ^  >-"lot'« 
dotte  Mills  :  and  that  it  improves  the  other  ores  materially  wheu  mixed  with  them.  -       • 
The  increased  demand  for  the  Jackson  and  Cleveland   Mountain  ores  is  sufficient 
ground  for  the  assumption  that  they  are  the  best  to  be  obtained   without,  the  aid  of 
The  comparison  given  above,  but  with  the  addition  of  scientihc  tests  there  is  no 
longer  room  for  doubt.     It  has  frequently  been  placed  in  the   most  trying  places 
and  subjected  to  the  severest  tests,  but  we  have  yet  to  learn  that  it  has  been  found 


228  Conjunction  of  Coal,  Iron,  and  other  Minerals. 

70  per  cent,  wanting.     A  chemicil  analysis  of  the  ores  of  this  region  make  them  yield  ahout  70 
iron.  per  cent,  though  in  many  instances  they  will  far  exceed  that,  and  of  the  quality  we 

need  no  further  evidence  than  that  heretofore  given  in  our  pages. 

Col.  Fostcr'a      The  most  complete,  satisfiictory  account  of  the  Lake  Superior  iron  district 
S^ctory.*met  with,  is  that  of  the  accomplished  geologist,  Col.  J.  W.  Foster,  in  1865, 
to  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Iron  Cliffs  Company.     The  whole  is  impor- 
tant to  a  full  understanding,  but  space  can  only  be  given   for  extracts.     In 
Part  I,  Geology,  after  describing  the  geographical  position,  he  gives — 

Area  of  iron      Area  of  the  Iron  Ores. — There  is  no  region  of  the  earth  where  the  ores  of  iron 

ores—  are  developed  on  a  scale  of  such  grandeur,  or  concentrated  in  such  a  state  of  puri'y 

as  on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Superior.      Dannemora,  Nijny  Tagilisk,  Elba,  or 

Missouri  may  contain  isolated   deposits   equally  rich ;  but  these   combined   would 

occupy  a  mere  patch  on  the  surface  over  which  the   ores  of  this  region  are  known 

to  be  distributed. 

—150    miles      This  area  is  somewhat  irregular  in  outline  ;  its  length,  east  and  west,  is  about  150 

E.  and    W.,  jjjiies^  with  a  variable  width,  north  and  south,  of  from  6  to  70  miles  but  the  greatest 

and  S      '      concentration  of  these  ores  thus  far  observed,  is  in  Township  47,  north,  Ranges  26, 

27,  and  28  west. 
Mode  of  Mode  of  Occurrence  of  the  Iron  Ores — It  may  be  stated,  as  a  general  rule,  that  the 

Occurrence,  great  iron  deposits  of  the  district  occur  in  close  proximity  to  the  igneous  rocks, 
mainly  greenstone.  This  rock  forms  nearly  all  of  the  prominent  peaks  of  the 
region,  not  in  continuous  ranges,  but  in  a  succession  of  dome-shaped  knobs,  while 
the  iron  ores  repose  upon  their  sides  or  dip  beneath  their  bases,  so  that  the 
greenstone  appears  rather  in  the  form  of  intercalated  beds  than  as  wedge-shaped 
masses. 
Knobs  or  'j;{je  ^yhole  region  has  been  subjected  to  a  powerful  denudation,  and  the  greenstone 

"    ■  being  the  more  unyielding  rock,  has  been  left  in  the  form  of  knobs  or  of  ill  defined 

ridges.     I  cannot  recall  an  instance  where  it  forms  a  true  axis  of  elevation. 
Beds  400  or      The  beds  of  iron  ore   often  attain  a  thickness  of  four  or  five  hundred  feet,  and 
500  ft  thick  n^_.^y  ^g  traced  longitudinally  for  five  thousand  feet,  but  they   are  far  from  being 

persistent  in  character. 

Quartzose  The  quartzose  materials  so  abound  that  it  is  only  in  pockets,  or  lenticular  bands, 

mitemls      i]ri^i  the  highly  concentrated  ores  are  found.     This  is  seen  at  all  of  the  mines  which 

have  been  extensivsly  worked,    and  the  necessity  of  sinking  below  drainage  has 

already  arisen,  and  preparations  have  been  made  to  meet  it,  by  driving  adits  and 

by  erecting  pumping  machinery. 

Varieties  of       Ores  of  Iron. — The  iron  ores  of  this  region  may  be  arranged  under  the  following 

•"■«•  heads :   1st,  Magnetites  ;  2d,  Red  Haematites  ;  3d,  Brown  Hsematites  ;  4th,  Mangan- 

esiferous  Ores;  5th,  Argillaceous  Ores.  [These  are  described  and  the  location.] 
Worth,  little  Localities  of  Iron  Ore  on  ttie  Company's  Lands. — With  our  present  knowledge  of 
known  as  thg^g  lands,  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  we  know  very  little  of  the  metallic  wealth 
which  they  contain.  Even  of  the  known  deposits,  few  have  been  systematically 
explored,  and  I  liave  information  as  to  the  existence  of  others  which  I  have  been 
unable  personally  to  inspect. 

The  explorations  in  the  future  will  undoubtedly  prove  as  auceessful  as  in  thepast. 
Great  Tari-        Enough,   however,   is  known,  to  give  the  assurance  that  these  lands  contain  a 
ex^iiuustless.  pomhination  of  ores  not  before  observed  in  the  district,  of  great  purity,  exhaustless 
in  quantity,  and  most  favorably  situated  for  mining  and  smelting.     [After  15  pages 
of  description  of  the  various  mines.  Col.  F.  adds : — ] 
More  exam-      I    here    close   my   enumeration    of  the  observed  localities  of  iron    ores  on  the 
dTvl'lolf        Iron  Clifi'd  Company's  lands.     Further  reconnoisances  will  doubtless  add  largely  to 
moremeriis.  *^^ ''^*-     I  have  not  had  the  time  carefully  to  examine   and  pass  upon  the  merits 
of  but  few  of  these  deposits.     To  arrive  at  a  true  estimate  of  value,  the  explorer 
must  lead  with  his  axe  and  hammer,  to  be  followed  by  the  miner  with  his  pick  and 
Superficial     shovel,  and  then  by  the  chemist  with  his  crucibles.     He  who  professes  to  judge  of 
insufflcient.   *''*® '^^al^e  of  a  deposit  at  a  single  glance,  has  powers  of  observation  which  I  cannot 
claim.     The  "mountain  masses,"  of  which  so  much  has  been  said,  whether  in  Dan- 
nemora or  Missouri,  or  on  Lake  Superior,   are  not  all  merchantable  ores.     I   saw 
the  Cleveland  and  Lake  Superior  mines  at  a  time  when  I  could  not  direct    at  what 
point  20  tons  of  merchantable  ore  could  be  extracted. 


Past,  Present  and  Future    of  Chicago  Investments.  229 

Enough,  however,  has  been  revealed  to  enable  me  to  assure  the  Company  that  First  diws 
they  have  an  abundance  of  first  class    ores,  and  some  of  them  containing  valuable'"'"'' 
properties  heretofore  undetected  in  the  region,  to  answer  all  of  tiie  reiiuirements  "'"""'''"'• 
for  local  use  and  for   exportation,    in   positions   accessible   to   railroads,    and   high  Ili-h 
above   drainage.      The   latter   consideration    is  a  matter   of  prime    interest    in  all  '"""inB— 
mining  enterprises.      The  disadvantages  of  working  under  drainage  are  not  simply —its  aavan- 
the  cost  of  lifting  the  water  by  powerful  pumps,  nor  even  the  increased  expense  of  '"i="'8- 
sinking,  compared  with  throwing  down.      For  wliile  there  may  be  a  sump  hole  deep 
enough  to  collect  the  water,  it  still   permeates   through    the  seams  ami  tissurcs  of 
the  rock,  which  renders  repeated  charging  and  firing  in  the  same  holes  almost  im- 
possible, and   the  drilling  and  firing  much  less   effective  of  results.      In  the  mines 
now  principally  worked  the  necessity  of  soon  working   under  drainage  is  already 
recognized,  and  preparations  for  that  purpose  are  making.      At  the  Tilden  and  Fos-  100  feet 
ter  mines,  breasts  100  feet  in  height  can  be  attained  at  an  inconsiderable  expense,  •""•-•'"t. 
compared  with  the  benefits  to  be  attained. 

Mode  of  Mining. — These   ores    are    wrought   in   open    quarry.     Belts  of  peculiar  Moilo  of 
richness,  varying  from  40  to  100  feet  and  even  more  in  width,  are  found  intercalated  '"ii'ing. 
with  jaspery   and   argillaceous  materials,   which  close  up,  and   again  expand.      In 
approaching  these  belts,  it  is  often  necessary  to  trench,  or  tunnel  tlirough  an  unpro- 
ductive rock  at  right  angles  to  the  prolongation  of  the  ore-deposits,   which,   when 
reached,  are  worked  in  open  trenches,  often  500  feet  in  a  linear  direction,  and  often 
with  a  breast  of  sixty  feet.     It  is   necessary  to   throw   down    the   ore   with  blasts.  Ula»ting. 
The  jumpers  used  are  made  of  1}  inch  steel,  expanded  into  bits  of  \\  inches.     The 
holes  are  sometimes   sunk  to  the  depth  of  14  feet,  using  for   the  purpose  sinking 
hammers    of  the    weight  of  about   8  lbs.     The   degree  of  hardness    in    the   ore  is 
variable.     The  superintendent   of  a  mine   informs  me  that  he  has  known  three  men  Knso  of 
to  work  11  hours  to  penetrate  a  foot  in  a  jaspery  ore  ;   and  again,  in  a  red  hiematite,  '''''''le 
the  same  force  has  been  penetrated  14  feet  in  the  same  time;   but  the  average  sink- 
ing in  the  granular  or  specular    ore   is  about    8   feet    a   day.     It  not    unfrequcntly  ninsti  throw 
happens  that  a  single  blast,  where  the  miner  has  availed  himself  of  the  seams  in  <'"•«"> 'lOOO 
the  ore,  throws  down  1,000  tons.  "    ' 

The  deep  holes  are  generally  charged  with  from  2  to  7  feet  of  powder,  and  covered  ."i  tons  a  day 
with    from  1  quart   to  2  quarts   of  sand ;   and    it   often   happens  that  the  first  blast  ^" '"'"'■•■'of- 
merely   shatters   the  rock,  and   repealed   charges  are   required   to    throw  it   down. 
The  amount  of  ore  thrown   down  ought  to  average  5  tons  to  a  man  each  day.     The  lirniipn  wiih 
ore  is  broken  up  with  heavy  sledges,  loaded  into  carts,  which  convey  it  to  covenieni  '^''■''j;"''- 
platforms,  from  which  it  is  dumped    into  cars.     The  cost  of  mining  a  ton  of  ore  at  C-wtJl.eo  to 
this  time,  when  miner's  wages  are  $2,50  a  day,  is  from  $1,25  to  $1,50  a  ton. 

Then  in  Part  II,  Metallurgy  and  Commercial  values,  Col.  Foster  considers — 

The    Lake    Superior    Ores.      Their    Peculiar   uses    and   Application. — I    propose    toUsojinn.l^ 
enter  into  the  metallurgy  of  these  ores  so  far  as  they  possess  qualities  whicli  do  not  "'/',',r,'!g""" 
appertain  to  the  impure  carbonates  of  the  Coal  Measures  of  Western  I'eiinsylvaniap.i. , aid  Ohio 
and  Nordiern  Ohio.      The    furnaces  which    have   sprung  up  in   this  portion  of  the  tl'i<'f  con- 
Appalachian  coal  field,  are   the  great  consumers  of  the  Lake  Superior   ores.     This  """"'"• 
consumption,  great  as   it  is,  will,   with  the  development   of  the  country   and  with 
enlargeil  facilities  of  communication,  assume  still  more  collossal  proportions. 

From  these  ores,  with  skillful  manipulation,  can  be  made  an  iron  of  almost  any  ^y^'l;'^.!!';" 
desired  strength,  ductility,  or  tenacity  ;  capable  of  being  drawn  into  i he  finest  wire,  JJ,;^'^^ 
or  forged  into  the  most  ponderous  anchor  ;  of  being  rolled  to  the  thinness  of  paper, 
or  tiie  thickness  of  an  armour  plale;  of  being  converted  into  a  needle  for  the  finest 
cambric,  or  a  cable  to  sustain  the  weight  of  a  loaded  train  ;  of  being  softened  so  us 
to  receive  the  slightest  touch  of  the  graver,  or  hardened  to  take  almost  the  celestial 
temper  of  Michael's  sword. 

Foreign   Ores  Analogous  to  those  of  Lake  Superior.— Of  all  the  foreign  ores,  those  l^;;;;;',^,^;*" 
of  Sweden,  in  their  mode  of  occurrence  and   in  the  peculiai    qualities   of  the  iron, 
present  the  strongest  resemblance  to  those  of  this  district. 

England  derives  her  main  supplies  from  the  argillaceous  ores  of  the  Coal  Measures  '■•»(^- 
and  the  Lias,  while  the  balance  is  made  up  of  the   spathic   carbonates  and   the  red     »"       • 
heeraatites  of  the  Carboniferous  and  the  brown  hasmatites  of  the  Oolite. 

In  France  and  Belgium,  the  limonites  furnish  three-quarters  of  all  the  iron  ore;  Franco    and 
Prussia,  on  the  other  hand,  has  a  large  variety  from  which  to  select,  such  as  brown       *>       • 
and  clay  iron  ore,  black  band,  red  and  spathic  ore,  bog  ore,  and  to  a  limited  extent 
magnetic  ore. 


230  Conjrmction  of  Coal^  Iron,  and  other  Minerals. 

Russia  In  Russia,  the  magnetites  enter  largely  into  the  production  of  iron,  which  has  a 

reputation  second  to  that  of  no  other  country.     [An  account  of  the  Swedish  mines 

is  omitted.] 

Analysis.  Analysis  of  the  Lake  Superior  Ores. — While  these   ores  are   as  free  as  those   of 

Sweden  from  all  those  substances  which  impair  the  value  of  iron,  and  which  the 

most  careful  manipulation  has  failed  thus  far  to  eliminate,  they  surpass  them  in  one 

respect,  in  their  freedom  from  sulphur   which  in  the  Swedish   ores  is,  as  we  have 

sufphiir.        seen,  got  rid  of  by  calcination — a  process  to  which  the  Lake  Superior  ores  are  not 

Little  man-    Subjected.     On  the  other  hand,  the   Swedish  ores  contain  a  notable  percentage  of 

ga-jese  mano-anese,  which,  in  the  ores  heretofore  shipped  from  Lake   Superior,  has  been 

hitherto.        fQmjj  in  a  hardly   appreciable  amount;   but  now,  ores   rich   in   this   substance  are 

Now   fouud.  known  to  exist,  and  under  circumstances  to  be  made  available.     [Analyses  are  given 

from  Foster  and  Whitney's  Report,  and  some  by  Bar,  published  in  Paris  1857.     The 

"Impure   Carbonates   of  the   Coal  Measures,"   exhibits  the  injury   of  sulphur  and 

phosphorus  in  most  ores,  which  is  followed  by  "  The  Effects  of  foreign  Ingredients 

on  the  quality  of  Iron  and  Steel,"  thus  concluding — ] 

Fiee  from  From  this  somewhat  extended   review  of  the   chemical  composition  of  iron  ores, 

hurtful—       it  will  be  seen  that  on  the  one  hand,  while  those  of  Lake  Superior  are  characterized 

by  an  almost  entire  freedom   from  those  substances  which  are  hurtful    to  the  manu- 

— abound  in  faclured    product,    on  the    other    they    possess,    and    particularly    in    the    recently 

gooJ  discovered  manganeseferous  ores,  qualities  which  will  neutralize,  to  a  certain  extent, 

qualities.       y^^  defects  which  appertain  to  the  coal  measure  ores  of  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania. 

Mixture  of        Admixture  of  Ores. — The  standard  of  iron  has  vastly  improved  since  iron-masters 

ores—  resorted  to  admixture,  either  of  the  different  ores  to  produce  pig-iron,  or  of  different 

— sives  best  qualities   of  pig-iron    to  produce   the   bar.     In  this  way  it  is  maintained   a  better 

iron.  iron  is  produced  than  from  any  single  ore,  however  meritorious  ;  and  fortunately, 

at  this  day,  the  means   of  intercommunication   are  so   direct  that  the  iron-master 

may   command  the  pig-metal  of  half  a  continent,  and  make  his  fusion  with  little 

enlianced  expense. 

Buffalo  fur-        At  the   Union  Works,  at  Buffalo,  which   for  completeness   of  structure,  including 

nace.  all  details,  I  believe  to  be  unsurpassed  in  the  country,  the  admixture  is  as  follows: 

Its  mixture.      5. 13  Lake  Superior,  yielding 65  per  cent. 

5-13     "      Champlain     "   60     "      " 

2-13  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  silicious,  yielding 45     "      " 

1-13  Blackband  Tuscarawas,  Ohio 45     "      " 

Average 58  6-13     "      " 

Silica  added      ^g  these  ores  are  not  silicious  enough,  perse,  to  make  a  good  cinder  when  brought 
in    ux.         jij  contact  with  lime,  a  limestone  containing   15  per  cent,  of  silica  is  selected  as  a 

flax  in  preference  to  a  pure  carbonate. 
Lake  Cham,      'phe  Lake  Champlain  ores   are  delivered  at  Buffalo  cheaper  than  those  of  Lake 
or,; c icipc,  -giipei-ior.      Other  things  being  equal,  the  latter  would  be  substituted  to  the  extent 

of  10-13. 
T)iiiak6l         To  make  a  ton  of  iron  are  required, — Anthracite,   (Pittston  Valley,)  3,600  lbs. 
tomrou.        Combined  ores,  3,600  lbs.     Limestone,  1,000  lbs. 

C.)st  of  in-         xhe   cost  of  these  ores  in    Buffalo  in  1863,  was — Lake   Superior,  $7,00  per  ton; 
grea.ontrt.      ^.^^^  Champlain,  $6,40  per  ton  ;  Clintou,  Oneida  County,  $4,05  per  ton ;  Black  Band, 

Tuscarawas,  $7,00  per  ton. 
m'utv'"'°'*        '^^  Pittsburgh,  each  manufacturer  uses  the  product  of  different  furnaces,  to  pro- 
duce,  as    his   experience   suggests,   the   precise   quality   of  iron  fitted  for   the   u= 
intended,  whether  castings,  bar-iron  or  steel, 
a  wiety'^°'"      '^'^  ''"'^  '^  ^'^"^  '"''^"S*^  ^'^  ^'^I'^^t  from,  for  to  this  point  is  sent  the  product  of  the 
furnaces  from  Eastern  and  Western  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  and 
Michigan,  and  made  from   a   variety   of  ores— the   brown   and  red    hjematites,  the 
specular  and  magnetic  ores,  and  the  argillaceous   ores    of  the   Coal    Measures,  and 
with    a  variety    of  fuel— the  anthracite,  the   hot  and   cold   blast  charcoal,  the  raw 
bituminous  coal,  and  the  coke. 
mTJwifa  ^*'   ^'it-lsburgh,  to  make  a  ton  of  pig-iron,   are   required— Lake  Superior  iron, 

l.V  tons;   (Joke,  125  to  130  bushels;   Limestone,  .\  ton. 

For  rich  Tlie  effect  of  making  the  burden  of  the  furnaces  entirely  of  the  rich  ores  of  Lake 

o^orc^s-"""  '5"r""'0''  i^  '0   increase  their   yield,  and   this  yield    is  estimated  as  high   as  60  per 

cent,  as  compared  when  the  lean  ores   of  the  coal   measures   are    employed.      The 

— ^an  pay      irori-masti       ■•  •  r     ^  __      . 


tl.:  per  ton.    ,„  ^^.^^  ^ 


Lster,  therefore,  of  Northern  Ohio,  or  Western  Pennsylvania,  can  well  afford 
^12  per  ton  for  the  imported  ores  from   Lake   Superior,  rather  than  $5  per 
tun  tor  thusc  whicu  occur  in  the  vicinage. 


Past,     Present  and  Future  of  Chiaigo  Investments.  231 

Hitlierto,  tha  ores  sent  from  Lake  Superior  have  been  of  a  single   clianicter,  if  Only  l  kiml 
we  except  the  limited  shipments  of  red  lucmatite  from  the  Jackson   mine;   hut  the  "*1"^''^*-*J- 
explorations  on  the  Company's  property  show  that  there  exist  in  economical  quanti- 
ties, at  least  six  varieties   of  ores,  and  each    free   from    noxious  ingredients,  from  Vnrletieg 
which  the  iron  master  may  make   his  comtiinations  to  produce   an  iron  of  almost ''""'5®' 
any  desired  quality.     These  varieties  1  recapitulate:   magnetic,  specular,  red  oxide, 
brown  hsematite,  argillaceous  oxide,  and  manganesiforous  ore. 

That  these  ores  smelted  separately  would  produce  a  homogeneous  iron  is  not  to  noru'fltg  of 
be  expected  ;   but  that  each  possesses  certain  properties,  differing  one  from  another,  '"'"'"K- 
in  reference  to  elasticity,  extensibility,  tenacity,  hardness,  etc.,  is  evident  from  the 
whole  history  of  iron  metallurgy  ;   and  in  discussing   these  properties  I  regret  that  JiKlRment 
my  judgment   is  formed  on  the    chemical   composition  of  the  ores,  rather  than  the  *""'J""''"j^' 
result   of  actual    working.      Of  this  great   fact   I  am  convinced,   that    the   highest  cul. 
capacities  of  the  Lake  Superior  ores  have  not  been  developed. 

Special   Qualities  of  the  Iron   Ores.     Steel    Manvfacture. — It   is   a  well    established  Stcul  mnfr. 
fact  that   the  finer  varieties  of  steel  are  only  made  from  the  specular  and  magnetic 
ores.     The  famous   Indian  wootz   is  made   from  a  magnetic  ore  containing  about  40 
per  cent,  quartz  and  58  per  cent,  magnetic  oxide. 

In  1862,  Great  Britain,  notwithstanding  she  smelted  over  4,500,000  tons  of  pig-  Eng.  supply, 
metal,  imported  upwards  of  36,200  tons  of  iron  from  Sweden,  Russia,  and  Madras, 
mainly  for  steel  purposes.  The  Dannemora  iron  prepared  for  steel  purposes  costs 
the  Sheffield  manufacturer  £30  per  ton,  which  is  five  or  six  times  more  than  the 
price  of  ordinary  coke  iron.  The  enormous  price  of  foreign  iron  has  led  the 
English  manufacturer  to  resort  to  the  home  product  as  far  as  possible,  which,  with 
the  extreme  care  in  its  fabrication,  is  found  to  be  suitable  for  the  ordinary  uses  of 
steel,  but  the  finer  varieties  are  still  made  from  the  product  of  specular  and 
magnetic  ores. 

It  is  evident  that  the  time  is  rapidly  approaching  when  the  United  States  will  no  U.  S.  to 
longer  be  dependent  on  England  for  steel.     Within  the  past  few  years  Pittsburgh  has  ^^^^^  '" 
entered  largely  into  its  manufacture,  making    every  variety,  from   the  coarse  steel  pitu.    mnfr. 
for  ploughshares  to  that  for  articles  destined  to  receive  the  highest  temper  and 

polisli. 

In  1862,  she  produced  of  Cast  Steel,  5,350  tons;   other  kinds,  14,850.  _      _     Increase. 

Compare  this  with  the  product  of  other  countries  and  we  shall  be  struck  with  its  Fon-ign 
magnitude.     England  produces  annually  40,000  tons  ;   France,  14,954  tons ;  Prussia,  '"■'f''- 
6,453  tons;   Austria,  13,037  tons. 

In  this  province,  I  foresee  a  large  demand  for  the  specular  and  manganesiferous 
ores  of  Lake  Superior. 

The  Bessemer  Process.     [An  interesting  account  Col.  F.  thus  concludes:— JThe  great  Bosaemer 
desideratum,  so  far  as  relates  to  the  uses  and  applications  of  iron,  is  cneop  steel,  and  process, 
those  who  are  interested  in  such  matters  were  disposed  to  hail  the  P>e8seraer  process 
as  the  harbinger  of  such    an   event.      It   is  of  immense   importance   to  the  raiUyay  Stoei  f„r 
interest  alone;  in  the  substitution  of  the  steel  for  the  iron  rail,  since  experiment  has  ra.i«a}  . 
shown  tliat  it  is  eight  times  as  durable,  while  at  existing  prices  it  is  not  eight  times 
as  expensive;  and  there  are  thousands  of  other  interests  in  which  the  substitution 
would  be  equally  beneficial.  „  ,  ,,.,   ^ 

The  specular  ores  of  this  region,  rich  in  iron  and  in  their  freedom  from  phosphorus  ^;»^^'«t ^o--^,',^ 
and    sulphur,  and    the    manganesiferous    ores    in   close   proximity,  ofter  the  most  ^^^^^^^^ 
promising  field  in  the  world  for  the  realization  of  this  great  problem. 

The  various   uses  of  irou  are  considered,  llailroad   Bars,  Armour  IMate.  v,mous 
Gun-Metal,  Car  Wlieels,  Wire  Rope,  showin,2j  Lake  Superior  irou  suitable ; 
then  a  "  Table  showing  the  tensile  Strength  of  Wrought  Irou  "  i.s  introduced,  strength, 
of  which   the    most   important  tests  having  been  given,  p.  227,  it  is  here 
omitted.     Col.  Foster  thus  considers — 

Slren:;th  of  Lake  Superior  Ores.-The  French  irons,  which  show  no   very  remarkable  French  iron. 

'^S  S^iZ,  wSl^i^ows^  i;?:::;g;^^nsurpassed  except  in  a  I.w  instances,  Kus..n. 

"  Tir^PhXp^Sui^rrfdraTn^iron,  which  shows  such  marked  tenacity,  was  made  PH„Up. 
frorthrmagnetic  ores  of  the  Andover   mine,  which,  unfortunately,  has  become  bu.,. 
exhausted. 


232 


Covjunction  of  Coal,  Iron,^  and  other  Minerals. 


Salisbury, 
Ct.,  and  Pa. 


Major 

Wade's    test 
of  Lake 
Sup.  iron. 


Best  admix- 
ture— 
— for  various 
uses. 


The  iron  of  Salisbury,  Ct.,  Centre  and  Lancaster  Counties,  Penn.,  is  made  from 
the  brown  hematites,  and  in  charcoal  furnaces,  and  is  fully  equal  to  the  standard 
of  the  best  English  iron. 

The  specimen  of  Lake  Superior  iron,  which  shows  a  greater  tensile  strength  than 
any  on  record,  was  made  iu  a  Catalan  forge,  and  drawn  out  from  a  bloom  at  the 
Jackson  works.  It  was  selected  by  me  on  the  spot,  and  placed  in  the  hands  of 
Major  Wade  of  the  Ordnance  Bureau,  whose  office  it  was  to  test  the  strength  of 
guns  made  for  the  Government,  and  the  results  of  his  experiments  are  given  in  the 
above  table. 

En  resume,  it  is  believed  that  the  following  admixtures  of  Lake  Superior  ores, 
will  produce  iron  of  the  required  qualities : 

For  steel,  the  specular  ores  with  10  percent,  of  manganesiferous  ores.  For  iron 
requiring  great  tensile  strength,  specular  ores.  For  soft  iron,  easily  turned,  for 
machinery,  where  extraordinary  strength  is  not  required,  the  brown  bsemetites. 
For  railroad  iron,  where  hardness  and  tenacity  are  required,  specular  ores  with 
the  addition  of  10  per  cent,  of  the  manganesiferous  ores.  For  gun  metal,  a  union 
of  the  specular  and  brown  haematites,  with  10  per  cent,  of  the  manganesiferous 
ores.  For  casting  car-wheels,  equal  mixtures  of  the  specular  and  brown  hsematite 
ores.  For  smooth  castings,  brown  htematite.  [The  Production  and  Shipment  of 
Ores,  are  omitted,  as  we  have  later  information.] 

Distribution  of  Lake  Superior  Ores. — The  subjoined  statement,  though  not  claimed 
to  be  strictly  exact,  is  believed  to  be  nearly  so  : 


Furnaces.    Roll.  Mills.  Gross  Tons, 


Places  where 
Lake  Sup. 
ores  were 
used,  1861. 


Buffalo. 


Pittsburgh. 


Ehenango 
Valley. 


Brad}''s 
Bend  Iron 
Co. 


1  Buffalo 

2  Pittsburgh 

3  Shenango  Valley,  New  Castle,  Sharon,  Middlesex... 

&c 

4  Brady's  Bend,  Pa 

5  Mahoning    Valley,    Youngstown,  Niles,    Mineral... 

Ridge,  &c.  Ohio 

6  Black  lliver  Loraine  County,  Ohio 

7  Cleveland,  Ohio 

8  Massilon  and  Dover,  Ohio 

9  Toledo,  Ohio 

10  Detroit 

11  Lake  Superior 

12  Miscellaneous,     mainly     for     furnace      linings     at 

Wheeling,       Zanesville,       Ironton,       Cincinnati, 
Kittaning,  &c 


10 
3 

12 
2 
1 
3 
1 
3 
6 


52 


1 
25 


34 


28,000 
50,000 

56,000 
5,000 

60,000 
2,500 
5.000 


2,000 
16,500 
12,000 

4,500 
241,500 


1.  -S(^aZo  has  become  a  leading  mart  in  iron  manufacture.  The  Union  Iron  Works 
comprise  three  furnaces  and  one  rolling  mill.  The  annual  product  is  about  24,000 
tons  of  pig-metal,  which  is  consumed  by  the  rolling  mill,  producing  bar  iron  of 
extra  sizes,  such  as  rails,  girders,  propeller  shafts,  etc.  Pratt  &  Co.  have,  within 
the  past  year,  erected  a  furnace  of  8,000  tons  capacity.  The  fuel  employed  i6 
anthracite. 

2.  Pittshurgh. — Of  the  seven  furnaces  two  are  owned  by  Laughlin  &  Co.,  two  by 
the  Lake  Superior  and  Pittsburg  Company,  and  three  by  Graff  &  Bennett,— each 
of  which  has  a  capacity  of  making  twenty  tons  of  pig-iron  a  day.  The  best  coal 
for  smelting  is  obtained  on  the  Connelsville  Railroad,  sixty  miles  from  the  city, 
from  a  12  feet  seam.  It  is  a  soft  coal,  too  bituminous  to  use  raw,  but  makes  an 
admirable  coke. 

3.  Shenani/o  Va lie j/.— These  furnaces  are  owned  as  follows :  J.  M.  Crawford 
&  Co.,  1  ;  Reis,  Brown  &  Berger,  1,  New  Castle;  James  Wood  &  Co.,  4;  Coleman, 
Westerman  &  Co.,  1  ;  C.  \l.  Reed  &  Co.,  3,— Middlesex.  Some  of  the  furnaces  will 
produce  6,500  tons  of  pig.iron  annually,  but  the  average  will  not  exceed  5,600. 
Some  are  run  entirely  with  Lake  Superior  ores,  while  others  are  run  with  a  mixture 
of  local  ores.  The  fuel  employed  is  raw  coal  obtained  from  a  seam  near  the  base 
of  the  coal  measures. 

4.  Brad,,-s  limd  Iron  Co.— This  large  company,  whose  works  are  located  on  the 
Alleghany  River,  have  thus  far  used  the  Lake  Superior   ores  sparingly ;  but  with 


Past,  Present  and  Fnlnrn.(>f  Chicago  Investments. 


233 


Bo 
Bri 


improved  reilroad  communications  with   Lake   Erie,  which   will   soon  be  open,  they 
will  hereafter  become  large  consumers. 

5.     Mahoning    l^«i!%.— These  furnaces  are  owned  by  the  following  firms :     Brown, 

)nnel  &  Co  ,  1,  Wm.  Ward  &  Co.  4,  Niles ;  Jouth  Ward,  &  Sons,  2,  Mineral  liidge' 

•ierIlillCo.,2,  Crandal,  Tod  &  Co.,  1,  Eagle  Furnace  Co.,  1 ,  J.  B.  Canfield,  l[ 
Youngstowu;   and  McCrary,  Bailey  &  Co.,  1,  Lowelville. 

The  ores  employed  are  mainly  Lake  Superior,  with  tlie  kidney  rock,  and  black- 
band  ores  of  the  neighborhood.  The  proportions  are  the  iron-master's  secret,  but 
he  produces  an  iron  of  great  strength  and  tenacity.  Throughout  this  region  occurs 
a  coal  known  as  "Brier  Hill,"  which  is  used  in  iron  smelting.  It  has  a  si  ily 
clearage,  is  of  a  glossy  jet-black  color,  does  not  soil  the  fingers,  ignites  rapidly, 
does  not  agglutinate,  gives  a  white  ash,  and  is  free  from  clinker  and  sulphur. 
Chemically,  it  gives  upwards  of  61  per  cent,  of  fixed  carbon  and  less  than  three 
per  cent,  of  ash.  About  2h  tons  net,  of  this  coal  are  required  to  produce  a  ton  of 
pig-iron.  Each  furnace  consumes  about  7,000  tons  of  ore  annually,  and  produces 
about  5,600  tons  of  pig-metal.  [Minor  points  are  omitted;  also,  remarks  upon  the 
Local  Consumption  of  Lake  Superior;  and  upon  Fluxes.] 

The  Frospeclive  Demand  for  Iron. — It  is  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  there  will 
be  an  over,  production  of  this  most  precious  of  metals.  Its  use  is  so  intimately 
connected  with  the  history  of  the  civilization  of  man,  is  so  thoroughly  incorporated 
with  every  branch  of  operative  industry,  that  we  can  hardly  conceive  of  any 
material  benefit  to  be  conferred  on  the  race,  which  shall  not  be  dependent  on  this 
substance  for  its  .iccomplishment.  Few  persons  -.stimate  its  full  value  in  all  that 
relates  to  the  production,  the  transformation,  and  the  distribution  of  the  materials 
of  wealth,  extracted  first  from  the  sea,  the  soil,  or  the  deep  recesses  of  mines ; 
then  fashioned  by  a  variety  of  processes,  chemical  or  mechanical,  into  articles  for 
food,  raiment,  shelter,  locouiotion ;  and  finally  distributed  to  the  race  for  consump- 
tion in  every  quarter  of  the  globe ;  and  yet  in  every  transformation,  Iron  has 
performed  a  most  important  part. 

The  railway  interest  of  the  United  States  alone  requires  an  amount  of  iron  for 
its  annual  maintenance  equal  to  the  national  production  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago. 

There  are  in  the  loyal  states  over  34,000  miles  of  railway  completed,  or  under 
construction,  originally  requiring  over  3,000,000  tons  of  rails,  and  requiring  an 
annual  replacement  of  370,000  tons  ;  or  if  we  embrace  the  whole  Union,  there  are 
nearly  50,000  miles  of  railway,  originally  requiring  4,600,000  tons  of  rails,  and  an 
annual  replacement  of  575,000  tons,  whicii  is  in  excess  of  the  whole  product  of  the 
country  in  1850.  Although  our  railways  have  been  constructed  largely  of  English 
iron,  the  financial  condition  of  the  country  is  such  and  is  likely  to  remain  so,  thai 
we  have  largely  ceased  to  import,  and  must  depend  on  our  local  resources. 

Iron  Product  of  Principal  States,  1850  and  1860.     {U.  S.   Census.)* 


Miihniiing 
Valley. 


RrifT  Hill 
foal. 


Other  placea 
omitted. 

PifiHpective 
■Iviimnd     for 
irou. 


Its    intrinsic 
worth. 


Wanta  of 
mil  ways, 

Thtir  extent 


To  iipe 

Aiiiaiicaii 

irou. 

Cr.  S  Ceruut. 


States. 

Tons  of  Ore  Mined. 

Tons  of 

?ig  Iron. 

1850. 

1860. 

1850. 

1860. 

6,000 

7,676 

27,909 

35,450 

46,. 385 

877,283 

51,266 

99,886 

140,610 

6,200 

2,700 

3,000 

37,000 

72,010 

67,319 

88,810 

1,000 

4,500 

25,000 

20,700 

176,375 

1,706,476 

67,800 

79,200 

228,794  . 

200) 

320  r 

12.287 
13,420 
23,022 
285,702 
24,631 
43,641 
52,65» 

1,850 
G60 

1,000 
19,250 
24,245 
22,163 
30,420 

3,224 

13,700 

11,000 

63.145 

65:l,r)C,() 

New  Jersey 

2'.<.()IS 

Maryland 

Ohio 

30,500 
94,647 

375 

17,900 
4,600 
42,000 
73,600 
23,217 
63,220 

10.400 

2.000 

22.000 

Kentucky 

23.362 

9.096 

Tennessee 

18.417 

Total. 

1,563,004 

2,514,282 

555,469 

£84,474 

Product  iron 
ore  and  pig 
iron,  1850, 

ISGO. 


♦These  figures  vary  from  my  copy  of 
was  8,218,275  tons.     The  total  pig  was 


the  census.     The  table  of  ore  in  1860,  including  that  uiauufactureJ, 
987,559  tons.    The  above  table  is  only  of  the  "principiil  States." 


Error  as   to 
Mich. 


234 


Conjunction  of  Coal,  L-on,  and  otlwr  Minerals 


luiuous 
coal 


Competiii; 
ores. 


Increase  This  table  is  instructive  as    showing  that,  in  those  States  where  charcoal   is  the 

with  bitu-  fuel  employed  in  smelting,  there  has  been  no  increase,  and,  in  many  instances  a 
fallin"-  otf ;  but  the  great  increase  has  been  in  those  States  that  could  resort  to  the 
coal  fields  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  for  fuel.  [The  table  of  annual  product  of 
other  Nations  is  omitted.] 

Competing  Ores. — The  specular  and  magnetic  ores  have  been  introduced  into  the 
Ohio  Valley  from  two  other  sources,  in  competition  with  the  ores  of  Lake  Superior, 
viz:  Missouri  and  Lake  Champlain.  It  falls  within  the  sphere  of  this  report  to 
discuss  the  question  of  additional  supplies. 

Missouri  Specular  and  Magnetic  Ores. — In  the  counties  of  Iron  and  St.  Francois, 
from  80  to  90  miles  south  of  St.  Louis  and  60  miles  west  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
occur  the  famous  Iron  Mountains.  These  are  three  dome-shaped  hills,  known  as 
the  Iron  Mountain,  Shepherd's  Mountain  and  Pilot  Knob.  The  former  is  distant 
from  St.  Louis  81  miles,  the  latter  86  miles. 


Freight  TliesG  miiies  are  separately  considered,  and  though   the  yield   "  is  hardly 

Superior,      as  rich  as  the  Lake  Superior,"  yet  the  item  of  transportation   is  so  much  in 
favor  of  Lake  Superior,  that  Col..  Fo.ster  observes: — 


These  ores 
used  in  A'. 
Y.,  Pa.,  0. 

Mo.  ores 
South. 

Deraanci 
increasing. 


Kapiri  in- 
crease of 
Lake 
regiun. 


These 

mnfg.  towns 
to  beat 
Eug. 


To  produce 
our  own 
irun. 


These  views 
trustworthy. 


llesults  con- 
firm judg- 
ment. 

Advantages 
of  Chi.  iu 
transporta- 
tion— 


— mixing 
orea. 


But  apart  from  these  considerations,  my  impression  is,  that  with  a  restored 
country,  and  commerce  flowing  through  its  accustomed  channels,  the  Lake  Superior 
ores  will  monopolize  the  markets  of  Western  New  York,  Western  Pennsylvania,  and 
Northern  Ohio  ,  while  the  Missouri  ores  will  seek  their  appropriate  fuel  in  Southern 
Illinois,   Southern  Ohio,    and   Kentucky.  *  *  From    the   foregoing 

details,  I  think  we  may  assume  that,  with  the  enlarged  facilities  for  transportation 
read^'  to  go  into  operation  on  the  opening  of  navigation,  and  with  an  equalized  scale 
of  labor  iu  mining,  the  Lake  Superior  ores  will  be  used  throughout  a  widely 
extended  circuit,  whose  outer  margin  will  reach  central  New  York,  the  western 
slope  of  the  Alleghanies  in  Pennsylvania,  central  Ohio,  and  northern  Illinois. 

This  circuit  embraces  the  most  favored  portion  of  the  United  States.  Here  pop- 
ulation duplicates  itself  each  decade  of  ten  years,  and  to  keep  pace  with  this  growth 
the  iron  product  should  duplicate  itself  also, — to  say  nothing  of  the  multiplied  uses 
which  spring  up  as  a  people  advances  in  wealth  and  refinement.  It  is  the  chosen  seat 
of  agriculture,  and  contains  a  coal  field  long  enough  and  broad  enough  to  cover 
Great  Britain.  It  requires  no  prophetic  power  to  foresee  that,  within  this  area  and 
for  all  time,  there  will  be  an  almost  unlimiteil  demand  for  these  ores.  Pittsburgh, 
the  Mahoning,  and  the  Shenango  Valleys,  to  say  nothing  of  Buffalo,  and  the  ports 
on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  will,  as  seats  of  iron-manufacture,  outstrip 
Yorkshire,  StatFordshire,  and  South  Wales  ;  and  fifty  years  henae,  when  our  resources 
shall  have  been  thoroughly  developed,  our  descendants  will  wonder,  that,  with  an 
exhaustless  supply  of  the  purest  ores,  with  the  cheapest  of  all  modes  of  conveyance 
— lake  navigation, — and  with  ample  supplies  of  fossil  fuel  suitable  for  smelting,  in 
a  lieaitliful  climate,  and  amid  a  productive  soil,  we  were  so  long  dependent  on 
foreign  sources  for  that  most  precious  of  all  metals — IRON. 

These  facts  and  opinions,  prepared  by  one  of  the  most  accomplished, 
most  practical  geologists  of  the  country,  after  careful  exploration  of  the  Lake 
Superior  region,  and  with  extensive  knowledge  of  the  whole  subject  of 
mineral  supply  and  of  its  uses,  are  worthy  of  more  than  ordinary  credence. 

The  rapid  increase  of  demand  for  these  ores  each  of  the  three  years  since 
the.se  mines  were  explored,  abundantly  confirms  Col.  Foster's  judgment  as 
to  the  superiority  of  these  ores.  If  so  valuable  as  to  bear  transportation 
into  the  interior  of  New  York,  Indiana,  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  supplanting 
the  home  product  in  even  both  these  last  States,  the  chief  iron  States  in 
the  Union,  what  advantage  in  iron  manufacture  must  Chicago  have,  with  her 
conveniences  for  obtaining  this  superior  ore  ?  The  necessity  of  mixed  ores, 
and  the  abundant  variety  Lake  Superior  affords,  is  a  very  important  feature. 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  litvestmrnts.  235 

Touching  fuvtlier  upon  some  of  these  advantages,  Col.  Foster  appends  to  />'••  i-am- 
his  Report   the  following  paper,  which  was  originally  prepared  for  the  New 
Yorh  Tribune  and  had  been  inserted  in  Hunts'  Merchants'  Magazine : — 

ADVANTAGES  OF  LAKE  SUPERIOR  REGION  FOR  PRODUCING   CHARCOAL  l'»k«  s.ip. 

charcoal 
PIG.j  Iron. 

By  Dr.  R.  II.  Lamborn. 

The  proper  development  of  the  iron  industry   of  the  United    States   demands  a  Larce  (I<>- 
steady  and  abundant  supply  of  first  class  charcoal  metal,  suitable  for  working  into  ',','"'.''  ^"' 
car-wheels,  cannon,  tires  for  locomotives,  boiler  plate,  and  for  the  vast  present  and  iron.*^ 
prospective  requirements  of  the  steel  maker  in  the  departments  of  cast  steel,  puddle 
steel,  and,  above  all,  for  use  in  the  Bessemer  or  Pneumatic  converter.     The  relative  Diniiiiighlng 
quantity  of  charcoal  to  mineral  coal  iron  produced  in  tlie  United  states  has  decreasccl  f-"!'!''/  '" 
with  the  increasing  production  of  the  vast  anthracite  furnaces  of  I',astern  Pennsyl- 
vania, and    with  the   discovery   of  pure   bituminous   coal    in  Ohio,  while   scores  of 
charcoal  furnaces,  scattered   through   the  I-lastern  States,  have   gone  out  of  blast 
through  the  appreciation  in  value  of  timber  lands,  caused  by  the  demand  which  has 
sprung  up  for  fuel   for   other   purposes   through   the   building   of  ways  of  internal 
communication,  and  the  demand  for  surface  for  agricultural  use.     These  causes  are, 
year    by  year,   making   the  Eastern   States  less  suitable  for  a  large  charcoal  iron 
production.     Where,  therefore,  are  our  manufacturers  in  the  early  future  to  look  for 
their  supply  of  this  necessary  raw  material?     England  sends   to  Sweden,  Norway,  Knt'.  sup- 
Russia  and  Nova  Scotia  for  her  best  brands.  Swe'i'le'n^'etc 

If  we  follow  around  the  same  northern  isothermal  zone  in  which  these  countries  ^^.m^  z.'.no 
are  located,  we  reach,  upon  our  great  lakes,  a  region  designated  by  nature  in  t.he  HHi.plieo  u». 
most  extraordinary  manner  as  our  future  domestic  source,  of  a  vast  amount  of 
exceleut  charcoal  iron  ;  and  it  is  with  no  desire  to  disparage  the  importance,  and 
value  of  the  charcoal  district  of  Northern  New  York,  Connecticut,  Northern  New 
Jersey,  and  Central  and  Western  Pennsylvania,  that  this  article  is  written;  but 
rather  v/ith  the  hope  of  drawing  the  attention  of  the  skillful  iron-masters  of  those 
districts  to  a  most  promising  field  for  enterprise,  and  for  the  exercise  of  thrir 
peculiar  knowledge — a  field  already  inviting  development,  and  which  must  continue 
to  increase  in  importance  as  long  as  the  iron  and  steel  industry  of  the  United  States 
continues  to  enlarge.  The  belt  of  country  along  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Supc-  LMce  Snp. 
rior,  extending  40  to  60  miles  into  the  States  of  Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  is  one  of  j;j.'^'|'J°  •"'■*• 
the  richest  mineral  regions  on  the  globe.  A  district  producing  copper  on  the  north 
already  sends  to  market  some  16,000  tons  of  the  metal;  a  region  producing— with 
argentiferous  galena  and  sulphide  of  copper— silver  and  gold,  is  in  proct-ss  of 
development  southward  of  this  copper  belt;  while  from  Lake  Monistique  in 
Schoolcraft  county,  to  a  point  as  far  west,  at  leist,  as  the  Penokee  iron  range,  100 
miles  west  of  Ontanagon,  are  found  immense  deposits  of  iron  ores  of  all  varieties 
common  in  igneous  rocks,  magnetic  oxide,  red  h^eraetite,  brown  haematite,  as  well 
as  the  water  formed  bog  ores.  These  first  mentioned  ores,  where  developed,  occur 
in  vast  beds  adjoining  hornblendic  dykes,  and  in  chloritic  slates,  and  they  exist  in 
such  quantities  that  they  may  be  considered  as  practically  ineshausiible. 

One-eighth  of  all  the  iron  now  made  in  the  entire  United  States  is  dug  from  the  Snpi'!|;^l^|^ 
mines  of  Marquette  county,  ami  yet,  ten  years  ago,  a  piece  of  Lake^  Superior  ore  ,^p  j„.„„f 
was  a  curiosity  to  most  of  our  practical  Metallurgists.  *  U.  S..  1S6\ 

The    development  of  the   manufacture  of  pig    from  charcoal,    m   the   county  of  J;;^^^;;;;;;',';^^ 
Marquette,  has  been  even   more  remarkable,  as  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered    in  _^^,^,,^__ 
building  large  structures,  erecting    new  machinery,  and  collecting  necessary  labor  markablo. 
in  a  distant  and  hyperborean  region,  are  numerous  and  serious.        ,       .    ,  ,       „    . 

The  earliest  iron   made  was  produced    directly  from  the  ore  in  what  js  l^nown  as  ]^J^^, 
the  Catalan  Forge.      This  manufacture  was  commenced  in  181^  by  hverelt  .S:  •••lekson, 
at  the  Jackson  Forge.     After  it  followed  the  Marquette  Forge,  then  the  Collinsv.lle 


....  the  Jackson  mine,  in  18.58;   1,627  tons    were   sent   to    market    hat  year,      fl  is 
manufacture  has  increased  by   the  erection  of  new  furnaces,  until  at  present  the 


236 


Conjunction  of  Coal,   Iron,  and  other  Mbierah. 


Pioneer,  the  CoUinsville,  the  Forestville,  the  Morgan,  the  Northern,  and  the  Greenwood 
Furnace's  are  in  activity.     The  progress  of  the  tradi  has  been  as  follows : 


In  1862 8,590  tons  were  exported. 

"  1863 8,908     " 

"  1864 13,832  "         "  " 


Total  ore 

1865, 


Other  local- 
ities. 


Ease  of 
niinintr. 


4,000  tons  by 
one  blast. 


Facilities 


pin; 


Cost. 


Mnfr    7  jTs.  In  1858 1,627  tons  were  exported. 

"  1859 7,258     "         "  " 

"  18(30 5,660     "         "  " 

"  1861 7,970     "         "  " 

The  total  quantity  of  orp  already  extracted,  chiefly  from  the  three  first  mines,  is 
not  less  than  925,000  tons,  nothing  but  "surface"  or  "patch  work"  has  yet 
925,000  tons.  jjQy,^  Jquc.  All  the  mineral  has  been  quarried  from  the  shallow  openings  in  the 
sides  of  the  iron  hills.  No  pumping  machinery  has  yet  been  erected,  and  only 
Mines  iuex-  recently  have  adits  for  drainage  been  begun.  The  surface  rock  indicates  in  many 
haustibie.  poiuts  that  but  a  portion  of  the  most  easily  obtainable  ore  has  been  quarried,  and  it 
is  safe  to  estimate  that  several  millions  of  tons  are  proven  to  exist  m  tbe  three  or 
four  oldest  mines,  with  every  likelihood  of  vast  quantities  in  the  beds  below  water 
level. 

In  addition  to  this  are  hundreds  of  localities  where  iron  is  known  to  exist  in  a 
belt  of  thirty  miles  in  length,  and  at  more  than  a  dozen  localities  companies  have 
been  formed  or  mines  commenced.  Great  skill  is  not  necessary  in  working  these  ore 
quarries.  The  operation  consists  in  blasting  from  a  ledge  of  ore  large  masses,, 
which  are  subsequently  broken  into  fragments  by  other  blasts,  by  the  sledge  or, 
sometimes,  in  the  most  refractory  cases,  by  means  of  a  fire  of  huge  logs. 

At  the  .Jackson  Mine,  a  hole  18  feet  in  depth  and  two  inches  in  diameter,  loaded 
with  powder  and  exploded  last  March,  brought  down  4,000  tons  of  ore.  The  holes 
are  all  bored  with  good  steel  drills,  managed  by  two  strikers  and  one  turner.  The 
for  lian.iiiug  fragments  of  ore  are  loaded  into  one  horse  carts,  hauled  a  few  hundred  feet  to  the 
and  ship-  railroad,  thrown  into  six  ton  four-wheel-cars,  and  carried  to  the  wharf  at  ^larquette, 
where  they  are  unloaded  into  pockets  or  hoppers,  shoots,  and  thence  into  the  vessels 
that  transport  them  to  the  furnace  on  the  lower  lakes  ;  or  are  transferred  by  wheel- 
barrow from  the  hoppers  to  the  vessel  or  steamboats.  The  laborers  at  the  mines 
receive  $2,  per  day,  work  ten  hours  and  pay  $20,  per  month  for  their  board.  The 
average  product  of  each  laborer  including  all  whose  names  are  on  the  pay-roll, 
miners,  drivers,  trackmen,  repairers,  etc — is  2  to  2^-  tons  of  ore  per  day  per  man. 
lu  some  cases  an  average  of  five  tons  per  day  per  man  has  been  taken  out  by  a 
small  gang.  Ninety-one  cents  per  ton  freight  is  paid  on  the  railroad  to  Marquette, 
and  the  price  of  ore  on  the  vessels  is  now  $5,  per  ton. 

The  freight  from  Marquette  to  Cleveland  is  $3  per  ton,  thence  to  Pittsburgh  $2 
to  $2.50.  So  that  ore  may  be  laid  down  at  the  great  iron  manufacturing  city  of  the 
Union  at  from  $10  to  $11  per  ton.  The  lowest  rates  which  have  prevailed,  I  am 
informed  by  my  friend  H.  B.  Turtle,  of  Cleveland,  were  those  of  1861,  wlien  ore 
could  be  placed  in  Pittsburgh  for  $7  per  ton,  as  follows:  Cost  at  Marquette  $2.50, 
Cost  at  Pitts  freight  to  Cleveland  $2,  freight  thence  to  Pittsburgh  $2,  insurance  commission, 
$7.00.  etc.,  50  cents;   total  $7.  ******* 

The  long  winters  with  their  five  consecutive  months  of  snow,  during  which 
charring  in  pits  is  attended  with  many  difficulties,  renders  this  plan  the  most 
expedient.  Charcoal  is  now  being  delivered  at  the  furnace  at  11  cenis  per  bushel 
by  contract.  The  flux  used  is  a  limestone  found  near  the  railroad,  and  which  does 
not  cost  over  35  cents  per  ton  of  iron.  The  ore  produces  from  55  to  65  per  cent.,  a 
soft  hajinatite  from  the  Jackson  mine  being  the  favorite  mineral  used  of  all  the 
smelters.  It  requires  25  bushels  of  charcoal  to  reduce  one  ton  of  iron,  and  the 
furnaces  produce  from  10  to  18  tons  in  24  hours.  The  cost  of  making  iron  is  now 
about  $30  per  ton  ;  but  it  is  asserted  tiial  under  the  most  favorable  circumstances 
iron  has  been  made  at  $14  per  ton,  and  contracts  have  been  entered  upon  for  its 
manufacture  by  furnace  owners  with  their  managers  at  $16.50  per  ton,  de- 
livered on  board  at  Marquette.  The  foregoing  facts  will  enable  any  one  familiar 
with  the  iron  business  to  judge  the  relative  advantages  of  the  region  under  discus- 
sion as  a  locality  for  the  production  of  pig  iron. 

The  future  of  the  manufacturer  is  encouraging  ;  and  in  case  the  internal  revenue 
taxes,  joined  with  an  inaiiequate  tariff,  do  not  force  the  business  across  the  Atlantic, 
it  will  develope  even  more  rapidly  in  the  future  than  the  past.  Lan'l,  from  which 
may  be  cut  an  average  of  50  cords  of  wood  per  acre,  may  be  bought  at  from  $2.50 
Competition  ^'^  ^^  P^"^  Adv^  in  hundreds  of  places  along  the  shores  of  the  lakes.  We  have  seen 
in  freights— that  there  are  already  two  competing  lines  of  railway  leading  from  the  mines 
to  the  lakes.     The  lakes  are  free  to  all  navigators  who  may  desire  to  carry  ore, 


Freight  to 
Clevel.ma 
and  Pitts. 


Process  of 

chai-coal 

ninl'r. 


Cost. 


Future  en- 
couraging. 


Pa»t,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Ltvestmnifs.  237 

and  in  five  years  there  will  be  from  12  to  15  mining  compcaniea  competing  for  fbc-mi-l 
market.     This  combination  of  circumstances  will  secure  the  delivery  of  ore  at  any  '"'"'"R 
point  on  the  shore  of  the  lake  that  may  be   selected,  at  rates  most  advantageous  ,„ '■""'l'''"''"- 
the  manufacturer,  while  the  various  increasing  uses   for  charcoal-iron  will   always 
cause  an  ample  demand  for  the  product  of  his  furnace. 

The  Editor  of  the  Chicago  RqmhUcan  kindly  consents  that  extracts  may  Cor.ci,i.nrp. 
be  taken  from  an  unpublished  letter  from  a  special  correspondent : — * 

The   principal  feature  of  Escanaba  is   the  magniticent  ore  dock  built  by   the  l>raimba— 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  R.  R.,  a  structure  which   has  not  its   equal   in  the   United  "'''.'''"'"S 
States.     This  dock  contains  196  pockets  for  loading  ore,  each   pocket  holding  ■)()  |^ '"' '''^'"'• 
60  tons,  from  which  4,000  to  6,000  tons  of  ore  have   been  loaded   in  one  day.      Tlie 
Company  are  now  building  another  dock  inland,  which  will  be  used  for  storing  ore, 
and  will  have  a  capacity  of  20,000  tons.     This  will  be  esjjecially  useful  in  w  nter,  as 
by  means  of  it  and   the  dock  on  the  shore  of  the  bay,  the  Company  will  be  able  to 
accumulate  ready  for   instant  shipment  on  the  opening  of  navigation,  which   takes 
place  on  Green  Bay  at  least  three  weeks  sooner  than  on  Lake  Superior. 

The    railroad   and  dock   have   hardly  been  opened   two  years,  and  already  the  inrrea«e  of 
business  done  over  each  is  immense.     In  1866  the  shipments  of  ore  from  Escanaba '•''P"'enta  — 
were  as   follows:     From  the  Jackson  Mine,  53,96:5  tons;  New  York,  38,462  tons  ; 
Cleveland,   18,518  tons;    Iron  Cliffs  Mnfr.   Co.,   3,470  tons;   Iron   Mountain  mine, 
6,855  tons;  a  total  of  116,268  tons. 

In  addition  to  the  amount  shipped  there  were  also  in  store  7,482  tons,  900  lbs.  of  —yet  far- 
ore  at  the  end  of  1866.     During  the  same  year  689  tons  of  pig  metal  from   the  ""^''' 
Pioneer  and  Morgan  Furnaces  were  shipped  from   Escanaba.     That  these  ship- 
ments are   but  the  beginnings  of  an  immense  traflSc  there  can   be  no   doubt.     The  Kncrgj' "f 
Peninsula  R.    R.    branch  of  the    Chicago  &  N.  Western    R.  R.  has   already   lapped  ^- V' "'""' 
round   its  rival,  the  Marquette  &  Bay  De  Noc  R.  R.,  and  now  its  tracks  extend  into 
the  Jackson,  Cleveland,  New  York,  Iron  Mountain  and  Iron  Cliff  mines.     To  the 
two   latter  it    affords  the  only  outlet.     The   same  enterprise  which  forestalled   tlie 
slow  moving  Marquette  and  Bay  De  Noc  R.  R.  Co.,  in  the  construction  of  the  road 
from  Negauuee  to  Escanaba,  may  also  be  depended  on  to  tap  every  iron  mine  in  the 
district ;   and  although  as   a  matter  of  course,  Marquette  will  always  have  a  large 
share  of  the  ore  and  iron  sent  forward  for   shipment,  yet  Escanaba  must  continue 
to  grow  in  favor,  and   may  ultimately  outstrip  its  northern  sister.     Not  only  is  theSnfe  harbor- 
Bay    Da  Noc  a  safer   anchorage   than   Marquette,  but  vessels  of  a  larger  class  can 
lay  at  the  docks,  since  no  vessel  drawing  more  than    ten  feet  of  water  can  enter— large 
Lake  Superior,  that  being  the   depth  of  St.  Mary's  Canal.     In  point  of  distance,  ''""iglit. 
too,  Escanaba    is   nearer  to  every    port   on    the  lower  lake  than   Maniuelte,  while  Distance 
sailing  vessels  bound   there  avoid   all  the  vexatious  delays   and  expenses  of  the ''''■"'• 
passage  through  the   St.    Mary's  River  and  Canal.     Besides  all  this,  Escanaba  is  Karly  nay- 
open  to  navigation  at  least  two  weeks   earlier  in  the  spring  and  later  in  the  fall  'ir'"t'>'"- 
than  any  port  on  Lake  Superior. 

It   is    eminently  desirable    that  Chicago   merchants    should   inform    themselves  Trade  vnlua- 
somewhat   respecting    capabilities    of    the    Lake    Superior    mineral    districts    for  ^'"  *°  C^'- 
production,  and  their  value  as  customers. 

The  Marquette  Mim'ng  Jotirnal  remarks  upon —  Marqwtte 

Jimr. 

The  Future  Supply  of  Lake  Superior  Iron  Ore. — The  season  now  closing  has  been  Kutnro  Kup- 
marked  by  a  greater  development  of  the  leading  interest  of  this  region— the  Pb'  of  iron 
production  of  iron  ore — than  in  any  other  year  since  the  mines  were  opened. 

Until  this  year  it  has  been  doubtful  whether  the  supply  of  67  per  cent,  ores  would  67  per  cent, 
keep  pace    with    the    annually  increasing    demand,  but    it  may  now    be  considered  JJ^J^^^j" '""■ 
certain  that  no  limitation  of  the  business  will   ever   take   place   by  reason  of  the 
inadequacy  of  the  supply. 


*  This  correspondent  was  employed  the  winter  of  1866-7,  to  explore  the  mining  reRlon  of  Lake  Superior,  Thorough 
and  several  letters  have  been  published  in  the  Republican  giving  full  information.  This  lust  being  a  ',"J^_*"**' 
sort  of  resume,  has  been  waiting  for  a  convenient  occasion  ever  since. 


238 


Coiyunction  of  Coal,  Iron,  and  other  Ilinerals. 


Supply 
tucieasing. 


Machiuery 


Mines  im- 
prove dowu- 
warda. 
Now   discov- 
eries. 


Under 
ground 
miuins. 


More 
haiiiatite. 


Demand  in- 
creases with 
supply. 


LaJci',  Sup. 
Mining  Jour, 


The  highest  yearly  product  of  any  single  mine  previous  to  18G7  was  about  90,000 
tons;  this  year  the  Lake  Superior  Company  and  the  Jackson  Company  will  each 
produce  about  125,000.  The  Cleveland  Company,  the  Pittsburgh  and  Lake  Angeline 
Company,  and  the  New  York  mine,  have  also  this  year  all  increased  their  produc- 
tion about  50  per  cent,  over  that  of  1866.  The  introduction  of  machinery,  and  the 
sysfem  of  deep  mining  in  the  older  mines,  will  enable  them  to  maintain  without 
exhaustion,  a  large  production  from  year  to  year,  although  its  cost  will  be  somewhat 
increased,  compared  to  that  of  the  merely  surface  operations  of  their  earlier 
history.  Generally  speaking,  the  deposits  of  ore  in  these  mines  enlarge  as  they 
are  worked  downward,  giving  promise  of  an  unfailing  supply  for  the  future. 

On  the  New,  or  Magnetic  Range,  there  is  the  same  gratifying  assurance  of  a 
future  increased  production.  The  discovery  made  last  fall  at  the  Washington  mine 
of  the  continuance  of  the  deposit  eastwardly,  proves  to  have  been  of  great 
importance.  A  heavy  belt  of  perfectly  pure  ore  has  been  traced  for  nearly  half  a 
mile  on  this  location,  to  which  the  entire  operations  of  the  company  have  been 
transferred.  The  product  of  this  range  has  hardly  been  felt  as  yet,  but  it  will 
hereafter  figure  largely  in  the  sum  total.  The  mine  recently  discovered  near  the 
Champion  Furnace,  about  four  miles  west  of  the  Washington  mine,  is  probably 
upon  the  same  range.  The  deposit  here  is  of  large  extent  and  great  purity,  and  the 
new  mine  just  opening  upon  it  will  be  able  to  make  a  good  product  next  season. 
The  system  of  underground  mining  has  been  adopted  already  at  the  Edwards  mine 
on  the  new  range.  The  greater  regularity  of  the  occurrence  of  the  deposit  on  this 
range,  and  their  nearer  correspondence  to  regular  veins  are  calculated  to  facilitate 
this  mode  of  mining,  and  to  insure  a  large  and  uniform  crop. 

A  large  deposit  of  soft  h.oematite  of  good  shipping  quality  has  also  been  discovered 
during  the  past  year  on  the  land  of  the  New  England  Company,  and  that  of  the 
Lake  Superior  Company  adjoining,  from  which  a  oonsid  arable  supply  of  this  kind 
of  ore  can  hereafter  be  derived.  The  aggregate  production  of  ore  during  this  year 
from  all  the  iron  mines  in  this  country  is  about  450,000  tons.  The  demand  has 
held  good  up  to  the  last  days  of  navigation,  and  but  little,  we  understand,  remains 
undisposed  of  at  Cleveland  and  Erie.  It  is  a  matter  of  encouragement  to  our  local 
interests  that  in  a  year  characterized  by  so  much  general  depression  of  business 
the  demand  for  our  products  has  actually  increased  fifty  per  cent,  over  any  former 
year.  One  or  two  years  of  general  commercial  and  manufacturing  following  each 
other  (which  it  would  not  be  unreasonable  to  expect  unless  our  national  energy  is 
to  be  crippled  by  political  blunderers  and  plunderers),  and  we  shall  produce  and 
export  a  million  tons  of  ore  a  year. 

The  Lake  Superior  Mining  Journal,  February  1st,  furnishes  this 
statement  of — 


Products  of 
Marquette 
iZo.,  l!)67. 


Population 
increasing. 


Minps  de- 
ecribed. 


Shipping, 


Marquette  County.  Its  Business,  Product  and  Improvements  for  the  Year  1867. — 
Rapid  as  has  been  the  development  of  the  iron  interest  of  Lake  Superior,  the  year 
1867  stands  out  in  its  history  as  unprecedented.  A  decade  has  scarcely  passed 
since  the  first  shipment  of  iron  ore  from  the  mines  of  Marquette  Couuty  was  made, 
and  yet  the  grand  result  of  the  year  just  closed  is  a  half  million  tons — equal  to 
one-fourth  of  the  entire  product  of  the  Uuited  States.* 

The  population  of  the  couuty,  as  made  up  from  reliable  estimates,  has  been 
increased  during  the  year  by  about  4,000.  The  total  population  now,  cannot  fall 
short  of  14,000,  showing  an  increase  of  40  per  cent. 

An  account  follows  of  each  mine,  its  product,  disposal,  and  increase. 
Also  of  the  Marquette  and  Pacific  Rolling  Mill  Co.,  and  the  Iron  Bay 
Foundry.  Of  shipping  for  1867,  the  clearances  were,  steamboats,  521; 
vessels,  404;  total,  925;  tonnage  442,431.  Clearances  1866,  No.  765; 
tonnage,  381,345;    an    increase    in  No.   160;    in  tonnage,   61,086.      The 


Exaggera-         *  This  statement,  seen  in  other  quarters,  is  a  gross  error.      The  TJ.  S.  Census,  of  1860,  states  the  annual 

o'ub!  '"■'"^'"     product  to  June  Ist,  of  ore  mined,  908,.3OO  tons;    used  in  furnaces,  2,309,975  tons;    total,  3,218,275  tons. 

The  increase  of  Lake  Superior  ore  is  an  abundant  wonder,  which  exaggeration  only  destroys. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments. 


239 


figures  of  The   Marquette  and  Ontonagon  Railroad    are   for  1807,  tonnage  Mnr.  ana 
east,  309,122;  west,  30,959;  total  340,081;  for   1866,   236,976;  increase,*^"'"  "■'^' 
103,105.     Passengers  1867,  58,963  ;  1856,  35,591;  increase,  23,372.     The 
Editor  adds  remarks  and  tables  following; : — 

The  Marquette  &  Ontonagon,  as  also  the  Peninsular  Railroail,  has  been  taxed  to  Kull  bual- 
its  utmost  to  furnish  transportation  for  the  immense   amount  of  freight  pressed  ""»»• 
upon  it.     It  has  moved  as  many  as  3,000  tons  in  a  single  day.     Both  roads  are 
engaged  in  increasing  their  rolling  stock  this  winter. 

The  active  capital  employed  in  Mining  and  manufacturing  has  been    increased  increased 
not  less  than  $1,000,000.     The  aggregate  sum  invested  in  the  iron  business  is  now  c(ii>ital. 
about  $-5,000,000. 

Produce  of  Lake  Superior  Iron  Ore,  1867. 


Companies 


Jackson  Iron  Co 
Cleveland  Iron  Co 
Marquette  Iron  Co 
New  York  Iron  Co 
Lake  Superior  Iron  Co 
Pittsburgh  &  L.  A.  Iron  Co 
New  England  Mine 
Edwards  Mine 
Washington  Iron  Co 
*ron  Mountain  Iron  Co 
Iron  Cliff  (estimated) 


Total  Iron  ore 469,320  513,062 


Manufacture  of  Lake  Superior  Pig  Iron,  1867. 


Furnaces. 


Greuwood 

Morgan,.. 
Michigan, 
Collins, 


Tons. 


5,339 
5.050 
4,131 
4,630 


Furnaces. 


Bancroft,.. 
Pioneer,... 
Northern,. 


Tons. 


Lake  Snp, 
pig,  1S67. 


3,051 
6,980 
1,730 


Total,  Pig  Iron,   tons, 30,911 

Total,  Iron  Ore, - 469,3l20 

Total,  Iron  Ore  and  Pig,  tons, 500,231 


Product  of  Iron  Ore  and  Pig  Iron  in  Marquette  County,  from  1858  to  1867. 


Year. 

Iron  Ore. 

Pig  Iron. 

A^alue. 

Year. 

Iron  Ore. 

Pig  Iron. 

,.  ,           Pn-Iiic-l    ore 
^"'u^-      an.l  pig  from 

1858 
1859 
1860 
1861 
1862 

31.035 
65.679 

116,998 
45,430 

115,721 

1,629 
7,258 
5,660 
7,970 
8,590 

$  241,202 
575,629 
736,496; 
419,401 
984,977 

1863 
1804 
1S65 
1866 
1867 

185,257 
235.123 
13.%256 
296,872 
469,320 

9.813 
18,832 
12,283 
18,437 
30,911 

$    1.416,9^5 
l.StM.il.^ 
1.590,4.30 
2,4115,960 
3.475.720 

*  Mr.  S.  C.  Baldwin,  Superintendent  of  the  Peninsular  Railroad,  before  tlio  publication  of  the  Marqu'-tle  Mr.  Bald- 
paper,  had  supplied  this  statement  of  the  ore  products,  which  nearly  accords  ;  as  in  the  last  item.  Instead  wij/s  state-' 
of  "Iron  Cliff,"  which  is  omitted,  Mr.  Baldwin  gives  amount  "  furnished  to  local  furnaces,"  which  in  the 
other  statement  is  included  in  the  product  of  each  mine. 


240 


Conjunction  of  Coal,  Iron,  and  other  Mmerals. 


First  export      Exportation  began  in  1855,  when  the  Sault  St.  Marie  Canal  was  opened, 
^^^^"  with  1,415  tons;  in  1856,  11,594  tons  were  exported,  and  in  1857,  26,184 

tons. 
Mr.  A.B.         Mr.  A.  B.  Meeker,  who  restricts  his  trade  to  coal  and  iron,  particularly 
■*'  **"'        the  latter,  furnished  the  Marquette  paper  quoted,  and  adds  these  remarks  : — ■ 


Routes  for 
ore. 

First  cargo 
at  Chi.  1867 


Advantage 
of  this 
route. 


Good  la. 
coal. 


To  smelt 
Lake  Sup. 

ores. 


To  come 
through  Chi. 


A  Chi.  irun 
Co. 

Other  mills. 
III.  Goal. 


Chi.  a  dis- 
tributing 
point  for 
West. 

Has  %  Lake 
Sup.  trade. 


Of  this  quantity  of  ore,  469,000  tons,  300,000  were  shipped  to  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
the  balance  to  Detroit,  Erie,  Buflfalo  and  Toledo.  Of  pig  iron  the  greater  part  was 
shipped  to  Chicago.  The  first  cargo  of  ore,  355  tons,  was  received  from  Lake 
Superior  at  Chicago  in  Deo.  1867.  For  shipment  to  Imliana  and  consumption  here, 
75,000  tons  will  be  needed  in  1868.  This  is  a  wonderful  increase;  but  it  is  esti- 
mated that  in  the  next  five  years,  shipments  of  ore  to  Chicago  will  largely  exceed 
those  to  Cleveland  or  any  other  port.  The  Lake  Superior  ores,  via  Escanaba,  cau 
come  to  Chicago  at  least  $1  per  ton  less  than  to  Cleveland.  Escanaba,  the  ter- 
minus of  the  Peninsula  Division  N.  W.  R.  R.,  is  to  be  the  great,  shipping  port  for 
Lake  Superior  ores,  situated  as  it  is  on  Lake  Michigan,  at  the  entrance  to  Green 
Bay,  with  one  of  the  finest  harbors  on  the  whole  chain  of  lakes.  To  Chicago  it  is 
36  hours  sail ;  to  Cleveland  5  days,  besides  heavy  cost  for  towing  up  and  down 
Detroit  River  from  Lake  Huron  to  Erie. 

In  Clay  and  Parke  counties,  Indiana,  an  excellent  quality  of  splint  or  block 
coal  has  been  discovered  the  past  year,  superior  to  the  block  coals  of  Mahoning 
Valley,  Ohio,  and  Shenango  Valley,  Pa.,  for  smelting  ores.  Three  blast  furnaces 
have  been  constructed  in  the  last  six  months  at  Brazil,  Indiana,  to  smelt  Lake 
Superior  ores  with  this  coal.  They  are  a  great  success,  making  pig  iron,  it  is 
averred,  with  less  coal  than  is  being  done  by  any  other  bituminous  coal  in  the 
country. 

The  Lake  Superior  ores  for  these  furnaces,  must  be  shipped  from  Chicago ;  and 
return  ore  cars  can  bring  coal,  as  iron  made  in  Indiana,  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  is 
largely  shipped  to  Chicago,  this  being  the  great  distributing  point  of  the  north- 
west. In  this  connection,  some  large  capitalists  here  have  formed  a  stock  company 
of  $250,000,  to  construct  tv/o  blast  furnaces,  having  capacity  to  make  60  tons  pig 
iron  per  day,  furnace  to  be  in  blast  by  15th  Sept.  next.  Other  parties  are  getting 
ready  to  erect  mills  to  make  bar  and  sheet-iron,  nails,  railroad  spikes,  etc.  It  ia 
confidently  expected  that  our  own  coals,  such  as  Wilmington  and  Vermillion,  will 
smelt  ores.  The  former,  from  the  mines  of  the  Rhodes  Coal  Co.,  has  been  tested 
for  that  purpose,  and  pronounced,  by  good  iron  men,  a  great  success.  Illinois  has 
eight  times  the  co.al  area  of  Ohio,  and  it  is  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the 
Creator  of  all  things  would  place  this  vast  quantity  of  fuel  so  near  to  Chicago,  and 
the  great  iron  region  of  Lake  Superior,  and  not  have  it  used  right  here.  The 
greater  part  of  the  supplies  for  the  iron  and  copper  regions  of  Lake  Superior,  are 
now  shipped  from  here,  six  steam  propellers  being  constantly  engaged  in  the  trade, 
during  the  shipping  season,  besides  large  shipments  via  Chicago  &  Northuestera 
R.  R.  to  Escanaba.  Three  years  ago  Detroit  and  Cleveland  had  the  great  bulk  of 
the  trade,  while  now  Chicago  has  at  least  three-fourths  of  it. 


Chi.  Jour.         Mr.  Meeker  has  organized  an   Iron  Company  here,  thus  noticed  in   the 
Chicago  Journal: — 


Mr.  Meeker's 
Iron  Co. 

Triiil  of  Wil- 

Uiin;5tou 

c<jal. 


Capital 
$250,000. 


The  Matvifdcture  of  Pig  Iron  at  this  Point. — Several  weeks  since  we  made  mention 
of  the  fact  that  experiments  had  been  made  in  smelting  Lake  Superior  Iron  Ore  in 
this  city  by  Illinois  Coal,  from  the  Rhodes  Coal  shaft  at  Wilmington.  The  trials 
proved  successful,  and  it  was  satisfactorily  demonstrated  that  Iron  of  a  very  good 
quality  could  be  made  at  a  figure  much  below  what  it  costs  to  lay  the  article  down 
here,  either  from  Lake  Superior,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio  or  Indiana. 

With  facts  and  figures  indisputable  as  to  the  pecuniary  profits  of  such  an  enter- 
prise, some  of  our  prominent  merchants  have  organized  a  company  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $250,000,  to  be  called  the  "  Chicago  Iron  Company."  Two  blast  furnaces, 
with  a  capacity  to  smelt  thirty  tons  each  of  iron  per  day,  will  at  once  be  erected, 
and  put  in  operation  just  as  soon  as  navigation  opens  and  a  supply  of  iron  ore  can 
be  obtained. 


past,  Present  and  Future  of  Ch'rngo  Investments.  241 

Among  the  list  of  subscribers  to  the  stock  of  this  new  enterprise,  we  find  the  stockholdom 
names  of  A.  B.    Meelier,  E.  T.  Watkins,   P.    L.  Yoe,  S.    IJ.  Cobb,  Jerome  Beecher, 
John  B.  Turner,  George  L.  Dunlap,  Perry  H.  Smith,  Cyrus  Bentley,  George  Armour, 
Iliram  Wheeler,  F.  Haskell,  Hugh  T.  Dickey,  and  other  geutlemeu  largely  ideutitiud 
with  the  interests  of  our  city. 

To  say  that  the  manufacture  of  iron  in  this  city  is  a  matter  of  great  importance,  Imitortantto 
is  speaking  of  it  lightly  when   the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  it  are  fully  con-  ^''''• 
flidered.     Chicago  is   naturally    the  grand   distributing   point   for    the   West   and 
Northwest,  and  the  steady  increase  of  fully  o3,^  per  cent,   per  year  in  the  sale  of 
both  pig  and  other  manufactured  iron,  during  the  past  five  years,  demonstrates  the 
fact  beyond  all  question. 

Chicago  is  not  only  the  best  distributing  point,  but  it  is  the  best  port  on  the  Chi.  best 
whole  chain  of  lakes  at  which  to  deliver  iron  ore,  it  having  the  advantage  of  fully  »'''I'I''"K 
$1.00  to  Si. 50  per  ton,  in  the  shape  of  freight,  over  Cleveland.  °  •""■'  '""■  ""• 

Escanaba,  which  is  destined  to  be  the  great  shipping  point  for  the  Lake  Superior 
ores,  is  within   300  miles,  and  vessels  from  the  lower  lakes  will  gladly  bring  as 
ballast,    Canada   and    Lake    Champlain    ores.     Good   Wisconsin   ores  can  also    be  Wis.  ores, 
obtained,  and  60  miles  south  of  Chicago  lies  immense  bodies  of  "  bog  ore,"  which 
assays  52^  per  cent.     It  will  thus  be  seen  that  Chicago   can  obtain  at  a  lower  III.  ore*, 
figure  a  greater  variety  of  ores  than  any  other  city  or  pert  in  the  United  States. 

The  next  question  to  be  solved  is  the  supply  of  fuel  for  smelting  purposes,  which  Co.il— III. 
is  easily  done  by  stating  the  fact  that  raw   Illinois  Coal  can  be  laid  down  here  in 
large  quantities  at  $3  to  $4  per  ton.     Indiana  Coal,  of  a  quality  very  little  inferior  Imiiann. 
to  Brier  Hill,  at  nearly  the  same  figures.     Pittsburgh  Coke  and  Anthracite  Coal  can  I'iit^.  Coke 
also  be  laid  down   here  at  a  very  small  advance  on  the  cost  in  Cleveland.     With  all".'"'  ^^"il^ra- 
these  advantages,  Chicago  can  unquestionably  compete   successfully  in   the  manu- 
facture of  Pig  Iron  with  any  other  city  in  the  Union,  and  in  place  of  having  to  pay 
tribute  to  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  the  State  of  Illinois  will  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years  manufacture  all,  or  nearly  all,  the  iron  which  this  great  Western  country  will 
need. 

The  success  of  the  manufacture  of  Pig  Iron  here,  once  established,  will  insure  BusinpBgwill 
the  erection  of  mills  for  the  manufacture  of  bar  iron,  nails  and  other  descriptions  of  ""•■■■'^'"*- 
hardware — indeed  Eastern  capitalists  are  already  here  looking  into  the  feasibility 
of  at  once  putting  into  operation  a  first-class  nail  mill,  and  it  may  with  truth  be 
said  that  Chicago  is  yet  in  its  infancy,  and  destined  to  be  the  greatest  manufacturing 
point  in  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Baldwin,  Superintendent  of  the  railroad  to  Escanaba,  says   the  cost  Mr.uahiwin. 
of  ore  at  the  mines  in  1867,  was  34,  and  will  probably  be  83,  this  year,  and  Cost  ^rj-ako 
railroad  freight  81.75,    freight  to  Chicago  81.50,  making  total  cost  8G.25  to 
$7.25,    per   ton.     Mr.    Meeker    has    contracted    for   his    supply    delivered 
here,  at  86.50.     Suppose  we  have  to  use  Brazil  coal,  the   cost  per  ton  on  Brazil  coni. 
cars  is  82.75,  freight  83,  is  85.75,  per  ton. 

It  requires,  say  2  tons  each  of  ore,  813,  and  coal,  811-50,  making  §24.50,  Pig  cost  Jsc 
and  allowing  85.50  for  cost  of  smelting,  makes  the  very  best  of  iron  in  pigs 
cost '830,  per  ton.     These  are  outside  figures,  to  be  reduced  upon  each  item,  to  b^  ro. 
"Doubtless  competition  will  reduce  the  cost  of  ore,  81,  to  82.     Then  freight  _,r,.  mid 

•  11  •   1       i.1        a      4.       pfri'lgnt — 

will    be  some    reduced    by  strong     competition  usually  with    the  ttoct  ot 
grain  vessels,  which  will  load  in  part  with  coal  on  Lake  Erie,  to  throw  off 
at  Escanaba,  and  then  load  with  ore  or  iron   for   Chicago.     Down  freights 
largely  exceed  up  freights,  and  Chicago  will  usually  have  coal  brought  from 
Lake  Erie,  and  iron  from  Escanaba,  for  a  small  profit  above  cost  of  handling. 
From  81.50  to  83,  will  be  saved  on  coal.     The  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  coals  ^o^^i^and 
will  be  brought  down  by  competition  to  84,  or  U\  on  Lake  Erie,  and  freight  '"^ 
to  81,  or  $1.25;  and  these  coals  of  long-tried  use,  we  can  rely  upon  both  Pa.  M^d^o. 
in  quality  and  amount  at  under  ^Q,  per  ton.     We  are  constantly  hearing  of  "^ ' '"  ' 


242  Conjunction  of  Coal,  Iron,  and  other  Minerals. 

other  coals  equally  as  good  and  even  better ;  but  when  we  know  that  within 

100  miles  of  Chicago,  a  coal  as  good  as  Brier  Hill  or  Ormsby  can  be  had,  it 

Brazil  will  be  a  bright  day  to  Chicago  manufacturers.     Next  to  them,  as  at  present 

nex*!?'''^       advised,  the  Brazil  coal   spoken  of  by  Mr.  Meeker,  has  been  best  tested  and 

not  found  wanting.     With  .a  straight    railroad,  saving  some  70  or  80  miles 

out  of  250,  which  is  contemplated,  and  will  speedily  be  built,  taking   down 

ore  and  bringing  back  coal,  freight  will  be  reduced   more  than   half.     First 

Toco3t$i.5o.  cost,  too  will  be  less   than  §2.75,  and  this   coal   can  be  delivered  for  $4,50 

per  ton. 

AViimington      Besides,  the  tests  of  Wilmington  coal    afford   strong   evidence   that  we 

coal  good.     Y^g^YQ  inexhaustible  beds  of  good  quality  within  50  to  60  miles  of  Chicago. 

In  addition  to  the  experiment  alluded  to  by  the  Journal,  p.  240,  Mr  Walker, 

President  of  the  Chicago  &  Wilmington  Coal  Company,  informs  me  that  30 

tons  were  used  by  Capt.  Ward  at  Detroit,  successfully  smelting  Lake  Superior 

ore.     It  is  regarded  by  its  friends  one  of  the  best  coals  brought  here,  the  de- 

Coats  53.90.   mand  exceeding  the  supply.    The  railway  freight  is  $1.40  per  ton,  and  at  $2.50 

on  the  cars,  the  cost  is  $3.90.     Even  if  not  equal  to  the  Brier  Hill,  it  will 

take  the  place  of  that  in  many  uses,  leaving  that  for  the   special  purposes 

for  which   it  is  wanted,  and  bringing  down  its  price  to  the  lowest  possible 

figure. 

Eaiiways  to      Our  railways  understand    the  interest  they  have  in  promoting  the  con- 

fre^hts?^    sumption  of  Illinois  coal.     The  Wilmington  comes  by  the  Alton  road,  and 

their  entire  coal  freight  as  yet  is  in  this  to  Chicago,  of  which   their  last 

Chi.  (£-  AUrm  report  thus  speaks  : — 

Rep. 

6000tons'65.  The  coal  traffic  of  your  line  is  yet  in  its  infancy.  Beginning  in  1865  with  (3,000 
146,050  in  tons,  it  increased  in  1866  to  71,090  tons,  and  in  1867  to  146,050  tons.  A  large 
1867.  number  of  new  mines  are  being  opened,  from  which  an  increased  amount  of  coal 

will  be  taken  the  present  year. 
This  traffic        This  branch  of  our  traffic  is  one  that  must  be  specially  cared  for.     The  coal  upon 
to  bo  cared    your   line,  when   mined    extensively   and    cheaply,  as    it    soon    will    be,  if  proper 
°^'  encouragement   is  afforded,  will   contribute   largely    to  your   future    income,  and 

diminish    operating    expenses    by   reducing   the    cost  of  fuel   burned    upon   your 

locomotives. 
Coal  field  It  will  not  only  contribute  to   enhance  the  value    of  your  property  as  already 

under  road,    stated,  but  an  All-Wise  Providence  has  placed  an  almost  continuous  deposit  of  coal 
°^'  '^^'      below  a  soil  unsurpassed  in  fertility,  for  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  thirty  miles, 

traversed  by  your  railway. 
Nearest  Chi.      The  northern  portion  of  this  immense  coal  field  is  much  nearer  to  Chicago  than 
only  55      any  other,  (being  only  55  miles)  and   your  railway  will,  at  no   distant  day,  be  the 

means  of  transporting  nearly  all  the  coal  consumed  in  that  city. 


miles. 


Competition  We  trust  that  Concluding  declaration  is  not  to  be  realized,  for  it  would 
bie.  become  an  oppressive  monopoly.     The   Illinois  Central,   Rock   Island,  and 

Burlington  and  Quiucy,  pass  over  the  coal  field  and  transport  more  or  less 
other  rail-    coal,  and  probably  on  other  roads  good  quality  will  be  found,  though  the 

Alton  Road  will  have  some  advantage  in  distance.  We  shall  have  more 
Canal  and    roads,  too,  south  and  southwest.     Then,  along  the  canal  and  Illinois  river, 

which  affords  the  cheapest  transportation,  good  coal  may  be  found.     We 

yet  know  very  little  about  our  immense  coal  field. 


Pasit,  Present  ami  Future  of  ChH;t</o   Invest mmts.  I'l;; 

The  Chester  coal  is  another  reliance,  wc  hope,  for  the  cost  of  water  trans- chMtorconi. 
portatioQ  will  not  largely  exceed  that  of  railway  from   Wiluiin-ton.     This 
hope  is  strengthened   by  the  success  of  an   experiment   at  Caroudelet,  near  8,Kc.,.,.fMi 
St.  Louis,  smelting  Iron  Mountain  ore  with  Chester,  or  Big   Muddy   coal.  ""''''"'''  '" 
A  meeting  of  congratulation   was  held   '^  on 'change  at  12  o'clock  "   where /?o,rd  o/ 
speeches  were  made  and  these  resolutions  adopted  : —  [f"'''  '"'"''*' 

Whereas,  The  iron  furnace  at  Carondelet,  smelting  the  ores  of  Missouri  with  the  Mo  in.,, 
coal  of  Illinois,  is  now  in  successful  operation,  not  only  yielding  iron  in  large  and  "r<'- 
incroasing  quantities,  but  producing  it  in  quality  suited  for  the  most  valuable  uses  -iii  cual 
of  mankind  ;   and 

Whereas,  The  entire  success  of  this  experiment,  with  the  richest  ores  known,  -secoreg  to 
and  with  coal  to  be  had  in  quantities  as  unlimited  as  our  mountains  of  iron,  opens  a  Mo.  pn- 
new  era   in   the    iron    production  of  the   continent,  and  will   secure   to    Missouri  '""'"'■"'•^■• 
preeminence,  in  the  domestic  iron  trade  of  America  ;  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  we,  the    Union    Merchants'   Exchange   of  the  city  of  St.   Louis,  Conpmtii- 
congratulate  the  people  of  Missouri  and  Illinois  on  the  auspicious  event,  and  invite  '"">  ^'^-  '""' 
capital,  skill  and  labor  from  all  parts  of  the  world  to  share  with  us  the  riches  that '"' 
nature  has  provided. 

The  speeches,  very  appropriate,  would  be  interesting.     Though  of  course  st.  l.  madP 
advocating  St.  Louis  as  the  chief  point  of  Manufacture,  they  sustain  the*  '"'^""'*' 
important  point  of  the  general   distribution   of  iron   works   throughout  the 
rallies  of  the  rivers.     Their  expectations,  so  far  as  that  St.  Louis  is  to  be  a  To  be  a 
great  manufacturing  city,  will  surely  be  realized;  further  deponent  saith  cTt^.'  ^^^^' 
not,  for   it  would  prove  nothing. 

The  Illinois   State   Journal^  Dec.  31st,  1867,  furnished  an  account  of  an  m.  siau 
experiment  by  the  Sangamon  Coal  and  Mining  Company  : — 

*  *  *  This  new   development  of  coal,  which   has    been    sosimg. Co. 

throughly  tested,  is  from  the  mine  of  the  S.  C.  &  M.  Co.,  located  at  Hewlett,  in  <■"»'  '"<"• 
Sangamon  county,  Illinois.  This  company  own  nearly  1,500  acres  of  coal  territory,  ^.gV  *"'^" 
lying  together  in  a  body  on  the  south  fork  of  the  Sangamon,  and  on  the  line  of  the 
Toledo,  \Vabash  &  Western  railroad.  This  company  commenced  their  operations 
in  June  last,  and  have  developed  a  stratum  of  coal  averaging  six  feet  in  thickness, 
probably  the  richest  in  quantity  and  quality  yet  discovered  in  the  West.  It  was 
from  the  mine  of  this  company  the  coal  was  taken  that  was  subjected  to  the  tests 
above  mentioned.  ******* 

In  every  instance  the  quality  of  the  iron  produced  was  as  good  as  that  produced  imu  supori- 
by  any  other  coal.     The  shortness  of  the  time  required,  as  compared   with  tliat  of  °''. 
anthracite  coal,  is  ample  proof  of  the  great  heating  qualities  of  the  coal,  while  the 
quality  of  the  metal   proves  its    freedom   from  those   foreign    impure   substances 
heretofore  so  deleterious  to  the  use  of  Illinois  coals. 

With  these   developments,  which  at  all  events  are  very  favorable    indica-  tiimo  Hnt* 

,  „    ,  ,       -  promUing. 

tions,  it  would   appear   incredible   that  in  this  greatest  known  coal-neld  ot 
the  world,  good  qualities  should  not  be  found.     Explorations  thus  far  teacli  Much  to 
us  that  we  have   much  yet  to  learn;  and  for  the  tar  reaching  view  which 
we  are  taking,  it  would  not  be  unreasonable  to  draw  considerably  upon  the 
future  to  i»^tain  the  future.     But  this  we  have  done   no   further  than  to  no  hypo- 
calculate  to  some  extent  upon  what  man  will  do  from  what  he   has   done. 
Calculating  upon  the  profound  arcana  of  nature   is  quite  another  proposi- 
tion, which  is  not  necessary.     Judging  from  the   past,  nature  will   probably  neaiity  suf- 
be  found  as  favorable   to  Chicago  as  other  points ;  but  why  draw  upon  it 


244 


Conjunction  of  Coal,  Iron,  and  other  Minerals. 


Iron  atliigh- 
est,  $30— 


— probably 
Coal  ?3.oO. 


Large 
region  to 
supply. 

Sale  of  nails. 


capital  will 
discern  its 
interest. 


Leaps  with 
Bteel  springs. 


Ilottghton 

Gazette. 


Like  Sup. 
cop  pel; 


when  not  necessary  ?  From  what  we  have  seen,  Chicago  can  have  a  never 
failin"-  supply  of  good  bituminous  coal  from  Lake  Erie  at  $6,  with  plenty 
of  competition  to  reduce  the  price  $1  to  ^2  per  ton.  At  the  highest  figure, 
she  can  make  her  pig  iron  out  of  Lake  Superior  ore  at  $30.  If  we  can- 
not make  pigs  and  blooms  to  sell  to  others,  what  other  city  can  save 
enough  on  ore  and  coal  to  supply  us  cheaper  than  we  can  make  it  ?  With 
an  unlimited  supply  of  coal  and  iron  at  these  figures — and  iron  probably 
comes  down  to  $25,  and  coal  on  the  average  to  $3.50 — what  reason  can  be 
given  that  with  reasonable  time  and  capital  Chicago  should  not  have  the 
same  position  in  iron,  that  she  has  in  her  provision-manufacturing  ?  Nor 
need  we  to  seek  any  other  region  to  supply  than  that  naturally  tributary  to 
Chicago.  Messrs.  Hale  &  Ayer  sold  last  year  over  $190,000  worth  of 
nails,  and  Messrs.  Hibbard  &  Spencer  over  $200,000.  These  are  only 
part  of  the  nails,  and  nails  only  one  of  the  items,  to  produce  which  Chicago 
affords  these  abundant  facilities.  How  long  before  capital  will  discern 
these  unequaled  opportunities  to  use  Lake  Superior  iron,  which  certainly 
has  nothing  superior  to  it  in  the  known  world  ?  Well  is  the  present  stage 
of  our  race  denominated  the  "Iron  Age,"  for  it  has  been  the  chief  means 
of  progress ;  and  our  advancement  in  future  will  be  commensurate  with 
the  improvements  we  make  in  using  this  solid,  unyielding  basis  of  prosper- 
ity. Our  leaps  onward  in  the  scale  of  progression,  will  only  be  limited  by 
the  artistic  skill  employed  in  giving  spring  to  the  dormant  energies  locked  up 
for  ages  in  Lake  Superior  Iron  Ore,  which,  if  not  developed  specially  for 
the  benefit  of  Chicago,  at  least  inure  to  her  primarily  and  throngh  her  to 
the  whole  Nation.  Nor  does  Chicago  suDeriority  end  with  iron.  In  other 
chief  minerals  she  has  great  facilities  to  obtain  supplies. 

Lake   Superior  Copjier. — The   Hoiyjliton   Gazette  gives  the  product  of 
each  mine  last  year,  from  which  this  abstract  is  taken  : — 

Copper  Produce  of  Lake  Superior,  1867. 


Product   '67. 


District. 


Portage  Lake, 
Keweenaw,.... 
Ontonagon,.... 


No. 
Mines. 


Largest 

Mines. 

Tons.      lbs. 


1,175       565 

1,086    1,077 

329       832 


Smallest 

Mine. 
Tons.  lbs. 


17        8 

2        0 

14    114 


Total, 

1867. 

Tons.      lbs. 


Total, 

1866. 

Tons.      lbs. 


6,424  565  5,050  1,747 
3,801  777  3,023  691 
1,509     1,210|  1,701     1,250 


11,735       5521  9,775    1,6 


Increase. 
Tons.      lbs. 


1,.373 
778 
192J 


Product  1845 
-1867. 


Copper  Product  of  Lake  Superior,  1845-67. 


Year. 


1845  to  1854., 
1855  to  1857. 

1858 

1859 

1800 

1861._ 


Tons.     lbs. 


7,642 
11,812 
3,500 
4,2oO 
6,000 
7^400 


1862.. 
1863.. 

1864.. 
1865., 
1806.. 


Tons.     lbs. 


^°tal, 90  037 


9,062 

8,548 

8,047 

10,790 

1,156 

10,.375 

1,688 

11,735 

552 

Pastj  Prcstnt  and  Future  of   Chicago  Investments.  245 

The  correspondent  of  tlie  Chicago  Repuhlican  adds  to  liis  remarks  upou  Cor.au.Rep. 
iron,   p.   237,   the   following  upou   copper    and    upon   the    Lake    Superior 
general  trade : — 

With  regard  to  the  Copper  District,  my  preceding  letters  coutained  notices  of  one  lou  comp  ,- 
hundred  and  thirty  different  mining  companies.     Of  these  companies  seventy-eight  "''■»• 
have  suspended  operations;  in  some  cases  temporary,  in  others  probably  lasting. 
The  number  now  operating  is  iifty-two,  with  what  result  in   each  case  has  been  52  at  work. 
stated  so  far  as  could  be  ascertained.     Of  these  companies  working  and  nouwork- 
ing,    Messrs.    Dupee,   Beck  &    Gayles,   of    Boston,   publish   a  list  of   107,  stating 
severally  the  amount  of  capital  paid  in.     This  list,  corrected  up  to  September  last,  Capital 
gives  the  capital  paid  in  by  the  Shareholders  of  107  mining  companies  at.  Sl'5,-ltj5,i')00.  $iy,-*05,6<iu. 
On  this  investment  $5,570,000  have  been  returned  as  dividends  to  the  Shareholders 
of  eight  companies. 

The  operations  of  all  the  companies  have  resulted  in  a  gross  product  of  86,588  Total  to  D^c. 
tons  of  mineral  copper.     Figuring  this  at  75  per  cent,  of  ingot  copper,  which  will  JS^e,  86,588 
probably  be  a  little  under  the  mark,  will  give  G4,941  tons  as  the  total  product :   the 
value  of  which  estimated  at  an  average  price  during  the  past  twenty  years,  $500 
per  ton,  would   amount  in  round  numbers  to   $89,000,000.     During  tlie  past  year  $39,000,000, 
(18GG)  the  product  of  mineral  Copper  was  very  nearly  10,471  tons,  which  at  75  per 
cent,  ingot  would  give  7,854  tons.     Reckoning  the  average  price  during  the  past 
year  at  30  cents  per  lb.,  or  $000  per  ton  of  2000  lbs.  we  should  have  $4,712,400  as  1S6_6, 
the  value  of  efforts  for  one  year  from  the  copper  districts  of  Lake  Superior.     It  f4,n2400. 
would  be  no  exageration  to  say  that  at  least  $4,250,000  of  this  amount  was  spent  Mining 
in  the  district  itself,  in  wages  to  laborers,  and  in  paying  miscellaneous  expenses,  traJ«- 
machinery  and  mining  supplies  imported  for  the  development  of  the  mines.     In 
aid  of  this,  also,  assessments  to   the   amount  of  $1,375,000  were  paid  during  the 
same  time  by  the  shareholders  of  the  different  companies. 

The    iron    region    is    pressing    hard    after    the    copper    district,  as  a  producing,  Iron  inereai- 
exporting  community.     Already  in  bulk  it  largely  exceeds  that  of  the  copper  dis-  '"e- 
trict;  and  increasing  rapidly  in  amount,  it  will  before  long  be  equal  in  value.     The  Shipments 
total  ore  shipped  from   Marquette  and  Escanaba  since  185G  is  1,297,039  tons,  of  ^^'^^^^(J^^;^ 
which  285,243,  tons  were  shipped  the  past  year,  (18G0.)     The  price  per  ton  onboard  Kscan.ibn. 
vessel  is  $5,00,  making  in  round  numbers  $1,425,000  as  the  value  of  exports  of  ore 
during  the  past  year.  . 

Shipments    of  pig    iron   must   also   be   taken  into    account.     So   far   as   can  be  Pig  .rou. 
ascertained,  shipments  during  the  season  were  1G,187  tons  out  of  a  product  of  18,4b/ 
tons;  the  balance  made   afte'r  the  close  of  navigation  will  of  course  come  torward 
during  the   coming  season.     Estimating  price   last  year  at  $;j5,00  per  ton.  would 


ig  to  this  the  figu 
iron  exported  1866.  ,  ,         ^  .        1  •  1   „  ^., 

To  this  sum  must  be  added  something  for  furs,  fish,  and  root  crops,  m  which  aoth.r 
considerable  trade  is  already  done.     The  proportion  of  this  sum  which  is  spent  in  I""         ■ 
the  district,  or  rather,  which  is  employed  in  purchasing  supplies  for  its  population, 
and  the  operations  of  the  mining  companies,  maybe  estimated  <'•«'" '^  ^'^^.f/,^'";)''""  ,„     .„ 
of  the  following  facts  :     Practically  the  whole  industry  of  the  country  is  directed  All  n.uK-. 
to  the  development  of  its  mines.     Where  does  all  this  business  go  .     "^j^V'"^- 
tion  of  it  comes  to  Chicago  ?     A  very  small  part  indeed      0    the  iron  01  e J      Mh  I  Vhore 
about  one-fourth  goes  to  Erie,  three-eighths  to  Cleveland  an.    ^'l^V.f'^'-f'l'  ^\ly'.^ '' '  ore  ,oe.. 
remaining  three-eighths  is  distributed  between  Detroit   Toledo,  ^I'l-'"^*^^^:  ^.'''^Jt^ 
and  other   points.     Of  pig  iron,  about  eight  thousand  tons  have  been   shipped  to 
Chicago. 

Chicago  having  no  capital  for  mining,  the  trade  from  Lake  Superior  at  a. ;....... 

first  went  naturally  to  Detroit  and  Lake  Erie,  and  no  effort  has  bee.^.  made  t„ia  t.aa.... 

here  to  obtain  it  until  the  past  few  years.     The  character  of  the  trade,  and  its -^.oc, 
its    tendency  toward   Chicago,  are   points  of  importance   as  affecting    iron 
transportation;  for  vessels  trading  there  have  nothing   but  iron   and  copper 


246  Conjunction  of  Coal,  Iron,  and  other  Minerals. 

for  return  freights.     The  followiug  statement  has  been  prepared  at  my  request 

by  one  well  acquahited  with  this  subject: — • 

Minin"  Lake      The  mineral  district  of  Lake  Superior  has  scarcely  any  resources,  except  these 

Sup.  dtpeud  derived  from  its  great  Mineral  Wealth.     But  very  little  attention  is  paid  to  agriculture, 

®'^""®'  although  it  has  some  very  rich  soil.     As  a  general  thing,  the  seasons  are  found  too 

short  for  the   maturing  of  crops,  with   the  exception   of  potatoes   and   hay.     The 

majority  of  the  laborers  have  been  brought  up  in  England,  Ireland  and  Germany, 

in  a  mining  country,  and  consequently  are  accustomed  to  the  art  of  mining  from 

Purchase      childhood.     In  consequence  of  these  facts  all  the  necessaries  and  comforts  of  life 

everything,    must  be  imported. 

Detroit  first      Detroit  having  interested  itself  largely  in  the  mining  enterprise  of  Lake  Superior, 

iuterested.     belonging  to  the  same  State,  and  establishing  at  once   a  regular  communication  by 

water,  of  course  was  the   uniform  choice  as  the   depot  of  supplies  for  the  district. 

First  steam- In  18-30  the  propeller  Manhattan,  was  moved  across  the  Portage.     The  "Napoleon," 

boats.  a  schooner  moved  over  previously,  was  also   constructed  into  a   propeller.      The 

propeller  Monticello  followed   in   I80I,  and    the  side  wheeler   Baltimore  in  1S.52. 

Cinnectod     Tiiese  four  formed  a  regular  line  on  the  Upper  Lake, "connecting  at  Sault  St.  Mario 

with  Doiroit  ^yii\x  steamers  from  Detroit  and  Cleveland.     In  185-5  when  the  Sault  St.^Marie  Ship 

ind        '     Canal  was  opened,  Detroit  and  Cleveland  put  on  a  line  of  seven  boats,  transporting 

largely  freight  and  passengers.     They  run  without  competition,  and  charged  high 

rates   for  freight  and  passengers.     It   is  well  known  that  Detroit  grew   rich  out 

of  this  trade. 

Clii.  did  Chicago,  even  at  that  time  by  far  the  best  market,  made  no   effort  to  obtain  this 

nothing.        important  trade.     The  facilities  for  transportation  were  too  limited  and  unreliable 

to  induce  business  and  mining  agents  to  go  into  that  market  to^purchase,  as  often 

freights  had  to  lie  for  weeks  in  warehouse,  and  besides^was   subjected,  particularly 

No  regular    in  the  latter  part  of  the  season,  to  exorbitant  rates.     Some  seasons  one,  some  two 

line  of  boats.  ^Q^itg  ^yere  on  the  route,  and  they  did  not  pretend  to  run  regularly,  bui  would  make 

trips  elsewhere  when  more  profitable.     Under  these  circumstances  the  Lake  Superior 

people  preferred  to  pay  ^higher  for  supplies  at  Detroit  and  Cleveland,  although  they 

Detroit  and    knew  well,  that  the  Chicago  market  was  by  far  most  advantageous.     In  18t3I   the 

p"'^'^J^'*"'l      Cleveland,    Detroit   and    Lake    Superior    Line,  consisted    of  12,  mostly   first   class 

\i,ji_''        'steamers,  while  Chicago  had   but  one  side  wheeler,  (for  a  part  of  the  season)  and 

Laopold  k     two  propellers  on   the  route.     Messrs.  Leopold  &  Austrian,  an   'enterprising  busi- 

Austrian.      j^gss  firm,  one  or  both  residents  and  active  business  men  there  for  over  2-5  years, 

have  since  1»-jO  established  trade  at  different    points   of  the  copper    region.     With 

their  large  experience,  they  comprehended  the  situation  and  determined  to  establish 

a  reliable  line  of  steamers  from  Chicago,  with  reasonable  rates  of  freight  all  the 

— estab-        season  round.     They  purchased  the  propeller  Ontonagon,  640  tons,  and  put  her  on 

lished  aChi.  i\^q  route  186-5.     The  current  of  trade  at  once  set  for  Chicago,  so  much  so,  that  these 

b  "us.     ^'     gentlemen  purchased  the  propeller  Norman,  540  tons.     The  Ontonagon  was  mostly 

rebuilt   the   winter '64Jand '65,  costing  about  $30,000;  and  these  have  formed  the 

past  two  seasons  the  Lake  Superior  People's  Line  Steamers,  doing   an  extensive 

TOODtonsfrom  freighting  and  passenger  business.     They  transported  last  season  over  7,000  tons  of 

Cai.,  iser.     merchandise,  from  Chicago  alone,  though  rates  charged  for  freight  were  quite  too 

Sotherpro-   reasonable  for  profit.     There  were  the   past  season,  also  three  outside   propellers, 

pellers.  making  five  steamers,  besides  sail  crafts.     All  of  them  will  take  their  places  on  the 

route  again  this  coming  season. 

Cleveland  The  Cleveland,  Detroit  and   Lake   Superior  Line,  on  the  other  hand,  has  melted 

and  Detroit   Jown  from  12  Steamers,  to  half  of  that  number  and  the  prospect  is  a  further  decline, 

clioino-".         with  an   increase    on    the    Chicago    route,  as   by  the    erection    of  furnaces  now  in 

progress,  the  down  freight  will   largely  increase.     Although  the  copper  district  of 

Lake  Superior  is  now  passing  through  a  severe   crisis,  its   wealth  is  such,  that  the 

Trade  filial  result  can  not  be  doubtful.     The  existence  of  inexhaustible  deposits  of  copper 

valuable.       and  iron  is  proved  beyond  doubt ;  and  should   a  tariff  on   copper,  be  laid   which  is 

before  Congress,  it  would  stimulate  mining  materially,  and  all  business  connected 

Chi.  to         with  it.    At  all  events,  great  improvements  may  be  expected,  and  Chicago  for  the  future 

fiu-uish  may  be  looked  upon  as  the  depot  of  supplies  for  the  Lake  Superior  country,  which 

supplies.        position  it  gained  for  itself  through  many  advantages  offered  in  its  market  and  the 

satisfactory  manner  in  which  transportation  is  now  done. 

Boats  to  Two  steamers,  the  George  L.  Dunlap,  and  the  Saginaw,  as  hitherto,  run 

in  the  interest  of  the  Northwestern  Railroad  from  Grreen  Bay  to  Escanaba, 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Invrdmentx.  217 

together  with  the  Washington,  creating  direct  competition  with    the   Mar 
quette  route  for  supplies  to  and    shipments  from  the   iron    region.     ThcThiHtiu- 
Lake  Superior   trade,  too,  is  naturally  ours,  in   that  during  winter  the  only  rjuti*"""' 
connection  is  by  the  Northwestern  railroad,  which,  though  only  tinishcd  to 
Green  Bay,  will   soon  be  extended  to   Escanaba,  with  branches  to  different 
ports  on  Lake  Superior. 

Bog  Iron   Ores. — Should  these  be  found   beneficial  to  mix   with    Lake  Bog  iron 
Superior   ores,  they  are  profusely  scattered   in  northern   Indiana,   Illinois *"^'"'' 
and  Wisconsin.     They  have  been  found  within  40   miles  of  Chicago,  and 
may  be  nearer. 

Galena  Lead  Mines. — Mr.  Blake's  remarks,  p.  223-4,  suffice  to   present  oaicna  leaj 
the    abundance   of    this  valuable  metal.     Lead  manufactures  are   already '°""'''' 
extensively  prosecuted  at  Chicago,  and  their  increase  j^artpassw  with  others 
is  very  sure. 

Zinc  also  abounds.      The  following  is  from  Hunt's  Merchants    Magazine  zinc. 
Oct.,  1865  :—  //"nf* 

Merch.  Mag. 

Zinc  Manufacture  in  Illinois. — The  existence  of  rich  zinc  ores  in  various  parts  of  .Maimriicture 
the  country  has  long  been  known,  and  numerous  attempts   have  been  made  to  turn  ''|  ''■'^a'le, 
them  to  account.     As  far  back  as  the  Revolution  we  iind  these  experiments  bejrin- 
ning  to  be  made  and  continuing  till  some  12  years  since  without  success.     The  first  >'..l.iin(l  Pa. 
remunerative   results   were  realized  in   New  Jersey  by  converting  the  zinc   ore, 
known  as  Franklinite,  into  the  white  oxide  of  zinc  for  paint.     Similar  works  were 
erected  in  Pennsylvania  at  Bethlehem,  using  the  calamine  or  carbonate  and  silicate 
of  zinc.     The  market  was  soon  stocked  with  the  zinc  white  now  so  extensively  used  Difficulties— 
as  a  pigment  instead  of  white  lead.     Practical  men  having  thus  turned  their  attention 
to  the  ores  of  zinc,  several  attempts  were  made  to  reduce  them  to  a  metallic  state, 
in    New   Jersey,    Pennsylvania   and   Wisconsin.     These    attempts    were   generally —failures, 
failures,  and  the  belief  was  confirmed  that  metallic  zinc  could  not  be  successfully 
manufactured  here.     One   exception  is  found   in   the   Bethlehem   works  of  Penn- Twoexcop- 
Bylvania,  and  another  in  the  subject  of  this   article,  the  zinc  works  of  La  Salle,  DO  *'"'^- 
miles  west  of  Chicago. 

The  country  is  indebted  to  Messrs.  Mathieson  and  Hegehler,  two  highly  intelli-  Founders  of 
gent  Germans,  and  graduates  of  the  Mining  Academy  of   Frieburg,   for  the  first  Jj*^J^^'® 
success  in  this  direction.     These  gentlemen   came  to  America  in   1857,  and  began 
their  experiments  at  the  Lehigh  zinc  works,  in  Pennsylvania,  where  they  produced, 
as  it  is  believed,  the  first  metallic  zinc  of  American  make.     Learning  of  the   supe-  Exiimina- 
rior  richness  of  the  Wisconsin  ores,  they  went  West  in  1858,  and  examined  the  zinc  """=•• 
ores  of  the  lead  region,  which   had  been  described  in  the  geological  reports  of 
Wisconsin  in  1853.     Satisfied  of  their  value  and  abundance,  they  looked  for  fuel  and 
facilities  of  manufacture  and  transportation.     La   Salle,  with  its  rich  deposits  of  Locate  at 
coal,  building  material,  and  unequaled  means  of  land  and  water  transportation,  pre-  ^'^»o- 
seuted  these  conditions  in  the  highest  degree,  and  they  at  once  decided  to  make  it 
the  location  of  their  works.     At  first  they  rented  a   small   temporary  furnace,  and, 
in  a  quiet  and  unpretending  way,  began  experiments  upon  the  ores,  coal,  and  fire- 
clays within  their  reach.     The   fire-clay  for   their   first  retorts   was  brought   from  Obstjiclen. 
Germany,  all  American  fire-clays  then  known  failing  to  stami  the  intense   heat 
required.     Great  difficulty  also  was  experienced  in  adjusting  the  old  machinery 
and  processes  of  Europe  to  the  new  materials.     For  nearly  five  years  these   menFiveycam' 
labored  with  a  patience  worthy  of  all  praise,  overcoming  one  obstacle  alter  .another  » 
by  a  rare  combination  of  scientific  knowledge   and   practical  skill.     So   numerous 
have  been  their  changes  in  the  old  methods  of  treating  the  ores  of  zmc.  fliat  they 
may  justly  claim  to  be  the  inventors  as  well   as   builders  of  their  present  furnaces. 
They  have  at  last  achieved  a  most  triumphant  success.     Tneir  new  works  are  being  -brings 
nonstructed  in  the  most  permanent  manner,  and  when  completed  will  be  the  most  »"<:"<'«. 
extensive  and  perfect  in  the  world. 

The    daily   yield  of  the  three  furnaces  is   about   four  tons.     The  coal  used  is  4  tons  i.m 
mostly  slack  or  waste  of  the  mines,  of  which  about  six  tons  are  required  to  produce  "•«>• 


248  Conjunction  of  Coal,  Iron,  and  other  Minerals. 

a  ton  of  zinc.     The  amount  of  ore  consumed  is  about  five  tons,  or  2,400  pounds  to 
pach  ton  of  metal  produced.     The   zinc  made  here  is   said  to  be  the  best  in  the 
world.     Telegraph  zincs  are    already   extensively  manufactured  for  Western  con- 
Ore  from       sumption.     The  ore  u.sed  is  obtained  from  the  iron  region  of  Wisconsin,  100  miles 
Wis.  north  of  La  Salle.     It  is  found  in   great  quantities  among  the  rubbish  of  the  old 

lead  mines,  where  it  has  been  thrown  aside  by  the  miners  under  the  name  of  "  dry 
bone."  It  often  attends  the  lead  ore  as  the  matrix,  or  vein  stone,  and  is  in  bad 
repute  from  the  tendency  of  such  veins  to  give  out.  The  miners  say  the  dry  bone 
eats  out  the  galena.  The  ore  resembles  a  dirty  limestone,  and  in  its  natural  state 
Heavy  gives  no  indication  of  the  brilliant  metal  which  it  holds.     Heavy  deposits  of  it  have 

deposits.  been  opened  in  mining  for  lead,  but  the  surface  supply  is  adequate  for  present  pur- 
poses. The  ore  is  roasted  at  the  mines,  and  parts  with  carbonic  acid  and  water, 
which  form  .33  per  cent,  of  its  weight.  It  is  then  put  on  the  cars  and  transported 
in.  Cent.  to  La  Salle,  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  with  commendable  liberality,  charging 
railroad  only  a  nominal  price  for  transportation,  to  encourage  the  development  of  the 
liberal.  manufacture.     The  price  of  zinc  in  the  pig  is  now  about  $200  per  ton.     The  pro- 

Zinc  sold  in  tluct  of  the  La  Salle  furnaces  is  mostly  sold  in  New  York,  where  it  is  rolled  and 
N.  Y.  manufactured.     The  proprietors  intend  erecting  rolling  mills  next  season  for  the 

manufacture  of  sheet  zinc.     One  of  them  is  now  in  Germany  securing  the  means 
and  skilled  labor  for  a  still  further  expansion  of  the  enterprise. 

Still  success-      Upou  inquiry,  I  find    success  still  attends  this  enterprise.     The  rolling 
"'■  mill  is  in  operation,  able  to  convert  into  sheet-zinc  14,000  lbs.  per  day,  while 

the  works  produce  about  7,500  lbs.  of  metallic  zinc  each  24  hours. 

Fire  Clay.         -^'^<^  CUii/. — Notwithstanding  the  La  Salle  fire-clay  is  not  considered  good, 

Dr.  J.  V.  Z.  Blaney,  says  it  is  because  care  is  not  taken  in  its  extraction, 

to  keep  the  pure  stratum  separate  from  that   above  and  below — that  he  has 

had  superior  specimens  from  there,  which  he  has  subjected  to  the  severest 

tests. 

suex.  Silex. — An  inexhaustible  bed  of  pure   white  sand   exists  within  half  a 

mile  of  the  canal  in  La  Salle   county,  some  10   or   12  miles   in  length,  as  it 

appears  at  Utica  and  at  Marseilles.     By  canal  boat  it  is  brought  at  small 

cost ;  and   with    Galena   lead,    glass   manufacture    is  to    become  extensive. 

Already  three  work-shops  are  started. 

Chief  miner-      Howevcr  inadequately  the  matter  has  been  handled,  the  intrinsic  force  of 

at°Chi.         its  own  elements  must  convince  any  candid  investigator,  that  no  other  point 

can  claim  superior  advantages  to  Chicago,  for  gathering  the  chief  minerals, 

— iron,  coal,  copper,  lead,  and   zinc.     Superiority   is  not   claimed   upon  any 

one  of  these,  though  it  should  be  conceded  on  iron  and  copper;  but  upon 

the  five,  no  one    of   the  ten  or  fifteen  largest  cities   is  equal  to  Chicago. 

Insures        Advantages  in  this  respect  alone  would  insure  the  growth  of  a  large  manu- 

largeiy.        facturing  city.     Nor  is  it  merely  to  these  chief  minerals  that  her  superiority 

Further       IS  restricted.     Although  the  surface  of  the  Great  West  has   not  yet  been 

ments.''        evcn  skimmed,  and  we  can  know  nothing  of  its   hidden   wealth,  yet  look  at 

the  lists  above  given,  already  known  to  exist.     The  objector  will  say,  "  But 

mining  of  them  is  untested  and  we  know  not  whether  it  will   pay  cost,  and 

you  profess  to  base  your    argument  upon  fact,  not  uncertain   hypothesis." 

Not  hypo-     True ;  yet  is  it  not  certain  from  discoveries  already  made,  that  the  West  is 

the  most  prolific  in  minerals,  and  in  greater  variety,  than   any  other   known 

region  of  the  world  ?     More  scientific  knowledge,  more  practical  experience, 

may  be  required  for  their  development.     But  as  we  saw  in  zinc,  science  and 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  249 

art  will  coDie  together,   and   coijperata   to  the   development  of  as   prcat  a  Dcv..i..p- 
variety  of  mmerals  as  any  two  or  three  Nations  ever  had.     We  depend  not  ""■'"'"  ""'^*'' 
upon  a  few   thousand,  or  a  few  hundred  thousand   miles  for  our  resources ; 
but  fifteen  hundred  thousand  square  miles  make  Chicago  its  emporium,  of  \,m\^m  «.,. 
which  a  million  is  the  richest  mining  region  of  the  world.     With   the  chief  mh^ay;. 
ordinary  minerals  in  close  proximity,  rendering  it  the  centre  of  manufactures 
for  the  entire  West,  the  extraordinary  would  naturally  come  thither  to  be 
fashioned  for  their  various  uses  in  art  and  science.     With  the  river  as  well  wiiat  ..tiu-r 
as  railway  system  bearing  its  chief  products  to  its  centre,  what  other  equal  cfconverg- 
point  of  conjunction  of  minerals  of  all   kinds,  ordinary  or  extraordinary, 
exists  on  the  globe  ? 

Local  Advantages  and  City  Expansion.  tirg^J."'*""' 

We  have  seen  the  unequaled  advantages  Chicago  possesses  in  lake,  canal  ,?,i',i'"i[L°t?ib 
id  railway  to  bring  together   and  to   distribute  men  and  their  property,  "u"'.^'''"^' 
As  a  natural  consequence  of  these  advantages,  irrespective  of  any  supposed 
diiference  in  energy  and  enterprise,  we  have  seen  the  young  Queen  of  the 
Lakes    surpass  Cincinnati,  whilom  Queen  of  the  West;  and  then  St.  Louis, 
which  had  attained  supremacy,  and  still  fancies  that  the   departure  is  only 
temporary,  soon  to  return  to  prove  the  correctness  of  nature's  decrees.     The 
examinations  of  commerce  and  manufactures,  while  abundantly  confirming  Hierce^d 
previous  views,  afford  still  stronger  promise  for  the  future;  and  we  have  seen  '""  *"*" 
the  solid  basis  which  nature  creates  for  these  chief  motive  powers  of  human 
progress,  in  the   inexhaustible  stores  of  agricultural  and   mineral  wealth.  ^nii"ii!d 
The  gold  and  silver  of  the  world  must  in  large  measure  be  distributed  from  "''.'J,'^'^ 
Chicago ;  and  the  inexhaustible  supplies  of  the  still  more  precious  minerals 
of  coal  and  iron,  leave  little  else  to   be  desired  to  maintain  in  the  future  the 
progress    of   the   past.     With   this  wonderful    combination   of   causes    to  j^^f'^j  j"**"""" 
advance  this  City,  has  nature  failed  in  her  ordinations  as  at  St.  Louis, — if 
St.  Louisians  blunder  not  egregiously  about  nature's  designs — and  created 
counteracting   influences   to    retard  the   growth    and    prevent    inordinate 
icelling  ?     Converging  here  this  abundance  of  nature's  best  gifts,  which  J*^^"!'®  «'•»• 
-rt  with  natural  wisdom  has  aided  and  strengthened,  are  they  brought  to  a 
Ite  where  their  profitable  employment  is  difficult  or  impossible  ? 
It  has  been  generally  believed  that  Chicago  is  located  in  a  swamp.     On  ^,\',^^ ','^'^';j- 
le  contrary,  nature  has  had  equal  success  in  the  site,  as   in  all  other  ^'i>^fB|jnJ^ 
djuncts,  to  a  great  city.     It  is  not  beautified  with  hill  and  dale,  rocks  and  city, 
■uuning  brooks,  for  then  this  immense  system  of  railways  would  have  been 
Hibjected  to  heavy   cost  to  get  into  the  city  and  to   make   sites  for  their 
lepots  and  grounds.     Very  inconvenient,  too,  would   it  have  been   to  tran- 
.act  business  with  water  craft,  were  the  river  and  branches  in  a  deep  valley. 
There  never  was  a  site  more  perfectly  adapted   by  nature  for  a  great  com- 
me-rcial  and  manufacturing  city,  than  this.     The  .cost  of  grading,  removing 


250  Local  Advantages  and   City  Expansion. 

Expense  of  rocks  and  hills,  and   filling  vallies,  wliicli  in  most  cities  equals  the  first  cost 
sav^.  "'"^^if  the  laud,  or  even  more,  is  here  entirely  saved.     Let  us  consider  some  of 

the  points  : 
The  ground.      Tlie  Groiuid. — So  far  from  being  a  swamp,  with  miry  beds,  its  solid  sub- 
No  swamps,  stratum  keeps  the  surface  wet      Too  nearly  on  a  level  for  the  rain  to  run  off, 
it  must  evaporate  or  soak  into  the  soil.     Almost  uniformly,  except  near  the 
lake,  a  rich  black   loam  of  one  or   two   feet    or  more  is   gradually  mixed 
with   clay  until  it  becomes  pure,  or  hard-pan  intervenes.     Occasionally  a 
Soiiti  found-  bed  of  quicksand  occurs,  rendering   piling  requisite  for  a  sure  foundation ; 
but  probably  no  other  city  ever  arose  where  the   ground  was   so   perfectly 
adapted  to  solid  building  by  nature,  and  where  so  little  must  be  done  by  the 
Kich  soil,      occupant.     The  rich  loamy  soil  aifords  a   natural  velvet   turf  of  blue   grass 
and  white   clover,  and  rapid   growth   to   shrubs  and  trees ;   and   when  the 
laud  about  the  city  shall   be  properly  laid  out  for  suburban  residences,  and 
beautified  with  parks  and  fountains,  we  shall  become  fairly  entitled  to  our 
pretty  sobriquet^  The  Garden  City. 
The   Grade.      The  Grade. — The  natural  level  could  hardly  have  been  bettered.     Blun- 
Ourown       deriug  has  been  wholly  in  us,  in  failing  to  perceive   the  designs  of  nature, 
luaders.      ^^^  ^^^  rapidity  with  which  this  flat  prairie  was  to  be  covered  with  one  of 
DuKout       the  chief  cities  of  the  land.     We  actually  dug  out  the  streets  to  drain  the 
surface  of  the  blocks,  as  if  a  little   building  on  the  corner  of  an  80  feet  lot 
was  always  to  be  the  sole  occupant.     Most  of  us  never  dreamed  such  a  crazy 
vision  as  that  of  raising  the  entire   surface  with  brick  and   mortar  four  or 
Basements    five  storics.     Cellars  being  out  of  the  question,  we  could  not  well  consider 
the  value  of  basements;  nor  had  they  much  value  so   long  as   most  build- 
ings were  two  stories  or  less,  and  plenty  of  vacant  ground  along  side.     A 
rise  or  two  was  made,  until   in   1855  the  grade  was   put  up  some  four  feet, 
and  we  all  remember  the   ridicule  of  the  barricade  at   the  corner  of  Lake 
Grade  aud   Clark   streets,  where  the  sidewalk  was  raised   to  the  new   grade.     We 

should    have  .11  1       •  •  •  •■^^   ^   •    ^  t^      i 

been  higher,  uow  See  the  mistake  that  was  made  in  not  putting  it  still  higher.  Ferhaps 
it  is  inexpedient  to  again  raise  it  on  the  south  side  north  of  Monroe  street ;  * 

Can  be  in  but  south  of  that,  and  in  the  north  and  west  divisions,  it  can,  and  should, 
'  and  will  be  put  up  so  that  the  bridges  from  those  sides  will  be  nearly  on  a 
level,  and  the  railroads  be  able  to  come  in  on  a  low  grade. 

Should  be         Either  one  of  these  objects  is  abundantly  sufficient  for  doing  this.     In 

of  drayage— this  flat  city,  with  our  Nicholson  pavement,  which  will  be  universal,  a  team 
can  draw  all  that  can  be  put  on  the  truck,  were  it  not  for  rising  over  the 
bridges.     In  the  mere   item  of  drayage  it  is  worth   the  cost.     But  for  our 

—railways,  railways  the  change  is  indispensable.  They  should  be  able  to  come  and 
go  on  high   speed,   saving  both   time   and  expense.     The  slow  rate   now 


Mr.  Potter         *Mr.  Potter  Palmer  says  his  buildings  erected  and  erecting,  would  be  worth  $50,000  more  with  four  feet 

I'almer  more  in  the  basement ;  and  he  would  welcome  any  elevation,  if  not  more  than  six   inches.     But  if  too 

wants  higher  ,       .     j 

grade.  great  an  undertakiog  for  the  most  part  of  the  South  Division,  lot  not  all  the  rest  ot  the  City  be  deprived 

of  the  benefits  of  a  higher  grade. 


Past^     Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Invest nvntn.  2')! 

required  by   ordinance   is  necessary,  and  even  with  this  prcoautiun,  every  injury  to 
few  days  someone  is  seriously  injured,  and  witliin    ten   months   nine  haveokUM, 
been  killed.     Nor  would   it  be  very   important  to  relieve  the  roads  of  this 
inconvenience,    were    not    the  city  limits  to  be    extended  in   a   very    few 
years  in  all  three  directions.     When   trains  must  run  five   to   ten   miles,  Givn,,,f.<..i 
taking  an  hour  to  an  hour  and  a  half,  it  becomes  quite  an  expense  to  them  '"  '^'*">"- 
and  an  annoying  inconvenience  to  passengers. 

Subsequent  items  in  small  type  are  taken  from  my  pamphlet  of  18G1  : — 

Ilarbor  and  River  Frontage. — Two  branches,  one  from  the  north  and  one  from  the  lliirhor  nnd 
south,  lying  almost  parallel  with   the   lake   shore,  ami   navigable  for  several    miles, ''i)'^'''  '^^""'' 
unite   in   the   centre  of  the  city,    forming   the   main   river,  which   runs   at  a    rigliL  "''"' 
angle  nearly  a  mile,  to  the  lake,  ami  is  fifteen   to  twenty  feet   deep.     Piers   extend 
into   the  lake,  between  which  vessels  enter   the  river,  and  south   from   tlie   piers 
another  extends  parallel  with  the  shore,  forming  a  basin  or  outer  harbor,  which 
can  be  indefinitely  enlarged  as  commerce  requires. 

On  this  basin  and  on  the  river  and  branches,  are  located  the  railroad   depots,  Extent  of 
grain  warehouses,  lumber  yards,  packing  houses  and  manufacturing  establishments  wa'or fronts, 
of  all  kinds,  for  which  the  double  banks  of  the  two  branches  afford  ample  room  for 
many  years.     Canals    or   slips    are   also   being   constructed   from   the   branches,  in  To  l>o  in- 
digging  which,  the  material,  blue  clay,  is  used  in  brick  making.     The  expansion  <=■■''•'•*'"' 
of  river  facilities   by   digging  these  slips,  is   the   only  means  we  have  to  obtain*'""^    "  ^' 
material  here  for  brick. 

The    Chicago  Dock  and   Caned   Improvement    Company. — Hon.   W.    B.  Nnitb  side 
Ogdeu  obtained  a  charter  from  the  Illinois  Legislature  for  this  company  to  provuments. 
improve  the  lake  shore   property  north  of  the  piers.     M.  D.  Ogden,  Esq.,  D.>rkCo. 
is   President;   Mr.  S.  H.    Fleetwood,   Treasurer;  Mr.  Franklin   Hatheway, 
Secretary ;  Mr.  R.  A.  Connolly,  Chief  Engineer  and  Superintendent. 

By   constructing  the  piers  at  nearly  a  right-angle  to  the  shore,  the  sand,  iiarbor  lUfli- 
which  has  a  natural  drift  from  the   north,  has  been  stopped,  the  accretion 
compelling  the  extension  of  the  piers  about  2,100  feet.     For  several  years 
the  sand  drifting  past  the  end  of  the  pier,  has  erected  banks,  obstructing 
navigation,  and  costing  much  for  removal.     To  improve  this  shore  accretion  This  im- 
is  the  object  of  this  Company,  which  will   not  only  be  immensely  profitable,  rfmciit-s 
but  promises    to    obviate    effectually   the    difficulties   hitherto  experienced 
concerning'. the  harbor. 

The  Dock  Company  commences  by  constructing   a  powerful  breakwater  a  iiroak- 
700  feet  east  of  the  light  house  due  north,  inside  of  which  will  be  docks  and 
slips.     This  breakwater  catching  the  drifting  sand  affords  material  for  docks. 
The  Company  will  at  first  extend  these  works  north  only  about  500  feet,  but 
that  gives  about  1^  mile  more  of  dockage.     Their  pier   from  the  north  cndj^miio^or 
of  the  breakwater  to  the  shore  will  cause  accretion  to  the  north,  which  they 
will  improve  in  like  manner.     About  630,000,  were  expended  last  year,  and 
$150,000  will  be  this  year,  wind  and  weather  permitting.     It  is  an  enterprise  E;>«^jT'-i.e 
worthy  of  the  Railroad  King  of  the  West,  and  will  make  of  a  large  part  of  Mr.  Ogden 
the  neglected  north-side  lots,  first-class  business  property.     Notwithstanding 
what  we  have  seen,  few  have  any  conception  of  the  area  which  the  business 
of  this   City  is   speedily  to  require.     If  others  of  these  large   real-estate 


252 


other  real 
estate  own- 
f>r3  should 
do  so. 


Health. 


Purifying 


Pumping 
into  canal. 

Canal   to  be 
fed  from 
lake. 


Cool  summer 
nights. 

Bracing    for 
labor. 


Difference  in 
St.  L. 


Pure  water 
of  Lake 
Mich. 


i 


Our    im- 
provements, 


Local  Advantages  and   City  Expansion. 

owners  were  alive  to  the  progress  and  future  demands  of  the  City,  would 
they  neglect  the  unexampled  opportunities  offering  ?  In  all  parts  of  the 
City  similar  well  considered  enterprises  can  be  profitably  undertaken,  and 
render  great  public  service. 

Health. — That  Chicago  is  very  healthy,  is  apparent  to  every  visitor.  Statistics 
of  mortality  coafirm  this  impression,  having  always  shown  a  less  per  cent,  of 
deaths  here  than  in  other  American  or  foreign  cities,  and  still  more  in  our  favor  of 
late  years,  owing,  as  is  supposed,  to  our  sewerage  system,  which  works  admirably, 
and  improves  year  by  year  as  the  city  becomes  more  densely  populated,  and  the 
sewers  more  used.  * 

Purifying  the  River. — ^In  the  dry  weather  of  summer,  when  the  river  might  be 
unwholesome,  the  canal  to  the  Illinois  river,  which  enters  the  South  Branch  four 
miles  up,  is  supplied  by  pumping  water  from  the  branch,  filling  it  and  the  river 
with  pure  lake  water.  In  a  few  years  the  canal  may  be  lowered  and  fed  from  Lake 
Michigan,  sending  a  continuous  flow  of  crystal  water  for  miles  through  the  heart 
of  our  city,  and  we  can  have  this  now,  whenever  necessary  for  sanitary  or  other 
purposes,  at  the  inconsiderable  cost  of  working  the  pumps,  f 

Climale. — Doubtless  the  cool  nights  in  summer  are  also  important  promoters  of 
this  healthiness.  The  temperature  by  day  is  about  the  same  as  in  other  places  in 
this  latitude,  though  we  are  seldom  without  a  breeze  from  some  quarter,  which  in 
winter  and  spring  is  not  so  very  comfortable.  In  summer,  a  cool  breeze  usually 
comes  oflf  the  lake  in  the  evening,  that  makes  sleep  refreshing  and  invigorating,  an 
important  consideration  in  favor  of  extensive  manufacturing,  in  which  profits 
depend  considerably  on  the  vigor  and  health  of  workmen.  A  conductor  on  the 
Chicago  and  St.  Louis  road,  who  last  summer  spent  nights  and  days  alternately  in 
the  two  cities,  told  me  that  he  arose  at  St.  Louis  from  his  bed  weak  and  exhausted, 
and  at  Chicago  fresh  and  vigorous. 

Water  Supply  from  Lahe  31ichigan. — Having  no  streams  and  indifferent 
wells,  until  the  first  artesian  was  bored,  our  reliance  for  water  has  been  upon 
Lake  Michigan.  Nor  need  we  anything  better  than  its  cool,  crystal  waters. 
At  first  elevated  by  the  old  Hydraulic  Company,  and  then  by  the  City,  by 
steam  pumps  into  a  tower,  and  thence  distributed  by  pipes  throughout  the 
City ;  the  only  change  has  been  in  the  mode  of  obtaining  the  supply,  and 
increasing  the  facilities  of  distribution.  Bat  these  changes  are  immense. 
Instead  of  impure  shore  water,  we  now  draw  two  miles  out,  in  water  30  feet 


Sewerage, 


Paid  for 
city. 

Wisdom 
this. 


City  now 
lowering 
canal. 


*  Sewerage — Yet  more  in  regard  to  this  than  perhaps  any  other  public  improvement,  we  have  fallen 
behind  the  growth  of  the  City.  Candor  requires  the  confession,  that  although  still  the  he,i!tUi.'St  city 
except  Philadelphia,  we  have  deteriorated  ;  and  in  the  judgment  of  Dr.  Rauch,  the  capable  head  of  the 
Board  of  Health,  because  of  non-extension  of  drains.  There  being  no  danger  of  the  grade  being  lowered 
to  interfere  with  drainage,  but  being  certain  to  go  up  to  its  benefit,  there  is  no  reason  why  the  system 
should  not  be  prosecuted  to  the  full   demand  of  the  City,  now  that  prices  are  moderating.     For  this 

by  i)ermanent  improvement,  it  has  been  wise  in  the  Council  to  defray  the  cost  by  logins  instead  of  asgejs- 
nient.     Though  the  use  of  drains  cannot  be  assessed  as  of  water,  yet  it  is  equally  proper  iu  one  as  in  the 

of  other  that  the  whole  City  should  pay  the  cost ;  and  it  is  an  important  consider  itiaii  to  the  poor  man 
in  buying  his  out-lot  that  he  has  not  this  heavy  assessment  to  pay.  To  be  sure,  the  man  in  the  heart  of 
the  city,  who  pays  proportionally  on  land  worth  $2,000  a  front  foot,  would  prefer  to  piy  assessments  on 
his  individual  lot ;  yet  is  it  any  injustice  to  make  the  whole  property  pay  its  quota  for  such  a  common 
good?  With  all  the  expenses  this  generation  must  bear  in  laying  foundations,  is  it  judicious  to  put 
upon  it  the  cost  of  a  permanent  improvement  like  that  ? 

•j-  Since  1861  the  river  has  been  intolerable,  though  relief  ha.i  been  obtained  by  means  of  pumping 
water  into  the  canal.  The  City  has  now  arranged  to  deepen  the  canal  to  set  the  current  from  the  lake 
for  which  it  will  doubtless  be  ultimately  reimbursed,  in  making  steamboat  co.n.uunioation  from  the 
Lakes  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexic  >,  a  truly  national  work  which  will  be  prosecuted.  Tin?  State,  however, 
guarantees  the  payment.  Notwithstanding  more  drainage  is  needed,  yet  the  Board  of  Public  Works  put 
down  in  1866  over  nine  miles  of  sewers  at  a  cost  of  $225,000.    The  report  for  1867  is  not  yet  published. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  253 

deep,  so  that  it  is  never  moved  upon  the  bottom,  and   id  free  from  all   shore 
influences.    At  the  surface  the  water  in  June  was  60°,  and  at  the  bottom  5H°. 

For  this  wonderful  triumph  of  engineering  skill,  we  are  indebted  to  i\Ir.  Mr.  ciics- 
E.    S.   Chesbrough,  *  who  conceived   and    planned   the   whole    enterprise ;  piimned  the 
though   for  the  admirable   execution,  the    keeping   in  their  true  course  the  """" ' 
miners    from    both    ends   of  this   subterranean   channel  and  bringing  them 
together,  he  awards  chief  credit  to  his  assistant,  Mr.  W.  II.  Clarke,  one  of  Mr.  cinrke'a 
our  oldest,  most  esteemed  citizens.     Considering  the   darkness,  difficulty  in 
using  instruments,  the  foul   air,  it  will  be  regarded   by  all  capable  judges  a 
very  distinguishing  work  to  both  planners  and  executors. 

The  contract  having  been  let  to  Messrs.  Dull  &  Gowan,  of  Ilarrisburgh,  Excavation 
Pa.,  ground  was  broken  with  due  ceremonies  by  the  city  officials  17th  March  M,f,.ch  n, 
186-1:.     The  shore-shaft  having  been  sunk  69  feet,  direction  was  given  by  ^''***' 
Mr.  Clarke  to  the  tunnel  proper.     On  July  24th,  1865,  a  huge  crib  of  timber  Crib  sunk, 
and  iron  with  numerous  water-tight  compartments  was  launched  and  towed 
to  its  proper  place  in  the  lake,  its  gates  opened,  and  it  sank   to  its   bed  on 
the  bottom  of  the  lake,  in  about  thirty  feet  water,  the  top  extending  a  few 
feet  above  the  surface.     Except  the  centre  well,  it  was  filled  with  stone.     In  Centre  well, 
the  centre  were  placed  one  above  another,  iron  cylinders,  9  ft.  diameter,  22^ 
in.  thick.     Their  weight  sunk  them    several  inches  into   the  clay,  and  the 
water  was   pumped  out,  and   the  clay  dug   away,  allowing  the   cylinders  to 
settle  about  27  ft.     The  horizontal  shaft  has  a  descent  to  the  shore  shaft,  of 
2  ft.  to  the  mile. 

The  shore  end  of  the   tunnel  had   been  finished  4,815  ft.  when  the  crib  work  at 
end  was  begun  on  the  22d  Dec.  1805.     Could    it  be  possible  for  these  hori- 
zontal shafts,  begun  two  miles  apart,  to  even  touch  each  other  ?     The  30th  jioet  and 
November  1866,  the  shore  shaft  having  been  excavated  8,275  feet,  the  lake  through  so 
shaft  2.290  feet,  leaving  two  feet  between;  Mr.  Chesbrough,  Mr.  Clarke, 
the  contractors,  miners  in  two  parties  proceeded  from  each  end  to  the  centre, 
and    at  the   appointed   time,  20  minutes  to  4  o'clock,  the    miners    speedily 
removed  the  intervening  clay,  opening  the  shaft  two  miles  and  seven  feet  in 
length,  five  feet  in  diameter  horizontally,  and  two  inches  more  perpendicularly. 
The  brick-work,  was  out  of  line  only  about  seven  inches. 

f>  1     •    1  1    •  1   •  1-  Only  Tinchea 

As  the  excavation  progressed,  two  courses  or  brick  were  laid  m  water- lime,  out  of  line. 

1  11        oi  J      •  pii£!iii         rpi       Brick   wsillg 

any  space  between  the  brick  and   wall   of  clay  being  caretully  tilled,      ilie    , 
entire  cost   of  the   tunnel   has  been  8457,844,95.     A  new  engine  has  been  Entire  cost, 
obtained  to  elevate   the  water   in  the  tower,  costing  8112,350.     The  report 


*  For  our  drainage  system,  and  for  all  our  public  works,  we  are  under  great  obligations  to  this  accoin-  Obligations 
plished  engineer.    A  mere  salary  is  no    proper  reward  for  these  years  of  patient  industry,  and  honest,  {^'J.^y'';^^**^' 
faithful  effort   in   promoting  and  directing  the  great  public  improvements.    To  the  credit  of  the  City 
some  of  our  leading  Citizens  have  realized  these  obligations,  and  last  thanksgiving  day  was  apropriately  Gift  of 
chosen  to  send  Mr.  Chesbrough  $11,000,  by  Messrs.  Ogden,  Blatchford,  Scammon,  Laflin,  McCagg,  Munger  $11>000. 
and  others.     May  all  our  faithful  servants  have  like  recognition  of  their  merits. 


254 


Local  Advantages  and   Citi/  E.q)aimon. 


Cost  of         of  the  Board  of  Public  Works  to  March  31st  1867,  soon  to  be  i^ublished, 
lills^sjrj".'''  makes  the   total  cost  of  water   works  §2,373,919,80.     The  report  says  of— 


Income. — AVater  rents  collected,  deducting  $75,020  refunded,  $801,048,81.  Profits 
-f«*- of  tapping  pipes,  $968.78.  Total  income  for  the  year  $302,017.50.  Excess  of 
^*'"      income  over  interest  and   expenses,  $84,  520.05,  a  greater   excess  than  has  before 

Water  in-      Occurred.     Increase   of  income  of  year  ending  March  31st  1867,  over  that  of  year 

come  March  preceding,  $48,903.10.     Increase  of  interest  and  expenses  for  same  time,  $15,521.53. 

31st, ISO,.  Water   Pipes   laid   during   the  year   1866,  of  either  4,  6,  or  8  in.  diameter,  were 

«aterpipe  .  ^^^,.^  ^^^^  ^^  ^.^^^^  ^^470  feet. 


Report 
Board 
lie  ir«ri- 

Water  in 


Pipe    laid    5 
years. 


Cost. 


Cost  of  Distributing  Pipes  Laid  for  5   Years, 


Tears. 


1861, 
1862. 
1863, 
1864 
1865, 


Cost  per 

Amount 

Laid.  Feet. 

Total  Cost. 

Running 
Foot. 
About. 

13,761 

$12,008.00 

87} 

50,881 

39,197.00 

77 

68,691 

75,241.00 

1.09  J 

62,657 

104,528.00 

1.67} 

73,494 

146,332.23 

1.99 

Artesian 
wells.f 


Artesian  Wells. — Quite  possibly  the  lake  tunnel  would  not  hare  been  bored, 

had  the  petroleum  fever  operated  here  a  little  earlier.     Boring  for  oil  resulted 

Mr.  Shu-      in  striking  the  first  artesian  well,  of  which  enterprise  Mr.  Geo.  A.  Shufeldt, 

"Jr.,  was    chief  promoter,  and  in  a  pamphlet  the  wells  are  fully  described. 

Space  can  only  be  taken  for  the  chief  points : — 


Water 

struck,  Nov. 
25,  '64  at  711 
feet. 

600,000  gals, 
in  24  hours. 
68°  F. 
Clear  and 
pure. 


Finest  well 
known. 


Passy     well. 

Crenelle 
well. 


Tubed  35  ft, 
deep. 


Rises    25  ft. 


Works  a 
pump. 


Second  well, 
694  ft  icep, 


The  drill  continued  to  go  down  until,  at  the  depth  of  seven  hundred  and  eleven 
feet,  the  arch  of  the  rock  was  penetrated,  and  the  wafer  suddenly  burst  forth.  This 
was  about  the  25th  of  November,  1864.  The  water  flows  at  the  rate  of  about  six 
hundred  thousand  gallons  per  twenty-four  liours,  through  an  orifice  four  and  a 
quarter  inches  in  diameter  at  the  bottom.  The  temperature  is  58°  F.  and  is  uniform. 
It  is  clear  as  crystal,  as  pure  as  the  diamond,  free  from  all  animal  or  vegetable 
matter,  and  from  any  injurious  mineral  substances,  and  its  composition  is  such  that 
it  is  better  adapted  for  drinking  purposes,  and  for  health,  than  any  other  water 
known. 

Taking  into  account  the  low  temperature  of  this  water,  the  great  depth  from 
whence  it  comes,  its  head,  or  the  force  with  which  it  comes  to  the  surtace,  and  the 
quantity  discharged,  it  may  be  said  to  be  the  finest  Artesian  well  in  the  world. 
There  is  no  well  known  which  discharges  so  large  a  quantity  of  pure  healthy  cold 
water.  There  is  one  well — that  of  Passy,  near  Paris — of  large  bore,  which  furnishes 
more  water  ;  but  it  is  warm,  and  can  only  be  used  to  supply  the  lakes  in  the  Bois 
de  Bolongne,  and  for  irrigating  purposes.  The  water  of  the  well  of  Grenelle, 
also,  is  unfit  for  other  than  mechanical  uses,  and  this  is  true  of  the  majority  of 
deep  wells  in  this  country. 

Immediately  after  reaching  this  water,  we  proceeded  to  tube  the  well  through 
the  thirty-five  feet  of  surface  rock,  which  was  much  broken  by  the  commotion  and 
upheaval.  To  that  end  a  four-inch  pipe  was  inserted  and  driven  down  forty  feet, 
until  it  reached  the  solid  marble.  This  tube,  or  pipe,  is  now  carried  twenty-five 
feet  above  the  surface,  and  out  of  the  top  of  this  pipe  the  water  flows  into  a  liume, 
and  is  conveyed  to  the  water  wheel,  twenty-feet  in  diameter,  which  is  used  as  power 
to  drive  the  drills  and  machinery  for  other  wells  which  are  now  in  process  of 
construction.  *  *  * 

The  second  well  is  located  about  nine  feet  distance  from  the  first ;  is  694  feet  4 
inches  in  depth,  to  the  surface  of  the  water ;  was  commenced  on  the  8th  of  May, 
and  reached  the  water  on  the  1st  day  of  November  following.  There  are  no  striking 
geological  differences  in  the  two  wells,  the  rock  penetrated  being  almost  the  same 
in  character,  and  exhibiting  the  same  signs  of  oil.     The   water  in  the   new  well  is 


Past,  Present  tmd  Future  of   Chicago  Investments.  255 

entirely  free  from  the  odor  of  sulpliiir  perci'i)til)lo   in  the    first  well ;  this  is  owing  Fioo  of  sul- 
to  the  fact  that  the  vein  of  sulphiiretteii  li^Mlrogeii  gas  which  enters  the  well  before  i''""'- 
it  reaches  the  fountain  was  not  touolicd  in  boring  the  second  well. 

This  water  may  now  be  considored  as  the  clearest,  purest  and  best  in  the  world.  Clourest, 
On  the  surface  of  the  ground    tliere   is  none    like  it,  and    no    other  Artesian   well  !""'•■*'-   '"'*'' 
approaches  it  in  purity  or  temperature.  '"  "'« ^^"''U- 

In    the  absence  of  any  accurate  measurement,  we  conjecture  that  the  two  wells  i2i» 000 
are  now  flowing  about  twelve  hundred  thousand  gallons  per  day.  guis.'diuly. 

F.  Mahler,  Ph.  D.  gives  this  analysis  : —  p<  MahUr 

I'h.  D.      ' 
1000  parts  of  water  contain : 

Carbonate  of  lime 0.2220  Aualysis. 

Carbonate  of  magnesia 0.0241 

Sulphate  of  lime 0.1049 

Sulphate  of  magnesia 0.2250 

Sulphate  of  soda 0.0050 

Chloride  of  sodium 0.1380 

Silicic  acid 0.0050 

Alumina  and  potassa traces 

Sum  of  solid  mineral  substances 1.0137 

Carbonic  acid,  free.., 0.1533 

Total  of  all  constituents 1.1G70 

The  Chicago  Times  iu  a  lengthy  paper  describes  the  boring  of  the  two  c^i-    Timet. 
wells  at  the  stock  yards,  and  the  peculiarities  of  the  several  strata : — 

A  well  8  feet  in  depth  was  dug,  in  which,  on  the   14th  of  May,  18G6,  drilling  was  Stock  j-ard 
commenced.         *         *         *         Several  minor  streams  of  water  were  encountered,  ""•'"^• 
but  it  was  not  until  the  oOth  of  October  that  the  final  stream  was  reached.     On  this  Ist  well, 
day  22  feet  were  drilled,  making  a  total  depth  of  1,032  feet.     From  this  well  OS, 000  V^*'"'-  ^"'®* 
gallons  of  water  were  yielded  daily,  and  for  a  lime  it  was  supposed  that,  with  this  e.^'liioo    gals, 
great  increase  of  the  company's  water-power,  it  would  be  enabled   to  fully  satisfy  JuU.v. 
the  requirements  of  the  yards  ;  but  the  lapse  of  a  very  few  months  showed  the 
necessity  of  at  least  a  second  visitation  to  the  depths  below 

In  sinking  the  second  and  last  artesian  well  at  the  stock-yards,  three  distinct  2(1  weU.  3 
veins  of  water  were  encountered.     The  first  vein  was  struck  in   the  thick  bed  of  ^'r"f  °^ 
limestone  following  the  second  shale,  and  yielded  about  15  barrels  an  hour.     After 
passing  this  stream,  no  water  was  seen  until  the  90  feet  of  limestone  under  the  first 
sandstone  had  been  reached.     In  this  rock  a  very  extensive  spring,  flowing  at   the 
surface  of  the  well  about  G5,000  gallons  a  day,  was  opened.     The   third  and  large  3.1  vein 
vein  was  struck  in  the-bed  of  hard  limestone,  1,190  feet  from  the  starlight.  ^■'^^'^  ^'^^ 

The  following  table   will  show  the  depth  from  the  surface  at  which  the  several   *^'"'^' 
strata  commence,  and  the  beds  in  which  streams  of  water  were  found.     Water  was 
not  found  at  the  depths  indicated,  but  was  in  the  rocks  which  commenced  at  those 
depths : 

Distance  from  surface.  Nature  of  rock.  Various 

Beneath  surface  earth Ilardpan.  sjratii  passed 

40  feet First  limestone.     "^""^ 

300  feet First  shale. 

400  feet -  Second  limestone. 

420  feet Second  shale. 

550  feet  (first  water) Third  limestone. 

877  feet First  Sandstone. 

1,010  feet  (second  water) Fourth  limestone. 

1,100  feet Last  Sandstone 

1,130  feet Sand  and  limestone. 

1,160  feet Same,  but  harder. 

1,172  feet Last  limestone 

1,190  feet Same. 


256  Local  Advantages  and   C'Ui/  Exjjansiun. 

stream  S  ft.      The  vein  from  which  the  greatest   supply  of  water  was   obtained   appears  to  be 
deep.  about  8  feet  in  depth,  so  far  as  can  be  ascertained   by  sounding.     The   current  is 

cmrent.        a  very  strong  one,  and  is  apparently  passing  from  the  northwest  to  the  southeast. 
This  fact  was  ascertained  by  lowering  into  the  bore,  by  means  of  a  fine  wire,  a 
long  lead  plummet.     The  weight  would  descend  steadily  until  it  reached  the  stream 
of  water,  when  it  would  instantaneously  be  snatched  or  jerked  cut  from  the  per- 
pendicular line  from  the   directions  indicated.     In  relation  to  the  Telocity  of  the 
stream,  one.  of  the  attendants  explained  that  it  was  "about  the  swiftness  of  a  cat- 
fish."    The  experiment  with  the  plummet  explains  this  remark. 
Tno  wells         The  two  wells  are  both  beneath  the  same  shed,  and  fill  tanks   that  rest  side  by 
together.       gj^g      Each  tank  is  elevated  45  feet  from  the  ground,  and   has  a  capacity  for  hold- 
water  46  ft.  i°g  114,000  gallons.     The  wells  are  59  feet  apart  north  and  south,  in  which  distance 
the  strata  has  a  "dip"  or  inclination  of  seven  feet  to   the  northeast.     In  the  old 
well  the  first  bed  of  sandstone  is  20  feet  thicker  than  in  the  new  one.     The  stratum 
of  underlying  limestone  is  exactly  20  feet   thinner.      With    this    exception,  both 
borings  present  materially  the  same  features. 
Difference  of      The  Water  in  the  wells  presents  a  marked  and  singular  difference.     In  the  old  well 
w*^"^!        .it  is  strongly  impregnated  with  sulphur.     So  thorough  is  the  impregnation,  that  the 
ous.  water  not  only  smells  and  tastes  of  the  substance,  but  deposits  it  profusely  upon 

the  bottom  of  the  trough  in  which  it  is  received,  and  in  the  tank  in  which  it  is 
collected.  After  exposure  to  the  air  for  a  few  hours,  the  sulphur  is  partly 
precipitated  and  partly  carried  off  by  the  air,  leaving  a  perfectly  colorless  and 
tasteless  fluid. 
2d,  chalybe-  In  the  second  well,  on  the  other  hand,  there  are  no  sulphurous  evidences ;  but 
"te.  the  water  is  strongly  charged  with  one  of  the  oxides  of  iron.     It  has  no  perceptible 

odor,  but  its  chalybeate  characteristics  are  very  apparent  to  the  taste;  and  to  the 
eye,  in  the  iron-brown   deposit    which  covers  the  bottom  of  the  receiving   trough. 
Both  waters  undoubtedly  possess  excelent  medical  properties,  and,  if  only  situated 
in  some  fashionable  watering-place,  would  undoubtedly  boast  a  national  reputation. 
No  analysis.  As  yet  neither  has  been  analyzed,  so  that  nothing  is  known  of  them,  beyond  their 
prominent    distinguishing    features, — the    impregnation,    respectively,    with    the 
metalloid  sulphur  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  metal  iron  on  the  other. 
600,000  gals.      The  Force  of  the  Water  of  the  last  well  is  sufficient  to  discharge  600,000  gallons  a 
"■' ^'  day,  at  the  surface.     In  carrying  itself  to  the  height  of  the  tanks,  an  altitude  of 

Rises  45  ft.     45  feet  from  the    ground,  it  loses  so  much  force  that  only  450,000  gallons  are  dis- 
charged at  this  point  daily.     It  is  estimated  that  a  further  height  of  130  feet,  being 
Head,  175  ft.  X75  from  the  surface,  the  water   would    assume  a  stationary  position,  and    would 

readily  obey  King  Canute  or  "any  other  man,"  if  he  told  it  to  rise  no  farther. 
Supply  stock      The  wells  are  both  now  in  running  order  at  the  stock-yards.     They  are  the  only 
yards.  means  used  in  the  supply  of  the  immense  amount  of  water  there  constantly  required, 

and  prove  highly  successful  in  every  respect.  As  living  realizations  of  the  laws  of 
science;  as  proud  exemplifications  of  the  energy  and  will  of  our  people,  they  should 
command  the  interest  ana  attention  of  every  believer  in  Chicago  and  her  institutions. 

Value  of  It  is  difficult  to  over-estimate  tlie  value  of  this  discovery-  of  water  with 

such  a  head.  These  wells  being  about  5  miles  apart,  the  first  two  3  J  miles 
from  the  lake,  and'  about  21  west  of  the  north,  branch  of  the  river  near 
Chicago  avenue;  the  others  east  of  the  south  branch,  and   about   2i  miles 

Promise  oth-  from  the  lake,  they  seem  to  promise  supplies  in  all  parts  of  the  City. 
Should  it  be  deemed  best  to  use  the  lake  water  for  ordinary  purposes,  these 
wells  will  still   be  valuable  for  manufactures,  fountains,  etc.     Should   these 

Perhaps       Subterranean  rivers  be  discovered  extensively  in  the  West,  it  will  be  regarded 

the°We3t"    one  of  the  best  of  nature's  rich  endowments.* 


Whence  the  *For  thirty  years  It  has  been  a  matter  of  speculation  with  some,  where  these  lakes  obtain  their  sup- 
lake  supply?  piiea.  On  the  west  side  of  Lake  Michigan,  within  12  miles  of  it,  the  streams  bear  the  surface  water  into 
No  river  stij)- the  Mississippi.  The  Kankakee,  another  Mississippi  stream,  heads  far  up  in  Michigan.  No  considerable 
P  y*  utreains  flow  into  either  of  the  lakes,  the  whole  not  equaling  the  evaporation,  perhaps  not   half  of  it ; 

and  whence  can  the  supplies  come  for  Niagara's  cataract?    My  theory  has  been  that  they  were  fed  in 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chiraijo  hivesfments.  257 

Bmlding  Ifafervih,  Brick,  Stone,  and  7>7iwier.— Being  the  chief  lumber  nu.Mine 
market  of  the   world,  that  affords  the  cheapest  and  readiest  material   for  Cnt'i^'r''' 
building.     The   demand  being  strong  and   constant,  we   build   quickly   as  '''"''■*^' 
possible,  and  we  learned  in  the  very  beginning  to  economize  in  its  use,  and 
to  dispense  entirely  with  timber  except  for   the   sills.     The  first  "  balloon  "  u^'iioon 
frame,  as  they  were   christened,  of  which    Chicago  had   heard,  was  erected '^^''°"'*' 
by  Mr.  George  W.  Snow,  in  the  autumn  of  1832.     They  are  now,  however,  Mr.Snow. 
too  well  known  to  require  description.     Besides  their  economy,  their  li"-ht- 
ness  renders  moving  easy,  and  almost  daily  some  can   be  seen  rolling  to  the 
outskirts  to  make  way  for  better  buildings.     In  this  respect  they  have  been  Facilitate 
of   immense    service,  for   had   cheap   brick   buildings   been   erected,   many  fugs!    ^"'''^' 
would   have  remained  to  disfigure  the  site  for  long  years.     They  are  strono- 
enough    for    all   ordinary   uses.*     But  the    high    insurance    and   low  rent 


their  deep  beds  by  subterranean  channels  from  the  Rocky  Mountains,  as  the  surface  streams  there  are  Subterrane- 
inadequate  to  carry  off  the  rain  and  snow.     The  discovery  of  subterranean  streams  by  Capt.  Pope,  now  ""«  channfis 
Major   General,  and  others,  seemed   to   countenance   this   theory,  and   these    artesian  wells  confirm   it  \\i"^    Kocky 
The  great  head  must  come  from  some  elevated  source ;  and  what  region  more  probable  than  the  Rocky 
Mountains  ?     If  so  then  boring  may  discover  currents  throughout  the  west. 

*While  these  buildings  are  strong  enough  when  once  erected,  and  many  years  have  endured  high  winds ;  Balloon 
yet  in  process  of  erection,  and  especially  if  the  win(J  blows  into  an  angle  allowing  no  outlet,  it  would  be  frame  strong 
disastrous.     A  block  of  ten  buildings  was  thus   blown  down.     The  Pod  described  the  occurrence,  which  Clown     over 
the  Times  quoted,  on  the  13th  April,  and  added  facetious  comments.     It  afforded  a  rich  treat  to  our  amia- '"    building, 
ble  sister  of  the  rivers,  and  the  Mo.  Democrat  of  the  15th  gave  a  half  column  for  both  articles  ;  and  close  j/^  ])gf^ 
alongside,  as  the  first  and  chief  editorial,  gave  vent  to  St.  Louis  jealousy  in  this  characteristic  manner ; 
which,  not  to  be  charged  with  mangling,  is  given  entire: — 

A  Cldcago  House. — A  stranger,  visiting  Chicago,  will  be  gratified   to  observe  the  rapid  erection  of  ^  Chi.  house, 
buildings  in  every  direction,  and  upon  close  observation,  will  find  in  the  quality  uf  the  buildings  erected 
new  evidence  of  the  peculiar  enterprise  and  guaheadativeuess  of  her  people.     Perhaps,  at  first  blush,  the 
structures  may  seem  to  him  somewhat  light,  airy  and  ephemeral.     lie  may  wonder  how  on  earth  people 
manage  to  make  little  sticks  standing  on  end  support  a  wide  roof,  several  floors,  and  the  machinery  for 
crowded  facfcries  or  stores.     The  structures  look  as  if  they  were  not  meant  to  stand  over  night;  the  jjot  stand 
idea  that  they  will  last  a  lifetime  is  too  ridiculous  to  be  entertained;  and   the   city,   with  its  wooden  over  night, 
houses  supported   by  a  few  splinters,  assumes  to  the  observer  the  aspect  of  a  big  card-castle  or  cob-house, 
which  some  zephyr  may  one  day  blow  away  altogether.     But  this  is  a  most  ungenerous  and  narrow  view 
of  the  matter.     These  flimsy  structures  are  only  evidences  of  the  wonderful  enterprise  of  Chicago  build-  phi.  enter- 
era  and  inhabitants.     The  builders  are  euterjjrisiug,  because  they  put  up  buildings  (so  called)  with  an  prise, 
impossibly  small  quantity  of  material.     The  inh.abifants  are  entei  prising,  for,  realizing  that  they  have 
here  "  no  continuing  city,"  and  that  they  are  to  '•  tarry  but   a  night  "  until  trade  moves  somewhere  else, 
they  hold  themselves  ever  in  readiness  to  go  ahead  any  whither  at  as  little  pecuniary  sacrifice  as  possible.  Frail  houses 
Perhaps  their  houses  are  frail,  but  they  will  last  as  loog  as  the  merchant  e.xpects  to  stay.     Like  the  tents  i.jgt  \tmg 
of  the  Arabs,  they  are  all  the  better  for  not  being  permanent,  or  enduring.  enough. 

With  all   this  good  sense  and  wonderful  enterprise,  however,  Chicago  people  are  guilty  of  one  slight  x  Chi. 
fault.     They  do  not  make  their  buildings  quite  light  enough.     Unfortunately,  structures  so  frail  will  fault, 
tumble  down  at  times,  perhaps  while  crowded  with  people.     Common  humanity  would  dictate  that  they 
should  be  so  light  an  1  airy  that  their  fall  could  never  by  any  p(«sibility  crush  or  bruise  anybody.     A  House  ma- 
very  slight  improvement  in  the  construction,  the  least  possible  change  in  the  thickness — beg  partlon,  the  terial  too 
thinness— of  the  sticks  and  shavings  of  which  these  stiuctures  are  built,  would  attain  this  most  desira-  heavy, 
ble  consummation,  so  that  a  Chicago  house  would  be  not  only  as  light,  as  cheap,  and  as  easily  moved  as  a 
tent,  but  as  harmless  to  its  inmates  whenever  it  tiills — as  fall  it  often  must.     Thus,  on  Monday,  a  block  Block  blown 
of  ten  stores  and   buildings,  in  process  of  erection  on  Clark  street,  three  stories  high,  was  blown  down  I'.ywn. 
and  of  the  sixty  persons  at  work  in  the  building  at  the  time,  though  none  were  killed,  several  wt-ro 
injured.     Now,  this  is  unpardonable.     The  sticks  ought  not  to  have  been  heavy  enough  to  bruise  any-  Injury  un- 
body.    The  Post  justly  calls  it  "  an  indefensible  and  damning  crime  "  [The  Democrat  probably  imagined  pardonable, 
this  remark  in  order  to  turn  his  period.     At  all  events,  nothing  of  the  sort  is  in  either  article  quoted.] 
for  a  builder  to  put  into  a  Chicago  house  sticks  of  such  unreasonable  weight.     Hero  was  one  man  fright- 
fully cut  on  the  head  !      Had  the  building  been   light  enough   nothing  of  the  sort  could   have  happened. 
Another  had  a  leg  broken !     Let  the  builder  be  instantly  indicted,  who  ha«  dared  to  put  into  such  a  home  a  Builder  to  be 
stick  big  enough  to  break  anybody's  leg.     The  Trilmnc's  report,  elsewhere  copied,  states  that  the  scant- j^jijted. 
ling  for  the  second  story  were  "simply  nailed  upon"  the  scantling  which  supported  the  first,  and   the 
third,  again,  whs  sustained  by  other  scantling  "  simply  nailed  "  upon  the  uprights  of  the  8ec.>nd.    Now, 
this  is  "damning  and  indefensible."    To  put  natYs  into  such  a  house !    Of  course  the  "scantling"  ought 
to   have  beon  tied  together  with  thread. 

Strange — passing  strange,  is  it  not  ? — that  a  city  whose  "  structures  look  as  if  they  were  meant  not  to  Strange  that 

stand  over  night,"  should  so  completely  have  over-mastered  the  Queen  of  the  Rivers  ;  that  solid  city  of  ""^'^  "  flimsy 

city  ovor* 
solid  growth,  of  solid  wealth,  and  if  she  is  to  be  believed,  all  the  solidity  of  nature  to  build  her  up!     If  »  masters 

'[  7  St.  L. 


258  Local  Advantages  and  City  Expandon. 

comparatively  of  a  wooden  building,  compels  the  owner  of  a  lot  which  becomes 
worth  §G00  or  $800  a   front  foot,  to  either  lease  the  lot,  or  sell,  or  build. 

City  well      As  a  consequeucc,  the   central  business   part  of  our  City,  with   its  brick, 

^'"'"'  Joliet  stone,  and  iron,  is   not  surpassed  by  an  equally  compact  area  of  any 

other  city  in  the  country. 

Brick  For  brick  manufacture  we  have   unlimited   resources  for  clay,  as  before 

abuudant.  remarked,  in  digging  slips  ;  and  sand  the  lake  furnishes ;  and  for  fuel  the 
waste  coal  largely  suffices.     The  price  is  exorbitant,  the  demand  being  con- 

joiiet  stone,  stantly  abovG  the  supply.  But  most  of  our  buildings  are  faced  with  Joliet 
limestone,  of  which  the  quantity  is  inexhaustible,  and  being  along  the 
canal,  is  brought  at  small  expense.     It  cuts  easily  when  first  quarried,  and 

Durable.  bccomes  Very  hard  upon  exposure  ;  and  with  some  fifteen  years  of  use  it 
promises  to  be  an  enduring  stone.  A  greenish  light  cream-colored  tint  at 
first,  the  iron  in   the  composition  oxydizes  upon  exposure,  and  in  a  year  or 

Rich  cream  two  bccomes  a  deep  rich  cream.  Not  sombre  like  brown  stone,  not  dazzling 
as  white  marble,  the  eye  rests  upon  it  always  with  pleasure,  and  the  oldest 
buildings  are  the  richest,  and  have  an  appearance  of  age  beyond  their 
years.     Especially  in  the  light  and  shade  are  the  buildings  remarkable. 

Great  effect.  No  other  material  gives  to  the  projections,  as  caps,  sills,  pilasters,  cornices, 
etc.,  more  pleasing  and  stronger  efi'ect;  and  it  increases  with  age.  The  Ma- 
sonic Temple,  Portland  Block,  Mr.  Ogden's  corner  on  Clark  street,  the 
Marine  Bank,  etc.,  are  among  the  oldest,  as  they  are  richest  looking  in  the  City. 

Mr.  Palmer's  But  no  block  has  been  erected  so  ornate,  so  effective  in  its  angles  to  bring: 
'  out  light  and  shade,    as  that  designed  by  Mr.  Van  Osdel  for  Mr.  Potter 

His  marble    Palmer  ou  State  street.     On  the   diagonal  corner,  Mr.  Palmer  is  erectins;  a 

block. 

splendid  block  of  white  marble  from  Canaan,  Connecticut.     By  this   favor 

to  the  City,  we  may  see  the  superiority  of  home  material.* 
Wide  streets      Our  wide  Streets  aiford  unusual  opportunity  to  enjoy  architectural  beauty, 
vie°w.  ^°°     and  probably  that  is  one  reason  why  we  have   so  many  fine   buildings.     At 

all  events,  our  excellent  architects   have  set  tha  current,   and   it  will  run 
Chi.  well      indefinitely ;  and  by  the  time  we  shall  have  a  million  inhabitants,  Chicago 

will  be  as  famous  for  the  beauty  of  its  buildings  as  for  its  rapid  growth. 


mushroom  city  like  Chicago  can  accomplish  this,  of  what  sort  of  milk  and  water  elements  must  St.  Louis 
Snarling  all  Ij"  composed,  to  be  thus  surpassed  in  everything?  Will  spiteful  snarling  of  this  sort— and  that  even 
she   can    do.  false— mend  their  case  ?     Besides  taking  space  for  the  Timea'  and  Post's  articles,  it  seems  this  Chicago 

accident  was  so  important  to  St.  Louis,  that  a  third  notice  of  it  was  inserted  in  the  same  paper  from  the 

Tribune  I  The  reiteration  will  make  the  world  believe  that  Chicago  is  not  only  blowing  up,  but  is  blown 
Why  docs  wp  wth  its  cob-web  castles.  But  why  does  not  St.  Louis  make  more  headway  against  "  the  city  with  its 
not  St.  L.  wooden  houses  8n|)ported  by  a  few  splinters,  which  some  zephyr  may  one  day  blow  away  altogether?" 
headway  ?       ^^  ^^®  waiting  for  "  the  merchant  "  to  leave  his  "  card-castle  or  cob-house,"  and  go  to  the  solid  city  ?     At 

present  too  many  from  St.  Louis  seem  to  venture  the  balloon  frames,  to  render  it  expedient  for  those 

already  here  to  go  to  her  relief. 
Mr.  Palmer's     *Mr.  Palmer's  block  now  building  is  100x150  feet;   the  basement  stone,  1st  story  iron,  4  stories  marble. 
to^coKt*    ''"''  ^""^  '^"  "*'''  ^'*'^  French  roof.     The  marble  costs  599,000,  in  New  York.     The  building  will  cost  ^300,000, 
1300,000.         An  addition  will  bo  made  of  60x1.50  feet  when  the  present  lease  upon  it  expires.    It  is  said  to  be  the 

most  splendid  commercial  building  in  the  world. 


Pasfi  Present  and  Future  of  Cliicar/o  Investments.  259 

Could  information  be  obtaineJ,  it  would  be  found  that  building  materials  Building 
wei'e  actively  employed.     The   Republican,   Dec.  30th,    1867,   contained   -a  Reiiuiucan. 
statement  obtained   from   architects,  though   imperfect  as  some  declined  to 
give  information.     The  list  contains  87  stone  fronts,  costing  $1,744,000  ; 
106    brick,  $1,331,500;  112  wood,  $020,700;  a  total  of   305    buildings,  .305  buiw- 
costing  §3,69l),200.     In  addition,  the  Centennary  Methodist  Church  co.st  fj.uye.m 
$60,000  ;  a  Lutheran  $6,000  ;  Scotch  Church,  $12,000  ;  Historical  Society  oti.or 
building,  $36,000  ;  Academy  of  Sciences,  $35,000  ;  Rush  3Iedical  College,  ''""'^"'S'- 
$50,000;  Michigan  Southern  and  Rock  Island  depot,  $200,000;  water  works, 
$200,000,  etc.     Not   one   in  ten  of  our  buildings  are  of  this  permanent  !*r'>8t   buiM- 
character,  or  employ  an  architect.     They  are  built  for  temporary  use  ;  and  r'iry. 
in   these   buildings  seven-eighths   of  the  Citizens  reside.     No  doubt  over  s.ono  in  •fr,. 
3,000   good  comfortable  dwellings  and  places  of  business  were  erected   in 
1867. 

Financial  Condition. — Besides  the  school  fund  above,  the  City  has  its  City  finan- 
various  public  buildings,  of  which  the  land   is  appraised  at  $234,000 ;  the 
property    of  the   fire  department,  $225,000 ;   dues  on  wharfing  privileges,  Property. 
$90,000;  school  furniture,  $51,000,  etc. 

The  following  model  message  of  our  Mayor,  Hon.  J.   B.   Rice,  at  the  Mayor  Rice. 
instalation  of  the  new  Common  Council,  4th  May,  is  inserted  entire : — 

Gentlemen  of   the  Common    Councii.  of  the  City  of  Chicago — The   debt   of  Mossape  4th 
this  City  is  $6,530,382,  and  is  made  up  as  follows :  ^^y-  ^^^®- 

Bonded  Debt. 

Water  loan $2,483,000         Total  debt 

Sewerage  loan 2,149,000  $5,530,-382. 

Municipal  loan 1,852,500 

Floating  debt 44,182 

As  the  income  from  water  rents  will  pay  the  principal  and  interest  of  the  water  Water    debt 
loan,   that  portion  of    the  city  debt  may   properly   be  deducted  from   the   above  ^^^^^  ''^  "'"^'• 
amount,  as  also  the  debt  for  deepening  the  canal,  the   payment  of  which  is  guar- 
anteed by  the  state.     These  two  items:   water  loan,  $2,483,000,  and  deepening  the 
canal,   $450,000,  amount  to  $2,933,000, — leaving  the  debt  of  the  city,  which  is  to  R''al  <leht 
be  paid  by  taxing  the  people,  $3,597,682.     There  is  now  $272,000  in  the  sinking  *^'5''7'*'^2. 
fund. 

Among  the  many  questions  of  importance  that  will  be  submitted  for  your  consid-  Improvc- 
eration  and  action,  I  will  call  your  especial  attention  to  the  building  of  a  house  of  ^'^^'t*(j 
correction,  extending  the  Court  House  building  to  La  Salle  street,  establishing  a 
hay  market  off  the  lines  of  the  business  streets  in  a  location  that  will  be  convenient 
for  both  buyers  and  sellers. 

The  city  of  Chicago  is  prosperous  beyond  precedent.     The  population  is  increas-  City  pros- 
ing rapidly.     All  business  in  competent  and  faithful  hands  is  successful.     Let  the  P"™"^- 
City,  in  facility  for  doing  business,  in  convenience,  cleanliness,  and  security,  keep 
pace  with  this  favorable  condition  of  its  people.     The  taxes  are  said  to  be  high.  Taxes 
The  money  collected  from  the  citizens  is  all  expended  for  the   purposes  named   in  fiiithfully 
the  various   appropriations  ;  and   I    believe  that  in   every  department  of  the  city  ai'i'''**!- 
government  every  officer  has  faithfully  discharged  his  duty,  and  that  the  people 
have  received  a  full  return  for  all  the  money  they  have  paid. 

The  cost  of  sewerage,  as   already  observed,  should  be  defrayed   for  years  Sewerage 
by  loan,  and   doubtless  will  be.     The  municipal  loan   includes   money  bor-  ciou». 
rowed  for  school  houses  and  other  public  buildings.     What  other  city  of 


2(50  Local  Advantages  and   City  Expansion. 

Taxes  186S.  equal  size  has  so  small  a  debt  and  so  much  property  to  show  for  it  ?  The 
Comptroller  states  special  assessments  last  year,  $1,029,322,  and  regular 
city  taxes,  ^2,417,081. 

Estimate  for   City  Expenditures,  1868-9. 

E«timate  for          Street  cleaning  and  repairs %  292,957.01 

cityexpen-    Sidewalks 29,300.00 

86.,  lb68-9.    g^j.^^^  obstruction 3,200.00 

Street  improvements  : 

Balance  to  complete  works  began 35,589..52 

South  division 111,488.19 

North  division 270,482.90 

West  division 201,882.51 

Street  lamps ...  3,00000 

Chicago  harbor 83,300,00 

Land  damages  to  be  paid  from  the  general  fund,  for  new  bridges 15,000.00 

Bridges,  repairs  and  maintenance 30,285.00 

Bridges,  salaries  of  tenders 30,860.00 

Bridges,  new 117,209.74 

Public  buildings 11,000.00 

Purchase  of  city  docks 25,000,00 

Dock  lines,  expenses  of  surveys  and  maps 18,000,00 

Public  parks 65,000.00 

Salaries,  not  including  commissioners 11,000.00 

Office  expenses 6,650.00 

$1,365,205.  Total $1,365,205.53 

Chr.racter  of      Character  of  our  Population. — Because    Chicago  from    early    date   has 
our  popii  a-  -j^^^  world-wide  reputation  for  energy  and   enterprise,  it  has  drawn  a  cor- 


ti  jij 


Energy  and  responding  population.      These    invaluable   traits    duly   exercised   in    the 

eu  erprise.  pj.Qgj.gyg  ^f  thcsc  years,  have  become  fixed,  distinguishing  characteristics, 
according  to  the  ordinations  of  nature's  (loD.  This  is  said  in  no  spirit  of 
vain  glorious  boasting,  but  as  a  truth  necessary  to  understand  the  past,  and 
to  apprehend  the  future.     With  any  man  who  is  desirable  as  a  Citizen,  this 

Character     should  be  a  Very  influential   consideration.     At  the  same  time   it  must  be 

busy  men.  Confessed,  that  our  character  has  been  made  by  the  active  men,  busy  in 
some  mechanical,  mercantile  or  professional  occupation.  So  long  as  they 
continue  in  business  they  do   their   part  in  public  aifairs ;  but  when  they 

Private  men  withdraw  and  settle  down  upon  their  property,  it  is  too  often  a  settlement 
upon  themselves — a  withdrawal  from  public  interests,  a  perfect  absorption 
in  their  individual  concerns.  To  cultivate  this  spirit  of  selfish  aggrandize- 
ment, growing  with  declining  powers,  is  not  only  their  burning  shame,  but 

A  fhame  a  gricvous  public  wrong.  How  could  their  wealth  have  been  made  but  for 
wrong,  ^y^^  ^.^  ^^^  superior  advantages  afforded  by  the  City  ?     Do  obligations  to 

Their  obiiga- their  City  cease  now  that  they  are  able  to  cease  from  daily  toil,  and  add 

tioDS  to  the    ,     .       ,  ,  ,  '1  ,      »  .  ,  •  -I 

city—  their  thousands  upon  thousands  yearly  from  interest  and  rent  receipts,  and 

rapid  increase  in  the  value  of  lands  and  lots  ?  Nay ;  now  that  they  have 
withdrawn  from  active  business,  whereby  they  aided  in  the  public  growth, 

— increase     are  not  obligations  increased  to  do  what  they  may  to  improve  and  beautify 

with  liesure.    ,       ^.  ii-ii  ^  •  ...  «!••  r>.  ^ 

the  City,  and   build  up  the  various  institutions  oi  religion,  oi  science,  and 


Past,^    Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  1:01 

of  art,  which  this  aggregating  of  huuianity  cuablcs  a  city  to  create,  and 
which  it  is  bound  to  create  as  an  antidote  to  the  incidental  ills  flowing  from 
these  ulcers  upon  the  body  politic  ? 

But  those  who  choose  to  turn   into  fossils  instead  of  keeping  powers  of  There  are 
head   and   of  heart   in  healthy   exercise,  are  only  exceptions.     The  work  ^^'^^^ 
accomplished  in  religious,  educational  and  philanthropic  purposes,  compares  work  done 
favorably  with  other  cities,  and  gives  promise   that  in  these   respects  as  in  pj-o'^e. 
business,  Chicago  will  not  be  in  the  rear.     It  should  be  and  is  our  hope  and 
aim,  that  this  young  City,  made   up  in   large   measure  of  the  most   active, 
energetic,  enterprising  of  the  older  States,  should  set  other  cities  an  exam- Chi.  to  be  an 
pie  of  what  may  and  should  be   done  by  these  centres  of  civilization,  jq ''*^'""'' ®- 
improve  and  elevate  humanity.     Money  made  so  easily  and  abundantly  as  it 
is  here,  will  be  liberally  spent. 

As  yet  we  have  had  to  labor  mainly  in  foundation-work,  with   little   time  Adornment 
or  means  to  adorn  and  embellish.     But  in  this  we  are  beginning ;  and  with 
the  wonderful  prosperity  Providence  bestows  upon  our  endeavors,  can  there 
be  any  lack  of  means  if  Jew  and  Christian  only  faithfully  render  to  God  The  tythe« 

sufficient 

His  tenth  ?     Nor  are  tythes  to  be   given  specifically  to  religious  objects,  so  means, 
called ;  that  is,  in   benefactions   to   God,  in   contradistinction    to  those   to 
man.     Are  we  not  religious  if  we   labor   to  attain   Divine  objects?     For  To  be  used 
what  else  is  the  Bible  given,  except  to  teach  us  the  works  of  God  for  man  ?  objects— 
For  the  benefit  of  these  sons  of  God,  even  the  death  of  the   Eternal  Son 
was  not  too  great  a  sacrifice.     Is  it  not  made  our  religious  duty,  the  evi- 
dence of  our  regard  for  Jehovah,  that  we  do  what  we  may  to  benefit  our  —to  benefit 
fellow  ?     Except  the  offering  of  the  heart  in  gratitude  and  adoration,  what 
else  is  there  in  religion   but  to  benefit  man  ?     All  through  the  Old  Testa- 
ment,— 

What  doth  the  Lord  require  of  thee,  ^^'"'''-  "'•  ^■ 

But  to  do  justly,  to  love  mercy, 
And  to  walk  humbly  with  thy  God  ? 

The  Gospel  is  only  an  advance  upon  the  same  teachings,  according  to  the  Gospel  same 
progress  of  our  race.    If  we  "  do  justly  "  and  "  love  mercy,"  what  physical 
or  spiritual  want  of  man  will   be  uncared  for  ?     We  have  done  something 
for  these  great  purposes  of  life,  yet  little  compared  with  what  would  have  Tythes  not 
"been  done  had  a  half  the  tythes  been  rendered.     Those  of  us  who  from  the 
beginnins:  have  seen  the  results  of  the  little  we  have  done  for  the  cause  of  oid  settlers 

°  *-  .to  work. 

God  and  humanity,  what  abundant  encouragement  have  we  to  give  as  we 
have  opportunity  of  both  means  and  efibrt !  How  should  the  truth  come 
home  to  us, — 

Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might ;  for  there  is  no  work,  EceU  «r.  10. 
nor  device,  nor  knowledge,  nor  wisdom,  in  the  grave  whither  thou  goest. 

If  duty  devolve  upon  old  settlers  in  view  of  their  opportunities  past  and  New  settlers 
present,  are  new  settlers  relieved  ?     Enjoying  the  fruits  of  past  bestowment 
of  means  and   effort,  actually  entering  into  others'  labors,  their  obligations 


262  Local  Advantages  and   City  Expansion. 

Obligations  are  correspondingly  augmented  to  render  service  for  what  they  enjoy.  Yet 
^^"^""^  no  extra  service  is  requisite.  The  best  of  us  are  so  far  deficient  in  duty, 
Easy  to  lead  that  by  faithfully  rendering  the  tythes  to  the  high  and  holy  cause  of  God 
old  settlers. ^^-^  humanity,  new  settlers  may  place  themselves  in  advance  of  many  even 
of  the  old  settlers.  Where  we  bestow  our  money  we  shall  give  our  work. 
Churches.  CJiurches. — From  the  beginning  religion  has  had  attention  as  the  founda- 

Mf'thofiist     tion  of  social    and   civil    institutions.*     In   the   winter   of  1832-3  Father 
j-ht^c  ergy-  -^y^|].gj,-  ^  gQO(J  old  Mothodist  itinerant   made  his   headquarters  here,  and 
Father         bought  a  log  building  standing  on  the  west  side  of  the  north  branch,  near 
buuding.  ''^  the  railroad  bridge.     The  front  part  was  used  for  worship,  and  the   rear  as 
Presby'n      his   dormitory.     About  June  1st,   1833,  the   troops  in  Ft.  Dearborn  were 
organizedf"^"  changed,  and  Rev.  Jeremiah  Porter,  whom  a  few  of  us  are  left   to  remem- 
ber with  affection,  came  with  the  new  troops  as  chaplain,  and  organized  the 
first  Presbyterian  Church  (as  noticed  p.  99,)  in  Father  Walker's  building. 
Next,  a  most  excellent   man.  Rev.   Mr.  Freeman,   a  Baptist,  arrived.     Dr. 
Biptist        John  T.  Temple,  the  proprietor  of  the  first  line   of  stages   into  Chicago 
'^^■from  Detroit,  an  energetic   Baptist,  with   a  few   others,  came   in  1833  and 
put  up  the  first  church  building,  on   the  corner  of  Franklin  and  South 
Union  with  Water  streets;  and  Baptists  and  Presbyterians   held   services   alternately, 
is't'^^  Presby'n  and  had  a  joint  Sunday  School   until   a   Presbyterian  church  was  erected 
church.        -j^^^  .^  1833.     It  stood  fiicing  north   at  the   northwest  corner  of  the  alley 
i>?  Meth.      and  Clark  street,  north  of  the  Sherman  House.     The  Methodists  erected  a 
small  church  on   North   Water  street,  between   Clark   and    Dearborn,   in 
1834. 
1st  Catholic.      Father  St.  Palais  came,  I  think,  in  1833,  and  erected  a  Catholic  church 
near  the  corner  of  Lake  and  State  streets,  in  1834.     A  most   accomplished 
scholar  and  gentleman,  and  devoted  Christian,  he   now  honorably  fills  the 
ist  Episco-    eminent  chair   of  Bishop  of  Vincennes.     Rev.    Mr.  Hallam  was  a   faithful 
^'^  ■  pioneer  in  Episcopacy.     They  organized   a  church  in  1834,  worshipping  in 

jMr.  Watkins'  school  room  on  North  Water  street,  near  the  Methodist 
church,  where  all  of  us  young  men  aided  to  adorn  the  room  for  Christmas. 
Bishop  Chase  several  times  held  service  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  They 
erected  the  first  brick  church,  the  old  St.  James,  in  1835. 
No  denomi-  As  before  observed,  it  is  one  of  the  most  delightful  reminiscences  that 
jealousy,  churches  were  instituted  with  so  little  denominational  feeling  and  jealousy. 
Without  a  doubt,  the  genuine  Christian  fellowship  which  has  prevailed,  has 
been  one  prime  cause  of  not  only  our  religious,  but  temporal  progress ;  and 
may  we  not  yet  hope  that  the  glorious  work  of  union   goes  on  until  we 


Chi.  needs         *It  must  be  acknowleged,  that  we  have  more  than  ordinary  need  of  the  safeguards  of  reliiiou  and  of 

good  influ-     all  other  less  controlling  influences,  to   stem  the  torrent  of  vice  hither  setting.     The  very  causes  of  our 
onces.  ,      .  ,  a  J 

business  progress,  drawing  to  us  people  from  the  ends  of  the  earth,  brings  vicious  equally  with  the 
Intiux  of        virtuous.     Indeed,  the  former  are  more  likely  to  seek  out  such  a  cosmopolitan  place  than  are  the  latter; 
and  this  City  is  believed  to  be  a  very  sink-hole  of  iniquity,  because  one  can  scarcely  take  up  a  news- 
paper any  where,  without  finding  in  it  some  description  of  a  shocking  crime  at  Chicago. 


FIRST  BAPTIST  CHURCH. 


OGDEN  SCHOOL. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of   Chicaqo  Investments. 


268 


learn  to   practice  John's   teachings  (I  John  iv.  1-4),  and   Protestants  and  ah  cini-t- 

Catholic,  Unitarian  and  Trinitarian — all  who  "  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  o-ni/.u  eucu 

come  in  the  flesh" — shall   recognize  each  other  as  brethren  ?     Then,  eaclk 

in  the  family  to  which  his  tastes  and  habits  best  adapt  him,  the  diversity 

will    give   the   strongest    possible    unity.     Is    not   this   an   object   for  the  should  be 

Christians  of  Chicago  to  labor  for,  to  pray  for,  to   believe  in  ?     From  those  for  Chi. 

feeble  saplings,  what  trees  have  grown,  and  what  strong  off-shoots  ! 

List  of  Churches  in  Chicago. 


Baptist 15 

Mariners  Bethel 1 

Christian  Church 2 

CoTigregational 7 

Episcopal 13 

Evangelical 3 

Evangelical  Lutheran 4 

United  Evangelical 4 

First  Mission  Building,    ) 

Church  of  God.  /  1 

Independent 1 

Jewish  Congregations 3 

Total 


Methodist 12  List  of  Chi. 

German  Methodist  Episcopal 6  ^l'"'"''l'??> 

XT              ■        T    L\  A  May,  1867. 

Norwegian  Lutheran 4 

Presbyterian,  New  School 10 

Presbyterian,  Old  School 8 

Presbyterian  United 3 

Reformed  Dutch 2 

Roman  Catholic 18 

Swedenborgian 2 

Unitarian 2 

United  Brethren  in  Christ 2 

Universalist 2 

125  Number,125. 


A  moderate  estimate  of  the  cost  of  these  churches  would  be  $2,000,000  :  Cost  $2,000,- 

000. 
the  most  expensive  being  the  First  Baptist,  which  cost  $175,000. 

With  churches,  the  various  philanthropic  societies  have  grown  up,  and  in  B.'n9yoicnt 

no  city  are  benevolent  operations  more   thoroughly  organized.     That  we  do 

not  give  as  we  should,  is  not  for  lack  of  system,  or  of  urgent  applications, 

but  because  with  most  of  our   countrymen   we  have  not  yet  learned   with 

what  directness   and  positiveness  GrOD  requires  of  us  the  tythes.     When  we  Tythes  to  be 

^  .  given. 

shall  learn  to  consecrate  the  tenth  part  of  our  increase — as  we  surely  shall, 
if  our  blessings  are  continued — how  will  the  influence  of  our  City  be 
strengthened  ! 

Education. — This  subject,  also,  from  the  first  has  had  earnest  attention,  Education, 
especially  our  public  school  system.  It  seems  but  yesterday  since  in  1835  ist  public 
the  first  public  school  house  was  erected  on  Clark  street,  on  the  church  lot.*  house. 


commou 
schools. 


*To  Mr.  W.  II.  Wells,  to  whom  a3  Superintendent  we  are  so  much  indebted  fir  the  present  efficient  Mr  Wells 
system  of  public  schools,  am  I  indebted  for   the  knowledge  that  that  building  was  the  first  erected  ™y  informer, 
specially  for  school   purposes.     But   the   honor   is   due  to  my  sainted   mother.     Having  then  plenty  of 
money,  it  was  spent  very  much  as  she  desired.    Interested  in  an  infant  school,  she  wanted  the  building, 
and  it  was  built.     Afterwards,  learning  myself  to  be  interested  in  educational  efforts,  and  means  having  My    interest 
been  lost  in  the  reverses  of  1837,  I  set  to  work  conscientiously  to  make  some  money  to  use  in  that  sacred 
cause.     My  plans  were  accomplished,  and  I  had  property  enough  ;  but  instead  of  sticking  to  my  resolu- 
tions, against  my  mother's  earnest  entreaties,  I  became  a  slave  in  the  reaper  business,  and  was  ruined  by 
it,  as  I  deserved  to  be.     Had  those  solemn   resolutions  been  kept,  to  devote  myself  entirely  to  the  cause  Resolutions 
of  common  schnols  throughout  the  State;    my  means  wore  abundant,  I   should  probably    have   done  ""* ''ept. 
some  gojd,  should  have  gladdened  my  dear  mother's  heart,  and  doubtless   had  an   estate  of  a   million^ 
Nor  is  my  unfaithfulness  a  solitary  example.     How  many  business  men  know  when  to  stop  their  speciaj  Do  others  do 
efforts  to  mike  money,  and  set  themselves  to  work  as  honest,  earnest  stewards,  to  employ  their  means  in  better? 
advancing  the  cause  of  God  and  humanity?    How  many  who  have  ceased  business  labors,  have  engaged 
in  these  other  labors  ? 


264 


Local  Advantages  and  City  Expanswn. 


My  account  book  shows  Mr.  Joseph  Meeker  was  paid  for  building  it, 
6507.93.  Quite  a  contrast  to  the  last  Annual  Report  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  which  presents  this  statement  of — 

Value  of  Chicago  School  Houses,  Lots,  etc.,  Slst  August,  1867. 


Value  of 
school 
houses  and 
lots,  3lst 
Aug.  186T. 


High 

Dearborn.. 
Jones.. 


Scammon . 


Branch, 

1 

Branch, 

Kinzie 

"  Branch, 

Franklin 

"  Branch, 

Washington 

"  Branch, 


Moseley.  . 


Branch 

Branch, 

" 

Newberrj 

Wells 

$416,8.50. 
392.573. 


Skinner 

Haven 

Cottage  Grovo 

Bridgeport 

Holstein 

Walsh  Street 

Pearson  St.  Pr'y... 
Elizabeth        do 
Rolling  Mill  do 


Date 

Mate- 

Erec. 

rial. 

1S56 

Stone. 

1844 

Brick. 

1844 

Brick. 

1858 

Wood. 

1846 

Brick. 

1862 

Wood 

1845 

Brick. 

1862 

Wood. 

1851 

Brick. 

1862 

Wood. 

1851 

Brick. 

1852 

Wood. 

Wood. 

1856 

Brick. 

Wood. 

1857 

Brick 

1857 

Brick. 

1855 

Wood. 

1862 

Wood. 

Wood. 

1856 

Brick. 

1858 

Brick. 

1865 

Brick. 

1859 

Brick. 

1862 

Brick. 

1866 

Wood. 

Wood. 

Wood. 

1866 

Wood. 

1866 

Wood. 

1866 

Wood. 

1855 

Wood. 

Height. 


Three  Stories. 
Two  Stories. 
Two  Stories. 
Two  Stories. 
Two  Stories. 
Two  Stories. 
Two  Stories. 

Two  Stories. 

Two  Stories. 

Two  Stories. 


Two  Stories. 

Two  Stories. 
Three  Stories 
One  Story. 
Tliree  Stories. 
Three  Stories. 
Two  Stories. 
Two  Stories. 
One  ttory. 
Three  Stories. 

Four  Stories. 

Four  Stories. 

Four  Stories. 

Four  Stories. 
Two  Stories. 

Two  Stories. 

One  Story. 
Two  Stories. 
Two  Stories. 
Two  Stories. 
Two  Stories. 


53  X  90  feet. 

60  X  80  feet. 

53x71  feet. 

26  X  45  feet. 

50  X  72  feet. 

60  X  36  feet. 

46  X  7-1  feet. 
56x39    with)  „. 
wing  26x44j" 

45  X  70  feet. 
56x39   with)  ., 
wing  26x44/" 

45x70  feet. 
56x39   with 
wing  26 X 


in«- 


78  x  58  feet. 
22  X  44  feet. 
60  -v  84  feet. 
60  X  84  feet. 
26x42  feet. 
44  X  53  feet. 


with)- 

)x58;"- 


60  X  80  feet. 
74x78   with), 
wing  50x58]  "■ 

68  X  86  feet. 
74x78   with 
wing  50. 

68  X  86  feet. 

77x6S3.<;feet. 
28x66  wiUi  If. 
wing  24x40  ("• 

24  x  T2  feet. 

76x6814  feet. 

76x68i|  feet. 

76  X  eS}4  feet. 

42x46  feet. 


How 
heated. 


Steam. 
Stoves. 
Stoves. 
Stoves. 
Stoves. 
Stoves. 
Stoves. 

Stoves. 

Stoves. 

Stoves. 


Stoves. 

Stoves. 
Steam. 

Stoves. 

Steam. 

Furnace. 

Stoves. 

Stoves. 

Stoves. 

Steam. 

Stoves. 

Steam. 


Steam. 
F. &  Stoves 

Stoves. 

Stoves. 
Stoves. 
F.&  Stoves 
Stoves. 
Stoves. 


Size  of 
Lot. 


S  30,000  1203x186 

8,750  1130x162 

10,500  ;  150x212 

2,200  50x106 

10,590  203x205 
4,000 

10,500 

5,000 
10,500 

5,000 
10,500 

5,000 

500 
24,000 
800 
26,000 
26,000 
2,000 
4,000 
1,500 
25,000 

35,000 

35,000 

35,000 

13,500 
2,000 

1,800 
13,500 
n.bOO 
13,5(K) 

1,800 


197x90 


181x2&4 


200x224 


262x122 

200x172 


179x108 

200x148 

2-50x180 

145x189 

I.n0xl70 
200  X  231 

115x237 

100x145 
158  X 195 
239x108 
206x164 
288x288 


Value 
of  Lot. 

i  20,300 

78,000 

45,000 

5,000 

30,450 

16,745 


18,100 


3,000 


25,000 

20,960 
12,000 


12,530 
8,000 
7,500 

11,600 

19  500 
6,400 

3,000 

1,500 

7.000 

15,730 

16,258 

4,000 


Total  value  of  School  Buildings $416,850 


$392,573 


More  to  be 
done. 


Carpenter 
school- 
house  dedi- 
cated. 


More  has  been  done  the  last  than  any  previous  year  ;  yet  the  voork  must 
go  on.  With  all  the  increased  accommodations,  and  their  crowded  condi- 
tion, still  children  cannot  obtain  admission.  For  at  least  two  or  three 
years  to  come  as  much  should  be  done  annually  as  in  the  past  year.  At  the 
dedication  of  another  school-house,  christened  after  my  old  friend,  Mr. 
Philo  Carpenter — a  few  months  older  resident  than  myself — the  Chicago 
Post  reports : — 


Ald.Holden.  Aid.  Holden  congratulated  the  patrons  of  the  district  on  having  this  day  dedi- 
cated to  the  cause  of  the  education  of  their  young  this  beautiful  building.  He 
congratulated  not  only  the  patrons  of  that  district  but  every  citizen  of  Chicago  on 
having  this  beautiful  and  substantial  edifice  added  to  the  large  number  heretofore 
erected  and  dedicated  for  purposes  of  educating  all  of  the  youth  of  our  City.  He 
Schools  cost  said  to  acquire  grounds  and  erect  such  buildings  as  this,  costs  money  and  large 
money.         sums.     He  said  he  would  show  in  part  what  had  been  done  during  the  last  municipal 


t^osa--^,,,,  _  ,cc:^ 


WELLS    SCHOOL. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  205 

year,  in  the  way  of  paying  out  money  for  these  purposes,  showing  the  following 
sums  to  have  been  expended  : 

Dore  school  lot $]0,r)00.00  Kxpendi- 

Dore  school  building 42,8;{().r,r)  *"■■''^♦°'■ 

Heating  the  same 10,!t7().-o  1TO7-8. 

Furniture  for  the  same 3,000.00 

Carpenter  school  lot 10,000.00 

Carpenter  building 43,*.)8;i.85 

Furniture 2,500.00 

Holden  school  lot G,000.00 

Holden  school  building ......  47,019.60 

Furniture  for  the  same 2,r)00.00 

Lot  for  Hayes  school 9,950.00 

Hayes  school  building 33,7t)2.00 

Lot  OH  Reuben  street,  near  Sampson 5,000.00 

Building  on  the  same  in  process  of  erection — to  cost  $53,000 

Wentworth  avenue  lot 7,000.00 

Jones  school  lot 27,500.00 

Walsh  school 5,300.00 

Rolling  mill  lot 4,224.00 

Balance  on  Cottage  Grove  building 2,850.00 

Building  at  the  corner  of  Elm  and  Rush  stseets 7,000.00 

Total $282,496.25  8282,496. 

To  this  is  to  be  added  some  $40,000  more,  making  the  total  about  $320,000,  and  Totnl, 
leaving  on  hand  $180,000  for  building  purposes.  5820,000. 

To  meet  the  named  expenditure,  seven  per  cent,  school  bonds,  having  twenty  s.ile  of  city 
years  to  lun,  have  been  issued   and  sold.     The  council  were   authorized  to  issue  lju"<is- 
and  sell  school  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $500,000,  by  an  act  of  the  legislature  at  its 
last  session. 

He  also  stated  the  income  from  the  school  tax  levied  for  school  purposes  for  the  School  jd- 
munielpal  year  1867  to  be  $387,486.99.  From  State  Fund,  estimated  at  $30,000.  ^«°^e  from 
From  rents,  $41,260.15.     Total,  458,147.14.  *'''''''• 

He  said  there  had  been  paid  out  from  the  School  Tax  Fund,  $384,645.25.     Of  this  Expendi- 
amount   $261,695.06   was  for  teachers' salaries.     Not  however  for  the  year  1867,  ^']™^'^^*-" 
for  $43,500  was  paid  out  in  1866  more  than  the  appropriation  for  the  year,  hence 
the  sum  had  to  be  made  up  in  1867,  thus  leaving  on  hand  quite  a  margin  for  future 
expenses. 

Besides  this   property,   the  City  has  a  school  fund,  to  which   belongs,  School  fund, 
according  to  the  last  Report  of  the  Board  of  Education  : — 

Real  estate  within  the  limits  of  the  city,  appraised  at $651,206.67 

Amount  of  real  estate  outside  of  the  city, 43,375  00 

Money  loaned — Principal, 62,040.00 

"Wharfing  Lot  Fund, 61,129.00 

Total  School  Fund, $807,750.67         S807,750 

This  yielded  for  the  fiscal  year,  1866-7,  of  rents  and  interest,  $42,859.30.  income 
The  real   estate  is  to  increase  rapidly  in  value.     Block   142,   estimated   at 
only  $78,990,  is  under  lease  until  1880,  at  6  per  cent,  upon  an  appraisal  to 
be  made  each  5  years     The  next  appraisal  is  in  1870,  which  will  be  over  L,vnd 
$1,000,000.     We  shall  have  a  school  fund,  if  present  property  is  held,  of  euhancing 
several  millions  in  a  few  years. 

Besides  the  above  receipts  from  the  school  fund,  the  receipts  from   the  ^^^^J^^^ 
State  were  $29,616.79;  and  from  the  three  mill  school  tax,  $234,445.92. 
The  payments  for  support  of   schools  (not  including  new  buildings)  was  Expenses 
$296,672.89,  an  average  cost  per  pupil  of  118.10.  $296,672. 


266  Local  Advantages  and  City  Expansion. 

The  following  is  tlie  estimate  of  expenditures  the  present  year  : — 

Estimate       Current  expenditures • $487,500 

1867-S.          Heaiin<Tand  ventilating  apparatus,  furniture,  out  houses,  fences,  side- 
walks, etc.,  for  buildings  now  erecting 103,000 

New  buildings  and  sites  for  the  same 307,000 

$897,500.  Total $897,500 

Schools  have  JSTor  has  attention  been  bestowed  merely  upon  buildings  and  funds. 
attention.     Froin  the  beginning  our  best  men  have  given  close  attention  to  the  subject 

of  popular  education,  as  lying  at  the  foundation  of  democratic  government. 

But  the  public  have  no  more  realized  the  importance  and  the  future  of 
Ridicule  of  common  schools,  than  that  of  any  other  interest  of  the  City.  Who  does 
house?  ""     not  remember  the  ridicule  even  to  hooting  at  Mr.  Ira  Miltimore  on  account 

of  the  Dearborn  school   house,  the  first  of  the  large  ones  erected  in  1844, 

and  which  even  that  far-sighted  man,  Mayor  Garrett,  in  his  inaugural  in 
Board  of       1845,  advised   should  be  sold  or  converted  to  some   other  use  ?     To  their 

Education  ,.         ,       t-,  i      r.   t-,  i  •  ^  t      •       i       •  ii     t  •  ^ 

have  led.  credit,  the  Board  or  Jiiducation,  because  tiieir  duties  compelled  to  considera- 
tion, have  always  been   in   advance   of  public  sentiment.     In   1854   they 

Mr.  Dore,  obtained  the  aid  of  Mr.  J.  C  Dore  of  Massachusetts  as  Superintendent. 
He  classified  and  sj'stematised  the  schools,  and  stimulated  to  the  erection  of 

Mr.  Wells,    the   High   School,  finished  1856.     That   year  he  resio;ned,  and  Mr.  W.  H. 

Supt.  '^  ,  .  ... 

Wells  was  appointed,  each  having  a  school  building  appropriately  named 
Mr.  Pickard,  after   him.     Mr.   Pickard,  the   present  incumbent,  was  appointed  in  1864. 

We  have  been  very  fortunate  in  our  Superintendents,  and  too  much  praise 
Obligations    canuot  be  accorded  them  for  their  zealous  efforts.     Yet  to   the   Board   of 

to  Board. 

Education    who   have   given  so    much    time    and   labor   are  we   primarily 
Mr.  Wells'    indebted.     Mr.  Wells  in  his  report  of  1858  gave  a   history  of  the  schools, 
and  remarked  : — 

In  the  When  in  the  far  distant  future  the  philosophic  historian  shall  write  the  history  of 

^riv*  work- ^'^^  City;  when  the  character  and  the  acts  of  successive  generations  shall  be 
ers  will  be  weighed  in  the-  scales  of  impartial  judgment;  when  material  wealth  shall  be 
honored.  regarded  in  its  true  light,  as  a  means  to  an  end;  when  social  enjoyment,  and  intel- 
lectual cultivation,  and  moral  worth  shall  be  rightly  estimated,  as  essential  elements 
of  prosperity  in  every  community — then  will  the  wisdom  of  those  who  have  laid 
the  foundation  of  our  public  school  system  be  held  in  grateful  remembrance  ;  then. 
will  the  names  of  Scammon,  and  Brown,  and  Jones,  and  Miltimore,  and  Moseley, 
and  Foster,  and  their  coadjutors,  be  honored  as  among  the  truest  and  most  worthy 
benefactors  of  Chicago. 

Pubiifi  The  increase  of  pupils  is  beyond  that  of  population,  as  it  ought  to  be. 

schools  best.  r    r  ./  r    r  ;  o 

Too  many  are  out  of  any  school;  and  the  public  schools  ought  to  be  and  are 
Relative       the  best,  drawing  more  and  more  from  private  schools.     In  1855,  to  80.000 

increase  of  "  "  '  ' 

pujiiiH.         population,  2,154  pupils  attended  on  the  average;  in  1860,  to  109,260,  the 

average  was  7,582  ;  in  1867,  to  200,418,  the  average  was  16,042. 
Common  The  common  school  is  the   bulwark  of  our    institutions.     What  means 

Bchools  our 

bulwark.  equal  it  to  nationalize  the  foreign  element  ?  What  more  effective  to 
bring  them  hither  than  these  influences  of  education  ?     To  the  person  who 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Cliicngo  Invoatmcnts.  207 

has  heart  and  capacity  to  appreciate  the  constituent  elements  of  character, 
there  is  no  one  thing  which  would  more  commend  Chicago  to   him  for  resi- 
dence, than  its  devotion  to  the  cause  of  common  schools.     They  have  ever  Devotion  of 
been  our  pride,  and  are  still  the  chief  object  of  interest  to  exhibit  to  appre- ^'"' '"  "'*'"' 
ciative   strangers.     Said   Mr.  George  C  Clarke,  President  of  the  Board  of  Mr.  ciarice, 
Education,  in  the  last  annual  report : —  ■'''^**" 

A  careful  comparison  of  our  schools  with  those  of  other  cities,  can   but  occasion  Coinparirtoi: 
considerable,  and,  surely,  a  pardonable  satisfaction.  satisfactory 

One  is  surprised  to  see  how  much  has  been  accomplished  in  the  forty  years  that  Change  in  40 
have  passed  since  Chicago  was  a  mere  trading  post,  and   how   plainly  in  the  front  >'*''■■''• 
line  of  progress,  in  all  that  pertains  to  public  instruction,  the  City  stands  to-day.  We  lead 
Ideas  that  other  cities  are  just  experimenting  upon,  with  us   are  established  facts  ;  otli"™- 
improvements  that  older  organizations  hesitate  to  adopt  are  already  incorporated 
into  our  school  system.     And  this,  perhaps,  is  due  to  our  youth,  just  as,  because  of 
their  age,  older  cities  have  deep-seated  evils  that  require  years  to  eradicate. 

Among  the  elements  of  improvement  possessed  by  us,  one  of  chief  importance  is  Oracled 
the  Graded  Course  of  Study,  adopted  in  18G1,  upon  the  suggestion,  and  under  the '^""™®- 
direction  of  W.  H.  Wells,  Esq.,  while  Superintendent,  which  has  been  in  successful  Mr.  Wella. 
operation  since  that  time.     This  course  has  been  the  chief  model  on  which  many 
similar  courses  in  other  cities  have  been  constructed,  and  it   is  now   almost  daily 
consulted  for  ideas,  in  the  establishment  of  similar  plans  in  cities  of  far  maturer 
age  than  Chicago. 

Our  City  Normal   School  has  been  in  successful  operation  for  ten  years,  and  the  Normal 
most  satisfactory  evidence  of  its  efficiency  is  found  in  the  fact  that  the  best  teachers  sciiooi. 
employed  by  the  Board  are  graduates  of  this  school.     Out  of  three  hundred  female  S'lpplies 
teachers  uow  in  our  schools,  nearly  one-half  received   their  training  here,  and  our  **'"^  '^"" 
only  regret  is,  that  the  number  is  not  greater. 

The  Training  Department,  inaugurated  some  two  years  ago,  has  been  steadily  Training 
growing  in  excellence  and  value  since  that  time,  and  is  now  an  indispensable  part  (ii-partment. 
of  our  Normal  School. 

In  close  connection  with  this  is  our  monthly  Teachers'  Institute,  established  in  Teacher's 
1857,  and  continued  regularly  since  then.     Yet  while  such  an  Institute  is  generally  institute, 
conceded  to  be  a  necessity  in  any  comprehensive  school  organization,  in  one  or  two 
of  the  largest  cities   the  obstacles  offered  to  the  inauguration  of  it  have  not  yet 
been  fully  overcome. 

In  the  matter  of  school  structures,  we  have  at  last,  after  repeated  trials,  secured  Dest    school 
a  plan  that  is  rapidly  being  copied  in  other  cities,  as  the  best  general  arrangement  l^ousfs- 
of  school  accommodations  in  use. 

Evening  schools  have  become  thoroughly  a  part  of  our  system,  and,  though  we  Evening 
do  not  claim  to  have  originated  them,  we  were  among  the  first  to  adopt  and  ^'^'*°°'*- 
introduce  them. 

In  one  other  particular  the  schools  of  Chicago  are  conspicuous,  and  that  is  in  the  Tracher'a 
salaries  paid  to  teachers;   although  not  what  they  should  be,  they  are  higher,  on  an '""^"'*" 
average,  than  in  any  other  city  of  the  United  States,  with,  perhaps,  two  exceptions. 

S<'ience  and  Art. — Nor  have  we  altogether  neglected  the  higher  institu-  Science  and 
tions  of  learning.     They   are  yet  in  their  infancy ;  but   in   nearly  every 
department  the  foundations  have  been  begun,  and   seem   laid  solidly.     No 
amount  of  effort  or  of  means  can  thoroughly  establish  scientific  institutions;  Timoindis- 

•    1  pensablo. 

time  is  indispensable.  What  we  have  done,  however,  shows  that  material 
wealth  is  not  the  sole  object  of  regard,  and  gives  promise  that  no  more  in 
intellectual  than  in  commercial  pursuits,  will  Chicago  be  in  the  rear.  The  Some  work 
long  list  of  private  schools,  academies  and  seminaries,  shows  that  too  many 
pupils  are  out  of  our  public  schools  ;  and  the  former  must  be  very  good  or 
they  could  not  exhibit  this  successful  competition. 


268 


Local  Advantages  and   City  Expansion. 


The  Rush  MeJical  College  is  probably  the  oldest  scieutific  Institution. 
College.  At  the  dedication  of  their  new  edifice,  2d  Oct.,  1867,  Dr.  Blaney,  the 
x>r.  Blaney.  President  in  his  address  remarked : — 


Rush 

Medical 


Opened  1S43. 

Dedicatioa 
1845. 

Enlarge-  _ 
meat  1855. 

New  dedica- 
tion 1867. 

Dr.Brainard. 


Chi.  Bchool 

suggested 
1843. 


Important 
to  have  an 
institution 
at  Chi. 


Other 

schools 

beaten. 


Building 
enlarged 
1854. 


New  build- 
ing 1867. 


Obstacles 
removed — 


— by  wise 
location. 


"  The  first  epoch  was  marked  by  its  organization,  by  the  appointment  of  a 
Faculty,  and  the  opening  of  the  first  course  of  Lectures,  in  December,  1843  ;  the 
second  by  the  dedication  of  the  first  building  erected  for  its  use,  on  the  site  of  the 
present  building,  in  ISio;  the  third  by  the  enlargement  of  tdat  building  to  meet 
the  growing  demands  of  its  classes,  in  185-3;  and  this,  the  fourth  epoh,  is  marked 
by  the  assemblage  this  evening  of  this  large  and  respectable  audience  to  assist  in 
the  dedication  to  the  service  of  medical  education  of  the  large  and  imposing  edifice 
in  which  you  are  now  convened." 

*  *  "Not  content  with  total  inanition,  as  a  tentative  experiment.  Dr. 
Brainard  opened  a  private  school  of  anatomy  in  his  own  rooms  on  South  Clark  St., 
which,  with  small  numbers  in  attendance,  he  continued  for  several  years.  Mean- 
while, he  accepted  and  acceptably  filled  the  chair  of  Anatomy  in  the  St.  Louis 
University  for  two  years.  It  was  during  the  session  of  1842  and  1843  of  that 
institution  that  the  speaker  first  met  Prof.  Brainard,  in  St.  Louis,  and  learned  from 
him  his  views  in  regard  to  the  establishment  of  a  medical  school  in  Chicago  ;  and 
it  was  then  concerted  that  should  certain  contingencies  arise  during  the  following 
summer,  a  school  should  be  opened  in  Chicago  in  the  autumn  of  1843.  Those  con- 
tingencies were  the  opening  of  schools  of  medicine  at  several  points  in  Illinois  and 
Indiana.  The  fact  was  fully  conceded  that  the  movement  would  be  premature,  and 
in  advance  of  the  demands  of  the  profession  in  the  Northwest.  But  it  was  deemed 
important,  in  view  of  the  probability  that  Chicago,  then  a  town  of  between  5,000 
and  6,000  inhabitants,  would  continue  to  be,  as  she  then  was,  the  largest  of  the 
numerous  towns  then  struggling  for  supremacy  on  the  great  lakes,  that  it  should  be 
occupied  as  the  site  of  a  medical  school,  before  other  schools  in  other  towns  should 
obtain  the  prestige  of  priority  in  their  establishment."         *         *         *         * 

Meanwhile  schools  had  been  opened  at  Jacksonville  and  St.  Charles,  III.,  and  at 
Laporte,  Ind. ;  but  in  the  winter  of  1847-48,  this  institution  remained  master  of  the 
field,  with  a  class  of  140,  and  with  thirty-three  graduates.  With  various  changes  in 
its  faculty,  and  with  but  little  variation  in  the  number  of  its  students  and  graduates, 
it  continued  to  labor  for  the  improvement  of  the  profession  until  1854,  when  the 
building  first  erected  was  deemed  too  small  and  not  sufficiently  commodious,  and  was 
enlarged  at  a  cost  of  $10,000.  This  enlarged  building  was  first  occupied  November 
5th,  1»55,  and  was  continued  in  use  until  the  close  of  the  last  session,  when,  urged 
by  the  imperative  demands  of  the  overflowing  classes  which  had  sought  its  portals, 
the  faculty  determined  upon  the  erection  of  the  noble  edifice  in  which  you  are  this 
evening  assembled — a  structure  commensurate  with  the  enormous  expansion  of 
this  great  Northwest,  and  worthy  of  the  important  uses  it  is  intended  to  subserve. 

It  would  not  be  becoming  in  me  to  enlarge  upon  the  weary  years  of  labor 
expended,  the  hope  deferred,  the  struggles  for  life  and  success  experienced  in  the 
effort  to  build  up  an  institution  of  this  kind — prematurely  organized,  and  in  a  form- 
ing and  unappreeiative  community — but  I  cannot  refrain  from  the  remark  that 
much  of  the  position  which  this  College  now  sustains  is  due  to  the  foresight  which 
located  it  in  a  city,  which,  by  its  unprecedented  growth,  and  attainment  of  univer- 
sal acknowledgment  as  the  metropolis  of  a  territory  unequaled  in  its  resources, 
present  and  future,  has  carried  along  with  it,  in  its  advance,  every  public  enter- 
prise, which,  having  a  worthy  object  in  view,  has  proved  itself  adequate  to  the 
constantly  increasing  demands  of  the  communities  which  are  its  tributaries. 


Mayor  Rice.      Major  Rice  followed,  and  in  his  remarks  said  : — 


20  years  ago      A  little  over  twenty  years  ago,  as  the  President  has  just  told  you,  the  faculty  of 

22studeuts—  Rugii  Medical  College  delivered  lectures  to  a  class  of  twenty-two   students.     Last 

—1860,   3(10.  year  their  lectures  were  delivered   to  a  class  of  over  three  hundred  students,  and 

there  would  have  been  more  to  receive  the  valuable  education  which  is  to  be  gotten 

here,  if  there  had  been  room  for  more.     One  remarkable  part  of  the  history  of  this 

college  is,  and  perhaps  it  is  unprecedented,  that  the  entire    establishment — all   the 

Paid  its  own  vast  expenditures  for  its  erection — has  been  borne  by  the  professors  of  the  College. 

"■^y-  There  has  been  no  joint-stock  company,  and  no  aid  from  state,   county,  or  oity  ; 


RUSH  MEDICAL  COLLEGE. 


Past,    Present  and  Future  of  Cliicago  Investments.  269 

no  endowments ;  but  the  whole  sum,  seventy  thousand  dollars,  paid  by  a  few  earn-  CoBt  $70,000. 
est  men,    that  the  doors   of  this    great   building   should   be    thrown  open    to  tlie 
thousands  of  men   seeking  instruction,  from  every  part   of  our  globe,  and  couiiug 
here  where  they  are  sure  to  find  it. 

The  graduates   1866-7   were  79;    1867-8,   126;    total  graduates  about  Graduates, 
1,150.     The  faculty  is  thus  constituted  : — 

J.    V.   Z.   Blaney,    M.  D.,    President,    Professor    in    Chemistry   and    Pharmacy.  Faculty. 
Jos.  W.  Freer,  M.D.,  Professor  Physiology  and  Microscopic   Anatomy.     .1.    Adams 
Allen,  M.D.,  LL.U.,  Prof.  Principles  and   Prac.   Med.     E.  Ingals,   M.D.,  Treasurer, 
Prof.   Materia  Medica  and  Medical  Jurisprudence.     DeLaskie   Miller,  M.D.,  Secre- 
tary,  Prof,   of  Obstetrics  and  Dis.    of  Women    and   Children.     11.    L.    Ilea,    M.I)., 
Prof,    of  Anatomy.     Moses   Gunn,    A.M.,    M.U.,   Prof.    Priu.    and    Prac.    Surgery 
and    Clin.    Surgery.      Edwin    Powell,    M.D.,    Prof.    Military    Surgery    and    Sur- 
gical Anatomy.     Joseph  P.  Ross,  M.D.,  Prof.  Clinical  Medicine  and  Disease  of  the 
Chest.     Chas.  T.  Parkes,  M.D.,  Demonstrator  of  Anatomy  and  Prosector  in  Surgery. 
Edwin  L.  Holmes,  M.D.,  Lecturer  on  Diseases  of  the  Eye  and  Ear.     Corps  of  Lee-  Lectures  and 
turers   and  Instructors  in  Spring  and  Summer  Course:     Wells   R.  ^Ifi^sh,  M.D.,  j^^""'^ . 
Prin.  and  Prac.    Med.  and   Dispensary  Physician.     John  E.  Owens,  M.D.,  Surgery 
and  Venereal  Diseases.     Wm.   C.    Lyman,    M.D.,   Surgery  and  Surgical  Diagnosis. 
Curtis  T.    Fenn,    M.D.,   Obstetrics    and    Dis.    of    Women,   etc.      Chas.   T.    Parkes, 
M.D.,  Anatomy,  etc.     W.  C.  Hunt,  M.D.,  Microscopy  and  Histology. 

le  Chicago  Medical  College  is  another  thoroughly  established  in stitu- cin.  Medical 
ti>.  .   located  on  State  Street  near  22d.     The  lot  and  building  cost  $20,000,  ^''"''^''' 
and  are  paid  for.     It  has  a  fine   library,  museum  and   chemical   laboratory. 
Beginning  in  1859-60,  with  83  students  and   12  graduates,  they  increased  Begau  1850. 
both  each  year,  until   in  1867-8,  students   were  115,  and  graduates   50. 
Total  9  years.,  222.  OraduateB, 

The  faculty  consists  of:  N.  S.  Davis,  M.D.,  President  of  Faculty,  Professor  of  Faculty. 
Principles  and  Practice  of  Medicine  and  of  Clinical  Medicine.  W.  H.  Byford, 
M.D.,  Professor  of  Obstetrics  and  Diseases  of  Women  and  Children.  Edmund 
Andrews,  M.D.,  Secretary  of  Faculty,  Professor  of  Principles  and  Practice  of  Sur- 
gery, and  of  Military  Surgery.  John  E.  Davies,  A.M.,  Lecturer  on  Organic 
Chemistry  and  Toxicology.  H.  A.  Johnson,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Diseases  of  the 
Chest.  J.  S.  Jewell,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Descriptive  Anatomy.  J.  H.  Hollister, 
Professor  of  General  Pathology,  and  Public  Hygiene.  Ralph  N.  Isham,  M.D.,  Pro- 
fessor of  Surgical   Anatomy,   and   operations  of  Surgery.     M.  0.  Heydock,    M.D., 

Professor    of    Materia    Medica   and    Therapeutics. ,  A.M.,  Lecturer 

on  Inorganic  Chemistry.  R.  J  Patterson,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Medical  Jurispru- 
dence. Daniel  J.  Nelson,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Physiology  and  Histology,  J.  M. 
Woodworth,  M.D.,  Demonstrator  of  Anatomy.  E.  0.  F.  Roler,  M.D.,  Assistant 
to  the  Professor  of  Obstetrics.  S.  A.  Mc Williams,  M.D.,  Assistant  to  the  Professor 
of  Anatomy. 

In  medical  graduates  Chicago  is  next  after  Philadelphia  and  New  York.  Theoi.  Spm., 

.  11     •  1    Congrega- 

In  Theology  the  Congregationalists  have  a  seminary  well  inaugurated .  tioimiist. 
Their  present  building  is  on  Warren  street,  50x65,  four  stories.  The  main 
building,  fronting  on  Union  Park,  they  expect  to  commence  this  season. 
Their  professorships  are  endowed  with  $30,000  each,  and  funds  are  now 
being  raised  for  two  more.  The  library  has  3,000  volumes.  Students 
last  year  46;  alumni  77.  Alumni  T7. 

Directors  :  President,  E.  W.  Blatchford,  Esq.,  Chicago;  Vice  President,  Hon.  I.  G.  Directors. 
Foote,  Burlington,  Iowa;  Secretary,    Rev.  G.   S.  F.  Savage,  Chicago,  and  twenty- 
one  other  prominent  Clergymen,  and  others,  throughout  the  West.     Treasurer,  Rev. 
H.  L.  Hammond,  Chicago ;  General  Agent,  Rev.  W.  H.  Daniels,  Chicago. 


270  Local  Advantages  and   City  Expansion. 

Faculty  Faculty.    Rev.   Joseph  Haven,  D.D.,  Illinois  Professor  of  Systematic   Theology; 

Rev  Samuel  C.  Bartlett,  D.D.,  New  England  Professor  of  Biblical  Literature; 
Rev.  Franklin  W.  Fisk,  D.D.,  Wisconsin  Professor  of  Sacred  Rhetoric.  Depart- 
ment of' Ecclesiastical  History  at  present  filled  by  Prof.  Plaven. 

o  s  Pres  The  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  is  under  the 
TJieoi.  sem.^^gpjggg  ^f  the  Old  School  branch.  The  present  building  cost  §16,000, 
and  it  is  planned  for  enlargement.  It  is  located  on  20  acres  within  the 
City,  corner  of  Fullerton  Avenue  and  Halsted  streets,  donated  by  Hon.  W. 
B.  0"-den,  and  Mr.  Sheffield  of  New  Haven,  Conn.  Five  acres  contiguous 
were  donated  by  Messrs.  Lill  and  Diversey.  It  has  been  wisely  provided  that 
none  of  this  land  can  be  sold  for  25  years.  It  is  now  worth  $75,000.  The 
endowment  fund  is  $125,000,  in  which  Mr.  C  H.  McCormick  judiciously 
invested  $100,000  of  his  reaper  profits.  He  will  no  doubt  reap  more  good 
of  the  same  sort.  There  are  also  G  scholarships  of  $2,500  each.  The 
library  has  about  8,000  volumes.  There  were  11  graduates  in  1861,  14  in 
1867,  and  a  total  of  47. 


Land 
$75,000. 
Endowment 
$126,000. 


Graduates, 
47. 


Faculty. 


Meth.  Epia. 
Northwest- 
ern   Univer- 


sity— 


— at    Bvans- 
ton. 


Lands, 

$132,150. 


Funds, 
$560,749. 


Officers. 


Trustees. — Roswell  B.  Mason,  President;  Henry  G.  Miller,  Vice  President;  Samuel 
Howe,  Secretary;  Eliphalet  Wood,  Treasurer;  Horace  A.  Hurlbut,  James  H.  Knapp, 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Wesley  Munger,  Robert  Reid.  Faculty.  V/illis  Lord,  D.  D., 
McCormick  Professor  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology  ; of  Biblical  and  Ecclesi- 
astical history ;  Leroy  J.  Halsey,  D.  D.,  Professor  of  Historical  and  Pastoral 
Theology  and  Church  Government;  and  Charles  Elliott,  D.  D.,  Professor  of  Biblical 
Literature  and  Exegesis. 

The  Northwestern  University  in  charge  of  the  Methodist  Episcopalians, 
■  has  a  larger  endowment  than  any  other.  A  lot  was  bought  in  1852,  for 
$5,000,  which  fortunately  is  still  retained,  being  now  worth  at  least  $70,000. 
But  the  next  year  it  was  decided  to  purchase  land  outside,  and  a  site  was 
chosen  11  miles  north  of  Chicago,  upon  the  lake  shore,  where  they 
purchased  from  one  and  another  for  nominal  sums  over  400  acres,  naming 
the  town  Evauston.  *  The  University  is  the  land  proprietor ;  and  though 
considerable  has  been  sold,  and  a  town  has  grown  up  of  about  2,000  inhabitants, 
yet  the  value  of  unsold  lots  and  lauds  was  $132,150,  June,  1867.  A  circular 
of  Prof.  Noyes,  Financial  Agent,  of  that  date  exhibits  in  detail  the  assets 
which  are  here  condensed  :  Productive  funds,  (nett)  $190,427,  unproductive 
property  $370,322.,  a  total  of  $560,749.  The  walls  of  the  main  building 
are  nearly  erected.  The  students  last  year  numbered  in  the  University  41, 
preparatory  department,  105.  The  number  of  graduates  I  have  not  been 
able  to  ascertain. 

Officers  of  the  Board: — Hon.  John  Evans,  M.  D.,  President.  James  G.  Hamilton, 
Vice-President.     Thomas  C.  Hoag,  Treasurer.     Henry  S.  Noyes,  Secretary. 


Dr.  Evan's 
efforta. 


*  Without  disparagement  to  other  active  promoters  of  educational  interests  which  have  been  developed 
at  Evanston,  it  may  and  should  be  remarked,  that  to  Hon.  John  Evans,  M.  D.,  after  whom  the  town  was 
appropriately  named,  the  public  is  largely  indebted  for  the  success  which  has  there  been  witnessed.  As 
Governor  of  Colorado  Territory,  with  the  capital  of  which,  Denver,  Chicago  will  this  year  be  united 
by  rail,  ho  can  now  better  appreciate  the  far-reaching  wisdom" of  founding  here  educational  institutions 
for  the  benefit  of  tha  wide  West,  the  Great  Interior. 


NORTHWESTERIN  UNWERSITY 

G.  P.  Randall  Architect,  Chicago. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of   Chicago  Investments.  271 

Executive  Covimif/ee: — Hon.  John  Evans,  M.   D.  ,  James   G.Hamilton,  Orrington  Executive 
Lunt,  George  C.  Cook,  Jabez  K.  Botst'ord,  Henry  S.  Noyes,  Thomas  C.  Hoag.  Committee. 

Faculty  and  Instructors: — Evans  Professor  of  liitollectual  and  Moral  riiilosoiihy.  Faculty  and 
Henry  S.  Noye.s,  A.  M.,  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Astronomy.  I)aniel  IJonbright,  lustrubtura. 
A.  M.,  Professor  of  the  Latin  Language  and  Literature.  James  V.  Z.  IJlaney,  A. 
M.,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Chemistry,  Emeritus.  Oliver  Marcy,  A.  M.,  Professor  of 
Natural  History  and  Physics.  Rev.  Louis  Kistler,  A.  M.,  Professor  of  the  Greek 
Language  and  Literature.  Rev.  David  II.  Wheeler,  A.  M.,  Professor  of  the  English 
Language  and  Literature.  Rev.  Henry  Bannister,  D.  D.,  Acting  Professor  of 
Hebrew.  Rev.  Miner  Raymond,  D.  D.,  Acting  Professor  of  Mental  Philosophy. 
Edgar  Frisbie,  A.M.,  Instructor  in  Mathematics.  Rev.  Louis  Kistler,  A.  M., 
Librarian. 

The  Garrett  Biblical  Institute  was  founded  by  the  will  of  Mrs.  Eliza,  Garrett 
widow  of  Hon.  Augustus  Garrett,  who  bequeathed  two-thirds  of  her  estate  institute, 
to  trustees  for  this  object;  the   Institute  to  be  under   the  direction  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopalians,  and  designed  to   prepare  young  men  for  the  min- 
istry.    The   example   of   this   superior  woman,  whom   all    the   old  settlers  Mrs. 
remember  with  profound  respect  and  warmest  regard,  ought  to  have  been  exumpie'. 
more  imitated,  and  would  be  could  the   importance  of  present  efforts,  and 
the  value   of  means  for  their  promotion  be  more  realized.     Hon.   Grant  ntm.  g. 
Goodrich,  one  of  the   trustees,  in  an  address  commemorative  of  the  noble    ""  "'''' 
benefaction,  remarked: — 

How  humanity  towers  up  into  almost  God-like  grandeur  and  power,  when  it  thus  Mi«n  a  co- 
becomes  tlie  co-architect  with  God,  of  results  so  mighty — blessings  so  beneficial  and  worlier  with 
immortal!  It  demonstrates  man's  origin  divine — his  brotherhood  to  Christ — his 
heirship  to  heaven.  Such  honors  are  unattainable  by  the  tallest  archangel  "  that 
bows  and  burns  before  the  throne  of  God."  How  illustrious  is  life,  how  noble  are 
its  toils  and  labors,  when  crowned  with  such  results !  How  amazing  that  such 
noble,  God-given  powers  and  capacities  should  be  wasted  and  prostituted  in  acquir- 
ing wealth  to  gratify  the  mean  ambition  of  worldly  display,  or  to  curse  our  chil- 
dren with  its  possession,  when  ends  and  blessings  so  lasting  and  beneQcent  may  be 
attained  by  it. 

In  1855  the  Institute  was  incorporated  and   opened,  a  building  having  opened  isoo. 
been  erected  at  Evanston  for  the  purpose.     Last  year,  as  a  centennary  con- 
tribution, Heck   Hall,  a  building  45x160  ft.   was  erected  for  a  dormitory. 
The   first    class   of    8    graduated    1858.     Last   year    10    graduated.      The 
total 'graduates  is   93.     The  present  number   of  students  in  the  Institute  93  graduate* 
proper    is   40 ;    in  the  preparatory    department,    60.     None    of   the  prop- 
erty bequeathed  has  yet  been  sold,  and  its  present  value  is  between  $300,000  Prorerty 
and  $400,000,  rapidly  increasing.  ooo. 

Trustees. — Hon.  Grant  Goodrich,  President.     Orrington  Lunt,  Esq.,  Secretary  and  Trustees. 
Treasurer.      Rev.    Thomas    M.    Eddy,    D.D.      Rev.    Luke   Hitchcock,   D.D.      Rev. 
Hooper  Crews.     John  V.  Farwell,  Esq. 

Faculty. — Rev.    Daniel  P.    Kidder,    D.D.,    Professor  of  Homiletic  and  Pastoral  Faculty. 
Theology.     P^ev.  Henry  Bannister,  D.D.,  Professor   of  Exegetical  Theology.     Rev. 

Miner  Raymond,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Systematic  Theology. Professor 

of  Historical  Theology.     Rev.  F.  D.  Hemenway,  A.M.,  Adjunct  Professor  of  Biblical 
Literature. 

The  Methodists  have  also  at   Evanston  a  female  college.     It  is  evident  Eiwgy  of 
from  these  statements,  that  however  indifiierent  Methodists  have  been  as  a ' 


Property 
$100,000. 


272  Local  Advantages  and  Oity  Expansion. 

denomination  to  the  means  of  highest  mental  culture,  they  are  wide  awake 
to  the  subject  here  in  the  West,  and  are  actually  so  far  on  the   lead  at  this 
centre   that  it  will  trouble  other  denominations  to  overtake  them. 
Baptists.  The  University  of  Chicago,  under  the  patronage  of  the   Baptist  denom- 

Chi^*""^°*^i nation,  is  next  to  the  Methodist  in.  endowment.     To  that  noblest  son  of  the 
Judge  Wast,  to  the  far-sighted  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  are  we  indebted  for  the  initia- 

Dongiaa  the  ^.^^  ^^  ^-j^j^  important  educational  enterprise.  In  1855  he  made  the  con- 
tract for  ten  acres  of  land,  and  in  1857  the  corner-stone  of  the  central 
building  was  laid  in  his  presence.  In  1858  the  south  wing  was  occupied, 
and  in  1866  the  main  central  building  was  finished  and  occupied.  The 
value  of  the  property  with  endowments  is  $-100,000.  The  north  wing, 
Mr.ogden,  expcctcd  to  cost  S50,000,  Hou.  W.  B.  Ogden  has  engaged  to  build  as  soon 
M^'j^nes,  as  8100,000  are  raised  to  pay  off  existing  liabilities.  Mr.  William  Jones, 
fsojooo.  -^iiose  late  decease  has  removed  another  of  the  esteemed  old  settlers,  was 
Mr.  Scam-  a  Contributor  of  $30,000.  Hon.  J.  Young  Scammon*  erected  the  observa- 
cia^rif '^'^°°' tory,  at  a  cost  of  $30,000,  in  which  the  Clark  telescope  is  placed,  the 
largest  and  best  refractor  in  the  world.  The  College  graduated  10  last  year, 
and  the  Law  School  20.  The  College  has  now  77  scholars,  and  the 
Preparatory  Department,  160. 

Officers  of  the  Board. — Hon  W.  B.  Ogden,  President.  Hon.  Charles  Walker,  Ist 
Vice  President.  Hon.  J.  Y.  Scammon,  LL.D.,  2d  Vice  President.  Hon.  J.  H. 
Woodvvorth,  Treasurer.     Cyrus  Bently,  Esq.,  Secretary. 

Facuilij  of  the  University. — Collei/iate  Department. — Rev.  John  C.  Burroughs, 
D.D.,  President,  and  Professor  of  Moral  and  Intellectual  Philosophy.  James  H. 
Boise,  A.M.,  Professor  of  the  Greek  Language  and  Literature.  Alonzo  J.  Sawyer, 
A.M.,  Professor  of  Mathematics.  J.  H.  McChesney,  A.M.,  Professor  of  Chemistry, 
Geology,  and  Mineralogy.  William  Mathews,  A.M.,  Professor  of  Pihetoric  and 
English  Literature.  Alonzo  J.  Howe,  A.M.,  Professor  and  Principal  of  the  Pre- 
paratory Department.  J.  William  Stearns,  A.M.,  Professor  of  the  Latin  Language 
and  Literature.  Joseph  0.  Hudnutt,  A.M.,  C.E.,  Professsor  of  Civil  Engineering 
and  Natural  Sciences.  Truman  Henry  Saiford,  A.B.,  Professor  of  Astronomy,  and 
Director  of  the  Dearborn  Observatory.  Henry  Booth,  A.M.,  Hoyne  Professor  of 
International   and  Constitutional  Law.     Charles  Gardner,  A.B.,    Tutor  in  Greek. 

Law  Department. — Hon.  Henry  Booth,  Dean  of  the  Faculty,  Real  Estate,  Personal 
Properly,  Contracts,  Commercial  Law,  Hon.  John  A.  Jameson,  Criminal  Law, 
Personal  Rights,  Domestic  Relations.  Harvey  B.  Hurd,  Esq.,  Evidence,  Common 
Law  Pleadings,  Practice. 

Independent  of  the  University,  yet  using  some  of  its  rooms  and  other 
advantages,  the  Theological  Seminary  has  been  commenced,  and  they 
expect  to  erect  a  building  for  its  use  this  year. 

Trustees — President,  M.  L.  Pierce,  La  Fayette,  Indiana;  1st  Vice  President, 
Rev.  J.  M.  Gregory,  LL.D.,  Champaign,  111.  ;  2d  Vice  President,  Charles  N.  Holden. 
Chicago  ;  Recording  Secretary,  Rev.  E.  J.  Goodspeed,  Chicago ;  Treasurer,  Dea. 
Edward  Goodman,  Chicago,  and  27  Trustees  among  the  first  men  of  the  West. 

Faculty  of  the  Seminary. — Rev.  G.  W.  Northrup,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Systematic 
Theology.  Rev.  G.  W.  Warren,  A.M.,  Professor  of  Biblical  Literature  and  Exege- 
sis.    Rev.  J.  B.  Jackson,  A.B..  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History. 

Professor  of  Homiletics  and  Pastoral  Theology. 


teleecope. 


Schclars. 


Offlcera. 


Faculty. 
College. 


Law  Depart 
inent. 


Theol.   Sem, 


Faculty. 


Mr.  .Scam-        *  ^^r.  Scammon  is  one  of  our  most  active  promoters  of  all  good  works,  and  one  of  the  most  liberal 
U"""'"  givers.    Had  wo   a  thousand   to  give  equally— not  then  one   where  we  ought  to  have  five—no  public 


enterprise  would  lag  for  lack  of  means. 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  273 

Surely  Episcopalians  will  not  long  neglect  a  point  so  central,  as  to  have  Kpiscopa- 
already  drawn  the  other  large  denominations  to  lay  here  the  foundations  of  fjiiow. 
Universities,  designed  to  be  severally  their  chief  institutes  of  education  for 
the  West.     In  other  cities,  two  or  perhaps  throe   denominations  may  havcNonqnai 
their  higher  seminaries  of  learning;  but  where  is  another  city  in  which  soofsemina^" 
many   have  been   congregated  ?     With  the  railways,  and  for  precisely  the  '^"*' 
same  reason,  have   those  various  educational   enterprises   made  a  rush  for 
Chicago.     At  the  gathering  of  the  Baptists  here  in  18G7,  in  considering  the 
Theological  Seminary  in  connection  with  the  University,  the   accomplished 
Dr.  Hague  of  Boston,  remarked  : —  ^^    nagrie. 

IHd  you  ever  read  the  seventeenth  chapter  of  Acts — the  sermon  there?     What  a  Paul  an 
sermon  !     No  other  man  then  on  earth  could  have  preached  it.     How  adapted  to  the  i^xample. 
congregation  met  on  Mars  Hill !     Paul  there  spoke  not  as  a  Jew,  but  as  man  to  man, 
meeting  his  Greek  hearers  on  their  own  ground.     How  does  this  come  about  ?     Paul 
was  born   in  Tarsus,  where  was  a  university  next  in  eminence  to  that  at  Athens. 
There  he  learned  his  Greek.     Thence  he  went  to  Jerusalem,  and  at  the  feet  of  Thoroughly 
Gamaliel  learned  his  Hebrew.     Then  when  these  and  other  elements  of  culture  had  educated, 
been  matured  in  tine  combination,  Jesus  converted  him  and  claimed  him  for  himself.  Elements  to 
The  highest  style  of  man  is  always  made  by  such  combinations  of  efficient  elements,  l'^ combined. 

God  has  made  Chicago  to  be  a  great  centre  of  trade.     It  is  destined  also  to  be  the  Chicago  a 
great  Baptist   head-quarters,  a  fountain  of  life  and  influence  to  the  West.     This  it  centre. 
must  be,  in  spite  of  everything.     Had  he  the  wealth   of  Peabody,  he  would  put  a  Baptist 
million  of  dollars  here  in  Chicago.     He  would    make  the   University  so  attractive  he'"lquar- 
that  it  should  distance  every  other.     He  would  put  beside  it  a  Seminary  equal  to  it*'''"' 
in  all  respects.     Here  you  may  raise  up  other  Pauls. 

Dr.  Ide,  another  noble  representative  of  Massachusetts  also  observed: — ih-.ide. 

We  were  accustomed  to  say,  in  the  earlier  stages  of  the  late  war,  that  "  Generals  G^nei'ils and 
are  born,"  and  there  was  a  disposition  to  scolf  at  the   idea  of  "made  Generals."  ™i°'''t«" 
After  a  few  defeats  we   found  out  that  generals  are  much  better  for  being  made  born.' 
after  they  are  born.     Ministers  are  better  for  being  made  after  they  are  born.     They 
must,  indeed,  first  be  born.     If  you  take  up  a  man   whom  God   has  not  marked 
"  Preacher,"  you  can  never  make  him  a  preacher.     But  when  you  have  such  a  one, 
give  him  the  appropriate  training  and  you  make  him  a  man.     Here,  in  the  North- 
west,  properly  trained  ministers,  and  enough   of  them,  are  a  great  want.     How  Wants  of 
mighty  are  the  interests  that  rise  before  us  here!     How  immensely  important  that  *^®  ^^®^*' 
these  masses  of  immortal  minds  shall  be  acted  upon  by  other  immortal  minds,  so  as 
that  souls  may  be  saved.     It  is,  too,  important  that  the  Northwest  should  educate  To  educate 
its  own  ministry.     You  must  have  for  your  ministers  men  born  upon  your  goil ;  i's  own  men. 
men  who  have  breathed  the  same  atmosphere,  been  moulded  by  the  same  influences, 
who  know  you  and  whom  you  know.     How  many  seminaries,  then,  shall  you  have  Should  have 
for  this  work  ?     He  would  say  just  as  few  as  possible.     The  East  has  made  a  great  ^'-'y''  scmina- 
mistake  on  this  point.  "^'''' 

Let  it  be  remembered  that  there  are  things  essential  to  a  theological  seminary  Essentials 
which  money  can  not  buy.     There  is  something  going  to  the  training  of  a  scholar,  o*'"^'!' than 
the  development  of  a  man,  which   endowments  can  not  procure.     It  is  a  scholarly 
atmosphere;  it  is  the  surroundings  and   associations  tending  to  develop  the  whole  A    scholarly 
man.     A  man   trained  in  seclusion  always  shows  that  he  has  been  so  trained.     It  atmosphere, 
would  take  all  the  praying  men  of  the  church  ten  years  to  pray  such  a  man  alive 
sometimes.     You  must  put  a  minister,  for  his  education,  where  men  are  the  thickest;  Educate 
of  course  that  is  Chicago.  amous  men. 

There  is  much  wisdom   in  these  ideas,  of  the   most  practical   character.  East  no 
The  course  pursued  at  the  East,  or  in   any  other  country,  is   no   index  to  West, 
what  is  expedient  here;  though  if  we  profit  by  example  we  may  avoid  some 
of    their   mistakes.      The   old   institutions   were  begun   when    100   miles 

18 


274  Local  Advantages  and  City  Expansion. 

Nocentre     was  equal  to  1,000  uow;  and  since  the   later  ones   have   been  initiated,  no 

^^^^^'  single  «-reat  centre  has  been  recognized  to  which  all  interests,  all  eyes  were 

directed.      The  law  of  gravitation   is   here  to  be   regarded   equally   as  in 

Here  a  focal  physics.     An  institution   at  the  focal   point  of  a  railway  system   covering 

'"'''''■  already  600,000  square  miles,  soon   to  be   1,000,000,   and  then   1,500,000 

miles,  will  have  important  advantages  over  any  other.     The  occasions  which 

parents  will  have  or  can  easily  make  to  come  to  the  emporium  of  the  Great 

Interior,  where  they  can   see   their  sons   or  daughters,  would    of  itself  be 

Chi.  institu- controlling  were  institutions   not  inferior.     These   of  Chicago   will  not  be 

i*nferim"'      inferior.     Their  grade  depends  much   upon  the   benefactions ;  and  to  what 

institutions  are  the  whole  West  so  likely  to  contribute  as  to  Chicago  ?     Some 

Whole  West  will  givc  to  neighborhood  seminaries ;  but  more  and  more  will   the   Great 

them.'  Interior  cultivate  a  feeling  of  pride  in  having  here  the  first  institutions  of 

East  also,    the  land.     Then,  too,  we  still  look  to  the  East  to  aid  in  these  philanthropic 

enterprises,  of  such  vast  national  importance,  as  providing  ample  means  to 

educate  the  men  in  heart  and   head   who  are   soon  to  give  the   laws  to  and 

rule  the  Nation.     At  what  other   place   can   they   plant  universities  whose 

Chi.  -will      dollars  in  them  will  yield  equal  revenues  ?     Besides,  Chicago  herself  can  and 

*^'  will  do  mach  for  these  objects  of  cherished   affection,  of  noblest  ambition. 

The  gifts  we  have  already  seen  will  be  but  a  drop  to  those  to  come,  as  the 

power  and  beneficence  of  previous  benefactions  shall  be   witnessed.     The 

Supply  oil    seat  of  these   luminaries,  it  will  be   her  special    province   to   supply  oil  in 

for   coramon  f.i-  i  it  .,...  ,,, 

stock.  common  lor  their  use,  and  such  adjuncts   as  no  single  institution  could  hope 

to  have  *. 

Different  Nor  will  rivalry  and  jealousy  operate  to  the   injury  of  this  intellectual 

injury  brotherliood.  The  denominational  divisions,  instead  of  weakening,  will  be 
found  an  element  of  strength,  as  we  apprehend  the  wisdom  Paul  reveals, 
of  having  but  one  body,  the  Church  of  Christ,  yet  many  members,  as  these 

We  must  different  organizations,  each  to  perform  its  proper  functions.  Theology  is 
a  head-matter,  religion  a  heart-matter ;  and  we  commingle  them  so  differently 
according  to  our  various  tastes,  temperaments,  habits,  education  and  circum- 
stances, that  the  more  we  study  theology,  and  the  more  we  prize  religion, 

Agree  to       the  more  shall  we  value  our  own  chosen  means  of  promoting  both.     But  we 

differ. 


A  library,  *  One  of  these  adjuncts  would  be  an  extensive  library  of  rare  books.     Here,  of  course,  should  be  the 

neeaea.  library  to  which  these  various  institutions  and  the  entire  West  would  resort  upon  occasion.     Especially 

Especially      in  regard  to  politics,  and  the  entire  science  of  government,  In  regard  to  which  investigations  are  to  bo 

npon  politics  made  as  they  have  not  been   since  Aristotle  and  Cicero  wrote,  in  order  to  bring  us  effectually  out  of  our 

difficulties,  and  establish  our  governmental  system  on  a  known  and  sure  foundation;  does  the  Great 

Interior,  the  power  df  the  Nation,  need  a  complete  library.     Superficial  politicians,  if  the  words  may  be 

conjoined,  may  scout  the  ideii;  but  if  man  needs  all  possible  aids  for  the  study  of  his  nature  individually; 

that  more  complicated  structure  of  man  collectively,  the  body  politic  of  the  State,  we  shall  tiud  far  more 

difficult  to  apprehend.    Only  because  of  our  total  ignorance  about  it  does  it  appear  so  simple. 

Dr.  Cogswell     That  thorough  bibliographer,   Dr.  Cogswell,  famous  for    gathering    that    noble   library,   the    Astor 

8e°6cUoM^'^*  of  New  York,  told  me  last  summer  that  he  would  be  delighted  to  begin  the  gathering  of  a  library  for 

Chicago;  and  with  his  experience  $500,000  would  procure  a  better  library  than  four  times  the  money  in 

most  hands.    Some  of  our  business  men  should  engage  in  this. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  275 

shall  value  them  merely  as  a  means  to  an  important  end;  and  best  for  us, 
not  for  all.     Here  and   there  a   man   may  be  changed  from    one  sect   to 
another;  but  the  best,  most  desirable  effect  is  to  make  him   think   less  and  Think  less  of 
less  of  denominational  distinctions,  and  more  and  more  of  the  one  broth- 
erhood in  Christ.     We  shall  learn  to  well  practice  the  maxim,  "  in  essentials, 
unity;    in   non-essentials,   liberty;    in   all    things    charity."      Besides,  the  Associated 
imperfections  of  humanity  pertain  less  to  man  collectively  than  individually;  ie"r^mper- 
and  without  a  doubt  the  chief  result  of  rivalry  among  these   institutions 
will  be  to  stimulate  efforts   for  improvement,  and  to  do  the  most  to  render 
Chicago  the  literary  centre  of  the  Glreat  Interior,  if  not  ultimately  of  the 
Nation. 

The  Lake  Forest  University  is  an  enterprise  initiated  by  the  New  School  Lake  Forest 
Presbyterians  in  1856.      They  purchased  a  tract  of  beautiful  land  25  miles  N^s^Tre^.' 
from  Chicago,  on  the  lake  shore,  and  laid  out  a  town  ornamentally,  called 
Lake  Forest.     It  will  be  the  location  for  the  various  branches  of  education 
of  that  denomination  for  this  region,  and  may  and  should  absorb  their  efforts 
throughout  the  West,  until  thoroughly  established.     Owing  to  the  pecuniary  Efforts  de- 
resources  of  the  chief  beneficiary,  no  more  has  yet  been  done  than  to  estab-  '''^'"^' 
lish  a  good  academy  for  boys.     One  for  girls  it  is  expected  will  be  built  this  Actdemios 
season.     They  have,  in   cash  funds    and    loans,   $70,000,    academy    worth 
$30,000,  bequest  and  subscriptions  for  female  seminary,  $30,000,  and  lauds  Funds, 
worth  $100,000;  a  total  of  $230,000.  *"''^"'"'^''" 

The  Catholics  have  been  among  the  pioneers  in  intellectual  culture.     In  Catholics. 
1843  the  See  of  Chicago  was  erected,  and  the  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  William  Quarter  Bishop 
was  appointed  Bishop.     Arriving  in  Chicago  on  May  5th,  on  3d  of  June 
this  sagacious,  energetic  prelate  opened  the  college,   afterwards  converted 
into  the  University  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Lakes,  and  chartered,  1844.     The  i^niversity 
Bishop  also  established  an  Ecclesiastical  Seminary  in  1846,  which  has  been  t'le  Lakes. 
their  main  object,  and  supplies  the  diocese  with  clergymen,  the  majority  of  Theoi.schooi 
whom  are  graduates  of  St.  Mary.     It  is  in  excellent  condition,  under  the 
charge  of  Dr.  Magoffin,  a  young  priest,   Chicago-born,   and  for  ten  years  Dr.  Magotsa. 
educated  at  Rome.     The  university  is  temporarily  suspended.     It  has  37  37  graduates 
graduates,  the  lamented  General  Mulligan  among  the  number. 

Having  seen  already  four  universities  well  begun,  and  in   the  first  score  4  universi- 
years  of  the  City's  existence,  and  schools  of  theology,  of  medicine,  and  of  schools  of 
law  in  full  and  vigorous  operation,  what  is  to  prevent  these  institutions  from  mediclue' and 
growing  with  even  pace  with  the  immense  country  upon  which  it  and  they 
mutually  depend  ?     Where  else  would  efforts  in  behalf  of  these  fundamental  whero  more 
institutions  of  society  be  more  effective  ?  iffective? 

The  Chicago  Historical  Society  was  organized  in  1856,  through  the  effi- Historical 
cient  efforts  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Barry,  with  19  members,  and  was  chartered  in 
1857.     They  have  just  erected  a  fire-proof  building,  40  by  90  ft.,  designed  Building 
to  be  the  right  wing  of  the  future  main  edifice.     The  collections  number  ®'^''°  "^ 


276  Local  Advantages  and   City  Expansion. 

c.Uections    about  1 00,000,  and  15,000  bound  volumes.     There  are  GO  active  and  life 
'     ■        members.     The  officers  are : 

Officers  President,  Walter  L.  Newberry  ;  Vice  Presidents,  William  B.  Ogden  and  J.  Young 

Scamraon;  Recording  Secretary.  Librarian  and  Treasurer,  Thomas  H.  Armstrong; 
Corresponding  Secretary,  £.  B.  McCagg. 

Academy  of  The  Academy  of  Sciences  was  begun  by  a  few  lovers  of  nature  in  1857. 
The  eiForts  of  the  enthusiastic  naturalist,  Major  Robert  Kennicott,  whose 
early  death  was  so  deeply  lamented  by  friends  and  lovers  of  science,  made 
the  Institution  in  the  main  what  it  is,  though  Dr.   Stiiupson   is  an  efficient 

Major  Ken-  succcssor.     Major    K.    Spent   three   years    in    Arctic    America    under   the 

Arctic  auspices  of  the  Smithsonian  Institute,  gathering  specimens  in  natural  his- 
tory, but  with  the  understanding  that  a  complete  series  of  the  specimens 
should  be  at  his  disposal,  which  he  hoped  Chicago  would  provide  for,  having 

Beginning  of  always  livcd  here  or  in  its  close  vicinity.     Funds  were   raised   by  subscrip- 

niuaeum.  •'  _  ,  f 

tions  of  life  memberships  of  $500  each,  and  the  specimens  were  arranged  ia 
Another       rented  rooms,  under  the  direction  of  Maior   Kennicott.     In   March,  1865, 

trip.  '  . 

he  left  under  the  direction  of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  to 
aid  in  examining  the  route  for  a  telegraph  to  connect  Russia  with  America. 
But  the  continuance  of  his  scientific  examinations,  and  gathering  of  speci- 
mens, was  a  prime  object;  the  Trustees  of  the  Academy  supplying  apparatus 
for  this. 

MajM'  K's  In  May,  1866,  the  Academy  met  with  the  sad  reverse  of  Major  Ken- 
nicott's  decease  in   Russian  America,  at  Nelato,  on  the  Yonkon    River.* 

Lr,ss  by  fire.  Another  sad  calamity  occurred  that  year  in  the  burning  of  the  Metropolitan 
block,  in  which  the  Academy  occupied  rooms,  whereby  the  library  was 
injured  much  by  water,  and  18,064  specimens  were  burnt,  and  4,772  dam- 

Dr.stirapsonaged.  At  the  annual  meeting,  January,  1867,  Dr.  Stimpson,  who  had  had 
charge    of  the  museum  in  Major  Kennicott's  absence,    was  elected  Director 


Announce-         *  At  the  meeting  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences,  called  in  consequence  of  the  sad  intelligence,  Mr.  fleorge 
K'^°H     ffr^^'  C.   Walker,  the  President,  thus  concluded  the  announcement,  to  which   many  of  us   could  heartily 
respond,  especially  myself  who  had  association  with  Mr.  Kennicott  for  several  years  as  an  assistant  in  the 
Mr.   Hater.  p,.aj>j-g  Farmer:    =1  had  known  him  from  boyhood  and  watched  the  expansion  and  the  growth  of  his 
mind,  and  especially  the  effect  of  his  first  tour  to  the  north,  and  though  he  had  grown. in  years,  he 
His  devotion  seemed  not  to  have  lost  any  of  the  enthusiasm'  and  singleness  of  devotion  to  the  absorbing  themes  of 
t.o  Bcleuce.     science.    His  short  but  eventful  and  useful  life,  is  a  most  valuable  lesson  to  all  our  young  men.    It 
shows  that  a  thorough  devotion  to  anj'  pursuit,  will  be  sure  to  command  success  now  as  it  ever  has  in 
the  past.     Robert  Keuuicott  whom  many  of  us  have  known  from  boyhood,  has  made  for  himself  an  hon- 
orable  name   among  the  scientific   men  of  the  nation — a  name  of  which,  as  citizeas  of  Chicago,  and 
An   example  members  of  this  Academy,  we  may  all  be  proud.     His  bright  example  and  persevering  efforts,  should 
lowed.  stimulate  the  young  men  of  our  City  and  State  to  a  life  of  usefulness,  stern  labor  and  earnest  devotion 

to  some  noble  pursuit,  that,  like  Eobert  Kennicott,  they  may  have  an  honorable  name  when  their  work 
is  done." 
Mr.  Walker's  It  ia  not  improper,  I  trust,  to  observe,  that  Mr.  Walker  practices  what  he  preaches,  and  to  his  influ- 
examp  e.  g^^g  j^^j  energy  the  public  is  mainly  indebted  for  the  purchase  of  the  lot  and  the  erection  of  the 
building.  If  not  misinformed,  too,  his  purse  defrayed  most  of  the  cost  of  the  first  volume  of  Transactions; 
a  work  creditable  for  elegant  typography  as  well  as  for  scientific  research.  Let  others  follow  Mr. 
Walker's  example,  and  choose  their  special  object  of  public  interest  to  love  and  to  promote. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  277 

iu   place  of  his  deceased  frieud.     The  following  is  the  list  of  property  as 
stilted  at  the  annual  meeting;,  January  1868  : — 

Cook  County  bonds,  $20,000,  cost $17,400  Theproperty 

Mortgages  on  real  estate 7,660 

Real  estate,  dwelling  house  and  lot 21,623 

Subscription  notes  available 5,000 

Total $51,683 

Permanent  fund 50,000 

Surplus $  1,683 

The  fire-proof  building  erected  in  the  rear  of  the   lot  and  now  occupied  BuiWingcost 
with  their  museum,  etc.,  has  cost  §45,162,  most  of  which  has  been  paid  by 
subscriptions.     The  intention  is  as  soon  as  funds  are   obtained,  to  continue 
the  building  to  the  front.     Up  to  1865,  the  museum  contained  39,559  spe- 
cimens;  in   1865  were   added   (supposed)   10,000;  in   1866,   17,558,  and 
were  burned  18,064;  in  1867,  12,158  were  added,  a  total  of  about   60,000  eo.ooo  speci- 
specimens.     Mr.   George  C.   Walker  is  President,  Mr.   Daniel   Thompson,  officers. 
and   Dr.   J.  H.  Rauch,   Vice   Presidents ;  Dr.  Wm.   Stimpson,   Secretary  ; 
Dr.  G.  H.  Frost,  Librarian. 

Other   institutions  could   be  advantageously  considered,  but  these   chief  These  are 
ones  can  be  taken  as  samples  of  what  is  being  done   iu  other  departments.  ^^^^  ^^' 
Chicago  herself  is  not  yet  an  institution,  but  is   being  instituted  emporium 
of  the  Great  Interior.     From  what  we   have  seen  it  will  be  admitted,  that 
important  as  are  the  material  interests  of  such  a  centre,  which,  as  we  have 
seen,  are  abundantly  cared  for,  the  immaterial  yet  more  real  elements  of 
progress,  the  means  of  intellectual  and  of  religious  development,  are  having  intellectual 
consideration.     In   these   endeavors   to   care  for  and  promote  the   highest  culture.' 
interests  of  humanity,  we   have   had  large    encouragement  by  the   liberal 
benefactions   from   the  East;  and   to  those  who  look  for  the  best  means  of  The  East 
bestowing  their  tythes,  where   can  they   find  any  other  place   of  deposit, 
where  the  revenues  will  have  equal  increase  on  and  on  for  ages  ? — yea,  for  all  This  the 
time,  for  ultima  thule  has  been  reached.     Nor  are  the   elegant  adornments 
of  civilization   at  all  neglected.     While   the  solid  bases   of  education  and  Fine  arts  not 
religion   have  the  first  care  of  these  eminently  practical  Citizens,  they  are 
behind  no  other  city  of  the  same  age  in  attention  to  the — 

Fine  Arts. — Mr.  G.  P.  A.  Healy,   who   had  resided  many   years  abroad  Mr.  Healy 
and  had  acquired  eminence  iu  his  profession,  after  spending  some  years  iu 
the  eastern  cities,  upon  visiting  Chicago  in  1855,  and   travelling  over  the 
interior,  decided  to  make  this  City  his  home ;  and  chiefly   because  at  that 
early  day  he  foresaw  the  attention  that  would  be  accorded  to   the  fine  arts,  chi  a  centre 
No   mere  wielder  of  the  brush,  though   it  be  with  a  master's  power,  he 
appreciates  his  profession,  and  the  influence  it  may  and  should   have   in  the 
advance  of  civilization.     From  the  very  beginning  he  has  looked  forward  to 
the  establishment  here  of  the  finest  galleries  of  paintings   and  statuary  that  Fine  gaiio 
will    be    found    in    the    country.      Finding   art    appreciated    and    liberally 


•-.•3 


Local  Advantages  and  City  Expansion. 


21  painters, 

sevenil 

sculptorj. 


Liberal 
Patronage. 


Sculptors. 
Mr.  Volk. 


remunerated,  the  result  was  only  a  question  of  time.  Nor  is  he  now  a  soli- 
tary laborer  in  his  art.  The  21  scenic  and  portrait  artists,  and  several 
sculptors  that  have  followed  and  find  quite  steady  employment  and  fair 
remuneration,  are  efiective  cooperators  in  making  this  the  centre  of  art 
at  least  for  the  West.  In  what  other  section  will  wealth  be  made  more 
easily  or  spent  more  freely  for  the  highest  works  of  art  ? 

Mr.  Diehl,  a  Chicagoaa  from  two  years  of  age,  has  executed  a  Macbeth 
that  is  very  highly  esteemed.  Mr.  John  H.  Drury,  Mr.  Fishe  P.  Reed, 
Mr.  Arthur  L.  Pickering,  (a  pupil  of  Mr.  Healy's,)  Mr.  Wm.  Baird, 
Mrs.  St.  John,  and  Mr.  Henry  C.  Ford,  have  high  reputation,  and  no  doubt 
others  might  and  should  be  named. 

Nor  is  statuary  neglected.  Mr.  Volk  came  to  Chicago  in  1855,  and  Hon. 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  became  his  patron,  and  by  his  aid  he  was  enabled  to 
pursue  his  studies  two  years  at  Rome.  His  statue  of  Douglas  and  also 
his  statuette  and  busts  are  speaking  likenesses  of  our  great  statesman. 
He  had  equal  success,  too,  with  Mr.  Lincoln's  bust,  which  was  made 
shortly  prior  to  his  nomination  for  the  Presidency.  It  received  high 
commendation  at  the  Paris  Exposition.  Mr.  Volk's  "Youthful  Washing- 
ton," representing  him  at  the  cherry  tree,  is  also  a  fine  work  of  art.  He 
has  also  executed  a  bust  of  Dr.  Brainard,  and  various  other  works ;  and 
the  Douglas  monument  was  designed  by  him. 

Mr.  Volk,  truly,  has  a  worthy  ambition  to  render  his  noble  art  something 

more  serviceable   to  man  than  merely  to  gratify  the   sense  of  the  beautiful. 

Or  rather,  he  would  employ  the  sense  for  a  high  and  holy  object,  honoring 

Cki.  Jaur.    the  dead  with  beautiful  monuments.     Says  the  Chicago  Journal  in   a  long 

notice  of  Mr.  Volk  : — 

Chi.  attends  Chicago,  ever  progressive,  foremost  in  business,  hopeful  in  science,  enthusiastic 
t*j  her  dead,  in  music  and  her  drama,  genial  in  art,  while  she  thrives  as  a  city  of  the  living,  is 
alike  with  those  that  have  passed  before,  building  steadily  her  cities  of  the  dead. 
Monuments  Already  the  sacred  resting  places  are  adorned  witli  impressive  monuments,  and 
by  our  own  these  chiefly  the  work  of  our  own  artists.  While  some  few  have  strayed  from 
^^  '^    ■  abroad,  and  some  from  older  cities,  our  chief  pride  must  properly  rest  with  those 

designed  and  executed  at  home.  As  in  other  tilings,  we  can  well  afford  to  be  cour- 
teously independent  of  our  eastern  brethren  in  matters  |partaining  to  monumental 
art.  In  this,  perhaps,  we  are  most  largely  indebted  to  our  fellow  citizen,  L.  W 
Mr.  Volk.  Volk,  whose  untiring  energy,  devoted  love  for  art  itself,  and  the  consummate  skill 
with  which  he  has  united  pure  sculpture  with  monumental  architecture,  has  made 
him  worthy  of  a  far  greater  tribute  than  we  may  be  able  to  pay  in  this  article. 
Springing  from  a  family  whose  lives  have  been  devoted  to  monumental  sculpture  ; 
studying  from  boyhood  the  practical  details  of  the  profession,  at  the  same  time 
stealing  quietly  into  the  mysteries  of  pure  sculpture  as  an  ardent  student,  and 
finishing  with  a  two  years'  course  among  the  famous  works  of  Rome,  he  now 
occupies  the  rare  position  of  "a  prophet  with  honor  in  his  own  country." 


Attention  to 
munuments. 


n.i  leaves  for  Mr.  Volk  leaves  soon  for  Rome  to  establish  there  a  studio,  remaining 
part  of  the  time,  and  executing  commissions  already  ordered. 

Mr.  seibert.       Mr.  Seibcrt  is  another  sculptor  of  established  reputation. 

Theatre  and  The  theatre  and  opera,  too,  are  duly  cared  for.  One  of  our  young  men, 
very  succes.sful  in  his  enterprises,  resolved  to  give  Chicago  a  superior  place 


CROSBY'S  OPERA  HOUSE. 


Past,    Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  279 

of  public  entertainment;  and  the  Crosby  Opera  House  is  acknowledged   to  Crosby's 
be  one  of  the  finest  in   the  country.     In  it,  too,  is  a  fine   picture  gallery,    ^^^^ 
surrounded  by    16   studios   for  artists.     The   Academy  of  Design   is   here 
located   in  a  fine  room,  with  numerous  pupils;  and  many  other   rooms  are 
occupied  by  music  teachers,  many  of  them  of  high  repute.     Three  of  the 
large   stores    are    occupied   with   music    dealers    and    publishers;    so   that  An  art 
within    itself   it    supplies    an    elegant  art  collection.     We   have   also   Mr. 
McVicker's   theatre  and  Col.  AVood's   museum  with  theatre  attached,  and  McVioker's 
several  subordinate   affairs.*     Music  is  much  cultivated,  and  the  Philhar-  *° 
monic    Society,  ixnder  the  leadership   of  Mr.   Baktka,   takes    rank    among  Mr.  Baiatka. 
kindred  organizations  in  older  cities. 

But  all  this  patronage   of  art  is  not  to  be  credited  to  Chicago.     The  Tho  country 
refinement  and  culture  of  the  West   is  not  here  embodied.     This  City  jg  P'^*''°°''£^- 
merely  a  fiiir  representation  of  the   Grreat  Interior,  which  with   strongest 
delight  furthers  the  effort  of  its  emporium  to  provide  means  of  improvement 
and  enjoyment  for  its  widely  scattered  patrons  of  science  and  of  art.     The 
entire  West  has  a  fair  proportion  of  off-shoots  from  the  best  families  of  the  its   culture 
East  and  South ;  and  many  also  from  Europe,  and   the  number  of  these  is 
to  increase   immensely.     Any  fine   performance   brings  them  to  town  from 
hundreds  of  miles  ;  and  they  will  come  more  and   more.     With  our  fifteen  Ease  of 
trunk  lines,  a   few  from   along  each    railway   sprinkled    among   our   citycuy.""^ 
attendants  make  p,  large  audience.     Upon  this  point,  the   extent  of  patron-  patronage  of 
age   in  the  fine  arts  and  the   dependence  of  the   country  upon  the  City,  ^°°  '"^*^" 
probably  music  affords  the  best  illustration. "j"     Says   the  Chicago  Courier.^  au.  Ccmim: 
April  1st : — 

Ten  years  ago,  Messrs.  Root  &  Cady  inaugurated  the  first  business  in  Chicago,  for  Koot  k 
supplying  the  trade  with  everything  pertaining  to   music  and  musical  demands.  Ca.iy's  estab- 
They  began  in  a  room  that  measured  20  x  65  feet.     They  found  themselves  without  ''''''Mont. 
any  of  the  facilities  necessary  to  carrying  out  their  designs,  which  was  to  make  a 
complete  publishing  and  furnishing  music-house.     Within  that  time  and  from  the 
most  modest  beginnings,  they  have  built  up  a  business,  which,' in  its  line,  is  unsur- 
passed by  any  in  this  country,  and  may  now  claim  to  be  the  great  central  musical 
publishing  house  of  the  country. 


*  Even  this  slight  allusion  to  the  opera  house  and  theatres  will  be  offensive  to  some  whose  favorable  Notice  of 
judgment  is  highly  valued.     Yet  in  this  clace  something  of  the  sort  would  be  expected.     Nor  do  I  sub-     ^*'^^*^" 
scribe  to  the  entire  ostracism  of  theatricals.     The  truth   is,  the  world  of  the   stage  [is  like  the  world  of  Not  to  be  os 
books.     Each  book  must  be  judged  by  itself;  each  art  by  itself.     The  wholesale  denouncer  of  the  stage  tracised. 
must  denounce  Shakespear,  whose  wonderful  delineations  of  human  heart  and  passions,  place  him  in  the 
judgment  of  all  competent  critics,  next  to  the  Bible.     The  improvement  in  the  character  of  the  stage  Change  in 
has  been  wonderrtil  in  20  years;  and  although  equal  change  is  impossible  in  a  like  period  in  future,  yet  theatres, 
the  religious  worlcL£ul  greatly  if  they  neglect  this  means  of  human  improvement,  which  will  increase  in 
power  with  civili'z8Hfc.     But  having  said  this  much,  it  is  due  to  the  public  to  acknowledge,  that  defence  My  views  not 

is  necessary,  because«be  view  is  doubtless  opposed  by  almost   the  entire  religious  community.     Nearly  generally 
T  t*./  <-•  ^  ^  anproved. 

every  one  who  sends  *copy  of  this  book  to  a  friend,  will  do  it  in  spite  of  this   heresy,  because  he  sees 
enough  other  countervailing  good. 

t  Probably  no  other  house  equals  that  of  Messrs.  Root  &  Cady  in  publishing  music;  though  we  have  15  music 
three  other  considerable  concerns.  But  the  West  sustains  here  15  dealing  establishments  in  musicical  dealers,  7 
instruments,  and  7  manufacturing. 


2S0 


Present 

uccoramoda- 

tions. 


Printing 
office. 


Mr.  Root's 

church 

uinsic. 


N.Y.  and 
Boston  only 
excel  iu  bus- 
iness. 


Largest    list 
of  music. 


Local  Advantages  and  City  Expansion. 

A  few  details  may  serve  fo  give  a  good  idea  of  what  these  gentlemen  have  been 
able  to  accomplish  by  energy  and  business  management.  Instead  of  one  small  room, 
they  now  occupy  portions  of  three  large  buildings.  Their  store,  one  of  four,  under 
Crosby's  beautiful  Opera  House  building,  measures  30x180  feet;  their  basement 
below  in  which  every  inch  of  room  is  economized,  measures  30x200  feet;  their 
printing  ofBce,  in  another  building,  is  50x60  feet;  they  employ  in  all  between  forty 
and  fifty  people  re  gularly.  The  printing  office,  which  is  used  exclusively  for  their 
own  musical  publishing  business,  contains  nine  presses,  which  are  worked  by  steam, 
regular  compositors,  engravers,  press  men,  etc.  They  require  and  use  nearly  $200 
wo^rth  of  white  paper  each  day.  They  get  up  their  own  books  as  well  as  sheet 
music,  and  are  just  at  present,  among  other  jobs,  completing  a  new  book  of  church 
music  by  Geo.  F.  Root,  Esq.,  which  promises  to  be  one  of  the  most  successful 
publications  of  the  kind"  in  this  country.  This  immense  business  of  printing  and 
publishing  music  has  been  built  up  by  Messrs.  Root  &  Cady,  gradually,  but  rapidly 
and  efficiently,  as  may  be  inferred. 

For  many  years,  Messrs.  Root  &  Cady  have  had  the  reputation  of  being  the  most 
extensive  publishers  of  music  outside  of  New  York  and  Boston.  Their  war  songs 
went  broadcast  throughout  the  land,  stirred  many  a  heart  to  patriotism,  and  their 
fame  extended  to  other  countries  across  the  Atlantic.  But  in  addition  to  their  own 
catalogue  they  have  recently  bought  several  others,  together  with  the  engraved 
plates,  so  that  they  are  now  enabled  to  present  perhaps  the  very  largest  list  of 
musical  publicatious  in  America.  Their  own,  and  those  plates  which  they  have 
recently  made  their  own,  weigh  over  twenty-five  tons  and  fill  two  immense  vaults. 
The  editions  are  sold  even  more  rapidly  than  they  can  be  worked  off  at  present, 
and  the  proprietors  are  preparing  to  secure  additional  facilities. 


Character  of 
our  press. 


None  more 
national. 


Metropoli- 
tan. 

9  dailies,  26 
weeklies. 


Chicagoan. 


Newspapers. — Nor  would  this  notice  of  local  advantages  be  complete,  were 
the  press  omitted ;  those  reflectors  of  sentiment  and  of  character,  as  well  as 
efficient  promoters  of  public  interest,  which  have  become  one  of  our  most 
thoroughly  established  institutions.  High  toned  and  chivalrous,  properly 
appreciating  their  vantage  ground,|they  discuss  questions  with  no  jealousy, 
no  animosity.  Outside  of  New  York  City,  no  press  in  the  land  furnishes 
more  national  information  ;  none  takes  a  broader  national  view  of  means 
and  measures.  While  leading  the  West,  and  ever  true  to  its  interests,  the 
Chicago  press  is  eminently  metropolitan.  We  have  9  dailies,  26  weeklies, 
and  numerous  semi-monthly  and  monthly  papers  and  magazines,  discussing 
nearly  every  conceivable  subject;  for  the  West  is  emphatically  the  region 
of  greatest  variety  of  vigorous  thought,  of  unbounded  intellectual  freedom. 
The  first  number  of  the  Chicagoan,  devoted  to  literature  and  arts,  remarks 
upon — 


Chi.  as  a 
business 
centre. 


Chicago  as  a  Business  Centre. — That  Chicago  is  to  be  by  far  the  greatest  city  of 

the  West,  and  that  evea  now  it  surpasses  any  of  its  western  rivals,  are  propositions 

meeting  the  hearty  assent  of  all  its  citizens.      To  convince  the  residents  of  other 

cities,  whose  natural  prejudices  incline  them  to  dispute  these  propositions,  we  are 

Proud  of  its  in  the   habit  of  telling   of  the  wonderful  rapidity  of  the  growth  of  Chicago  in  all 

business.       material  wealth — of  the  vastness  of  its  trade  in  dry  goods,  in  groceries,  ia  grain, 

in  cattle — of  the  thousands  of  new  buildings  each  year  erected,   and    of  similar 

flattering  facts. 

To  be  liter-      There  is,  however,  another  field  in  which  Chicago  is  to  assert  supremacy  over  all 

ary   meti-oi>  other  cities  iu  the  West,  and  certainly  stand  unrivaled  in  the  Northwest.      Chicago 

is  to  be  the  Literary  Aletropolis  of  the  West. 

Already  much  hx^  been  done  in  this  direction.  We  have  not  yet  the  great  libra- 
ries and  monster  publishing  houses  of  older  cities,  but  these  are  soon  to  come.  The 
book-trade  of  our  city  is  already  immense,  and  Chicago-made  books  are  no  rarity. 
No  one  asks,  "Who  reads  a  Chicago  book?"  The  greatest  advance  yet  made, 
however,  is  in  periodical  literature. 


Much    done. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  281 

Most  residents  of  Chicago  will  be  surprised  to  learn  that  we  have  full  seventy-five  75publica- 
periodicals  regularly  publislied  here — trom  dailies  to  quarterlies.     The  inllueuce  t'0"8. 
and  ability  of  the  Chicago  political  press  is  generally  conceded  ;    its  religious  press  Abiiitj-. 
surpasses  in  circulation,  and  certainly  equ  ils  in  ability,  that  of  any  city  west  of 
the  Atlantic  slope;   its  agricultural  press  nearly  or  quite  equals  in  circulation  that 
of  all  the   West  besides.     That  little  has  been  done,  as   yet,  with  purely  literary  Literature 
periodicals,  is  not  surprising.     In  the  nature  of  things  these  cannot  .precede  and  slow  growth, 
must  be  content  to  follow,  in  the  order  of  time,  those   devoted  to  politics,  religion 
and  special  professions. 

There  is  now,  however,  that  literary  taste  and  culture  here  which  demand  more  Taste  to 
attention  to  the  supplying  of  purely  literary  reading,  and   the  time  is  not  very  far  S™^^' I'^pi'^'y 
distant  when  Chicago  will  have  able  and  successful  literary  Magazines  and  Quarter- 
lies— as,  we  believe,  it  is  now  come  when  we  may  have  a  successful  literary  Weekly 
— when  we  shall  have  publishing  houses  whose  fame  shall  be  national. 

There  is  a  natural  and  desirable  tendency   to  concentrate   leading    publishing  Tendency  to 
houses  in    a  few  places.     The  great  books,  the  popular  magazines,  the  influential  concentra- 
reviews,  the  leading  newspapers,    will   always   come   from  a  few  centers.     Every 
indication  points  to  Chicago  as  destined  to  be  the  publishing  center  of  the  Great  Chi.  piJjlish- 
West.  j^!,r°'"'' 

Soon,  very  soon,  will  this  Great  Interior  rule  in  tlie  world  of  mind  in  its  siiaii  West 

'  J  '  rule  for  weal 

every  province.     Shall  it   be   to  the  weal  or  woe  of  our   Heaven-blessed  or  woe  r 
land  ?     Let  those  who  realize  the  future  of  our  country,  give  to  this  central 
region,  now   in   its   forming   period,  their  best  efforts,   their  wealth — yea, 
themselves,  and  the  longer  they  live,  the  more  will  they  rejoice  in  having 
made  the  gift. 

Public  Parks. — Very  little  has  yet  been  done  either  to  improve  or  obtain  Public 

.         .  .  .     parks. 

public  parks.     The  same  deplorable  want  of  realization  of  the  future  in  this 

regard   has  been  displayed  that   has   marked   our   course   in   every   public 

movement.      But  in    the   previous   estimate  of  expenditures,   $65,000  for  f65,ooo  for 

parks  this  year  was  included.     Twenty  years   ago  or   thereabouts,  it  was  wan  20  yrs. 

proposed  to  buy  land  outside  of  the  City,  for  a  large  park  in  each  division, 

to  be  improved  in  after  years  and  connected  by  a  wide  avenue,  to  be  extended 

to  and  along  the  lake  shore  at  the  north  and  at  the  south,  surrounding  the 

City  with  avenues  and  parks.     The   land   could   have  been  bought  for  less  ^^""J^ggj^te^. 

than  one-tenth  of  present  prices.     Had   it   been   purchased,  it  would  hava  f"W- 

been  too  far  in,  and  could  now  be  sold  for  enough  to  buy  other  park  property, 

and  supply  a  munificent  fund  that  would  have  given  us  the  most  exteusi  ve 

parks  of  any  city  in  the  world   without  costing  a  dollar.     That  opporcunity 

is  lost   forever ;  but   every    years'  delay   largely  increases    the   cost  of  an  Delay 

'  •'      •'  ./  o     ./  increases 

improvement   that  must   and  will   be   made.     There    are,    however,    other  cost, 
important  considerations  touching  this  subject. 

Lake  and  River  and  Wide  Streets  for  Ventilation. — Chicago  is  peculiarly  Means  of 

■'  pi  XT     ventilation. 

situated.  A  necessity  in  any  other  city  is  not  one  of  course  here.  ^No 
other  within  my  knowledge  has  equal  ventilating  facilities  without  parks. 
The  centre  and  most  densely  settled  part  will  be  along  the  lake,  three  miles 
south  of  the  river,  two  miles  north,  and  two  miles  west  from  the  lake.  The  ^,ak6  on  east 
lake  with  its  pure  air  is  ever  open  on  the  east.  The  river  extending  east- 
ward from   about  the  centre,  where  its  branches  unite  from  the  north  and  River  & 

'  branches 

south  quite  equi-distant  between  the  lake  and  western  borders,  are  soon  to  thro'  centra 


282 


Local  Advantages  and   City  Expansion. 


Horse  rail- 
ways. 


80  ft  streets 


Pliila,  plan. 


To  be  im- 
proved. 


Chi.  Post. 
Horse  rail- 
way traffic 
1867. 
West 
DivisioiL 


6.059,724 


Snnth 
Division. 


5,530,636 
passengers. 


North 
Division. 

Interrup- 
tions. 

2,666,739 
passengers. 


be  filled  with  pure  lake  water.  *  These  afford  much  ventilation ;  and  to 
tlie.se  must  be  added  our  wide  streets.  We  therefore  have  less  need  of 
parks  in  the  heart  of  the  City ;  and  though  in  most  cities  a  necessity,  they 
are  a  serious  interruption  of  business  from  which  we  are  exempt. 

Wide  Streets  and  Horse  Railroads. — Not  a  small  benefit  is  it  that  the 
central  part  of  the  City  has  80  feet  streets ;  and  the  main  avenues  north 
and  south  for  miles  are  of  that  width  and  wider.  This  not  only  gives 
abundant  light  and  ventilation,  but  affords  ample  room  for  that  important 
auxiliary  to  city  locomotion,  the  horse-railway.  Upon  this  level  site,  with 
rectangular  streets,  we  shall  ultimately  and  speedily  adopt  the  Philadelphia 
plan,  of  a  single  track  running  up  one  street  and  down  another.  Two 
tracks,  even  on  our  wide  streets,  are  a  serious  inconvenience  ;  l)ut  a  single 
track  interferes  very  little  with  ordinary  vehicles.  The  use  of  street  cars 
has  only  just  begun.  How  long  before  some  ingenious  man  obtains  a 
patent  for  a  steam  car  superseding  horses  ?  In  no  city  in  the  land  are 
street  railways  more  available  than  here,  or  imnrovements  of  more  benefit. 
From  the  Chicago  Post  the  following  items  are  obtained,  of — 
Street  Railway  Traffic,  1867. 

West  Division  Railway. — Average  receipts  per  day,  $868.47;  average  expenses 
per  day,  $726,  number  of  miles  run  during  the  year,  823-,821  ;  average  receipts 
per  mile  run,  885  cents  ;  average  expenses  per  mile  run,  32J  cents ;  number  of 
fares  collected,  6,059,724;  average  cost  of  carrying  passengers,  4|  cents;  num- 
ber of  round  trips  made,  153,999  ;  average  number  of  passengers  carried  per  round 
trip,  39,  or  19^  passengers  each  way  ;  eithty-three  and  five-eighths  per  cent,  of 
receipts  used  to  pay  running  expenses. 

South  Division  Railway. — ^The  average  receipts  per  day  during  the  year  1867 
were  $887,61,  and  per  month  $25,447.27.  The  average  receipts  per  car  per  day 
were  $21,14.  The  total  number  of  five  cent  passengers  carried  was  4,269,080; 
cash,  or  six  cent  passengers,  1,311,556,  and  children  at  three  cents  each,  4,008. 
The  number  of  passengers  carried  to  the  Union  Stock  Yards  were  164,416.  The 
total  expenses  of  the  company  during  the  year  was  $281,695.20. 

North  Division  Railway. — Three  miles  of  the  line  on  Clark  street,  etc.,  were 
taken  up  and  relaid  during  the  past  year,  and  the  Clark  street  line  was  cut  up  in 
laying  sewers  'and  pavement  180  days.  The  Chicago  avenue  line  has  not  been  in 
operation  since  September  last,  on  account  of  the  improvements  in  that  street. 

During  the  year  there  were  carried  2,566,798  passengers,  and  the  cars  were  run 
437,057  miles.  The  number  of  passengers  carried  per  mile  run  was  5  87-100.  The 
receipts  per  mile  run  were  38  48-190  cents,  and  the  expenses  28f  cents  per  mile 


Car  %  144. 
Horses,    899. 
Men,  .^4.3. 


Division. 

Cars. 

55 
53 

26 

Horses. 

Men. 

Miles. 

West 

356 
375 

168 

245 
198 
100 

26 

South 

124- 

North 

11* 

Total 

144 

899 

543 

48| 

N.  Branch  to  *  It  was  quite  an  oversight  not  to  have  spoken,  p.  2.52,  of  the  facilities  we  can  easily  have,  and  shall 
with'l'ak  ^'*^''  *"  '^'■''^^  *"®  '■'•"*  water  into  the  noith  as  well  us  south  branch.  The  bridge  at  Wells  street  can  be 
water.  *>"<'''  ^"'''1  except  the  width  of  the  draw,  which  should  have  gates  to  be  closed  at  certain  times,  when 

not  inconvenient,  as  at  night  and  Sundays,  to  stop  the  flow  of  water.  Then  by  cutting  a  canal  from  the 
north  branch  to  the  like,  or  by  laying  a  pipe,  the  supply  of  lake  water  for  the  caual  could  be  thence 
obtained,  either  by  constructing  a  protection  to  the  canal  entrance,  or  by  elevating  the  water  by  an 
engine  from  the  lake. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  283 

Ordinary  Railways. — This  is  another  important  consideration.     No  other  Oninmry 
city  has  equal  faciUties    with    our  15    trunk   lines,  for  reaching  its  suburbs.  15  lines." 
Several  near  the  lake  shore  south  do  not  spread  much  for  several  miles ;  but 
so  admirably  are  the   others   distributed,  that  we  only  need   one   S.  S.  W., 
another  W.  S.  W.,  another   W.  N.  W.,  and  another  N.  N.  W.,  to  have  all  4  wanted, 
that  could  be  desired. 

The   S.  S.  W.   is   one   of  the   surest;  for  the   Evansville   road   through  s  s.  w.  to 
Vincennes  and  Terre  Haute  to  Rockville,  132  miles,  is  already  built.     The  wX'iu' and 
Brazil  coal,  the  value  of  which   we  have  seen,  would  take  it  at  Terre  Haute  *^^*^"'*^'ii*^- 
or   Rockville.     Thence  it  is  about  22  miles  to  Danville,  where  good  coal  has 
also  been  discovered.     Thence  it  is  about  120  miles  to  Chicago,  traversing 
the  country  nearly  midway  between  the  Ills.  Central  and  the  New  Albany  Midway 
and  Salem,  making  the  closest  possible   connection  between  the  rich  valley  '^'^"*°" 
of  the  Wabash  and  Lake  Michigan,  and   opening  the   shortest  route   into 
Kentucky,  through  Hendersonville. 

For   the  W.  S.  W.  there   are   three   very  proper   lines.     1st.  A  straight  w.  s.  w.  3 
road  from  Petersburg,  crossing  the  Illinois  river  at  Marseilles,  and  through  pJto^burg. 
the  heart   of  Kendall   county.     2d.  From  the   centre  of  Pike  county  Ills.,  ijjij^jCo. 
midway  between  the  Burlington   and  Quincy  and   the  Illinois  river,  which 
would   encourage   the   building   of  the  road   across   Missouri,  south  of  the 
Hannibal  and  St.  Joe.  road,  spoken  of  p.  97.     3rd.  A  road  from  Keithsburg  Keitbsbiirg. 
or  New  Boston  to  Amboy  and  Batavia. 

For  the  W.  N.  W.,  competition  of  the  Illinois   Central  with  the  North- w.n.w. 
western,  will  soon   build  a  road   from  Freeport  through  Byron  and  Elgin,  port. 

As  to  the  N.  N.  W.,  when  some  of  the  managers  of  roads  which  are  rivals  n.  n.  w., 
to  the  Northwestern  in  Wisconsin,  see  their  folly  in  endeavoring  to  direct  wis. 
trade  from  its  natural  centre  to  Milwaukee,  and  desire  to  make  their  roads 
pay  well  to  stockholders,  they  will  seek  the  shortest  routes  to  Chicago ;  and 
a  contest  will  probably  arise  between  them  to  accomplish  the  object  first. 
This  will  give  us  one  or  two  at  least. 

Each  of  these  six  or  seven    routes  is  through  a  very  rich  country,  about  ah  desirable, 
equi-distant  from  existing  routes,  and  all  able   to  make  a  road  pay  by  local 
traffic  aloue.     No  one  who  has  any  faith  in  Chicago  can  doubt,  that  most  or 
all  of  them,  will   be  so  far    built    in  less   than  five  years,  as  at  least  to  be  To  be  built 
running  trains  out  of  Chicago.     And  the  routes  of  new  lines  into  the  city, 
will  be  chosen  with  direct  reference  to  accommodating  suburban  trade  ;  for  Accommo- 
its  profit  will  be  to  all  the  roads  an  important  censideration,  and  at  the  same  city, 
time,  the  sharp  competition  of  so  many  gigantic  corporations,  will  insure  Sharp  com- 
unequalled  accommodations  at  reasonable  charges. 

But  all  these  hopes  and  expectations,  moderate  as  they  are,  are  still  hypo- They  are 

•  II  11  -11  1  11  1-     bypothotical 

thetical.     A  sensible  man  would  consider  them,  and  a  reasonable  man  admit 

they  were  almost  certain.     Yet  not  being  quite  certain,  we  must  rest  upon  15  lines  we 

the  15  lines  we  already  have.     With  these  alone  no  other  city  has  an  equal  no  city  equal 

facilities. 


Kailways, 
Expansive 


C.  B.  &  Q. 


284  Local  Advantages  and   City  Expansion. 

number  of  acres  within  tea  miles  of  its  limits  upon  a  railroad  or  equi-distant 
from  it,  with  Chicago. 

Expansive  Power  of  Railways. — The  unexampled  facilities  these  railways 

may  and  should  afford,  will  cause  the  City  to  expand,  covering  a  far  larger 

power.         ^j.g.|^  j^jjjjjj  almost  any  other  city  to  be  found.     They  not  only  afford  facilities 

for  rapid  connection  with  the  centre  and  suburbs,  but  they  compel  expansion 

by  the  large  area  each  road  requires  for  its  own  accomodation. 

Mr.  Hjortsberg,  Engineer  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad, 

^rounds       furnishes  a  statement  in  detail  of  the  land  they  own  exclusive  of  the  right 

Own  83  acres  of  Way.     In  the  south  division  they  have  0.807  acres,  and  in  the  west  division 

Ne^*more.    82.247   acres,  a  total  of  83.054  acres.     Even  already  they  are  cramped  for 

room,  though  with  much  foresight  and  considerable   good   luck,  they  have 

unusual  advantages  of  connection  with  other   roads.     They   probably  have 

more  land  within  the  city,  however,  than  any  other  railway.     All  is  used 

for   merely    depot   purposes,    their   machine  shops    being  at  Aurora;  and 

besides,  for  passenger  trains  they  use  the  depot  of  the  Illinois   Central  and 

Each  road     Michigan  Central  Companies.     Every  one    of  these   railways  will  require 

iw'i^res."    75  to  150  acres  each  for  mere  depot  purposes;  and  this  will  no  doubt  be 

found  the  best  place  for  repairs,  and  their  shops  will  require  much  more. 

c.  B.  &Q.         The  Burlington  and  Quincy  road  has  11.06  miles  of  railway  track  of  its 

nu>s  city     own,  within  the  City  limits.     Perhaps  none  other  has  as  much,  but  many 

^^'^  '  of  them  must  have  even  more.     What   is  the   present  business  on   any  of 

these  long  railways,  compared  with  what  it  will   be   only  five  years  hence  ? 

Roads  Bho'd  Wise  directors  will  waste  no  more  time,  but  purchase  ample  ground  for  their 

grouada^  ^    accommodation.     They  need  not  wait  for  lower  prices,  nor  fear  having  too 

much ;  and  if  they  should  have  a  surplus,  it  will   prove  the  best  possible 

investment.     As  before  observed  with  regard   to  the  stock-yards,  more  will 

be  made  on  the  land  than  on  the  business  of  the  yard. 

Faciiitips  to      But  while  railways  crowd  out  the  City,  they  afford  ample  moans  to  recom- 

m^3.  ^"  "    pense  for  area  used,  converting  into  a  comfort   what  would  otherwise  be  a 

serious  inconvenience,  by  facilitating  access  with  the  suburbs.     These  une- 

Mnst  run      qualed  railway  facilities,  however,  will  be  of  little   practical   benefit,  if  they 

'*"'*^  '         must  be  restricted  to  the  speed  of  a  horse  railway.     As  intimated,  p.  250, 

Independent  a  grade  must  be  instituted  for  the  exclusive  use  of  railways,  so  that  trains 

requu-ed.      cau   Start   cvcry  few    minutes  from  the   centre  of  the  City  at    high  speed 

without  endangering  life  or  limb  by  use  of  the  track  for  other  purposes.     It 

It  will  pay.  will  be  an  expensive  undertaking  to  both  roads  and  City ;  yet  the  benefits 

to  both  will  prove  the  investment  judicious.     The  City  is  bound  at  any  cost 

Railway       to  protect  its  Citizcns ;  yet,  as  before  observed,  nine   have   been   killed,  (so 

Dr.  Rauch  informs  me)  within  ten  mouths  by  the  railroads,  within  the  City 

limits,   and  doubtless   50  to  100  have  been   seriously  injured.     No  matter 

that  railways  are  liable  for   damages ;  does  money  pay  for  a  lost  husband, 

father,  son?     Is  it  ever  compensation  even  for  a  lost  limb? 

•niesowiiibe      But  We  have  this  list  of  deaths  and  of  probable  casualties,  within   only 

the    present    limits,  with    only  the   few    trains    now  running.      With  limits 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  285 

doubled,  with  trains  quintupled,  what  will  be  the  increase  of  casualties  ?  change  of 
Nor  is  it  possible  for  the  City  to  aiFord  protection  if  only  one  grade  is  used,  protecuiu! 
except  to  dispense  with  railways.  With  the  utmost  care,  accidents  will 
occur  if  ordinary  streets  must  be  used  by  railways.  To  dispense  with  them 
is  to  lay  Chicago  flat  as  a  flounder.  Who  considers  that  a  possibility  ? 
Even  ten-fold  sacrifice  of  both  life  and  limb  would  first  be  endured,  and 
still  would  we  cry  welcome  to  the  railways.  No  possible  means  to  obviate 
the  difficulty  can  be  imagined  than  that  of  giving  railways  their  own 
independent  grade.  Benefits 

In  Boston,  or  any  where  that  a  railway  can  be  bridged  over,  the  benefits  " '^'^'^  ysnre. 
are  very  striking.     We  see    it   here    along   the    river    and    south    branch. 
Probably  in  no  other  city  could  such  a  work  be  done  with  so  little  cost  and 
inconvenience.     Irrespective  of  the  railway  grade,    the    improvement  will  improve 
pay  doubly  for  its  cost.     The  increased  value  of  the  basements  in  this  City  g;Jve°dray.' 
of  wide  side  walks,  will  more   than  pay;  and    the  saving   in   drayage  by"^*^' 
putting   the  bridges  upon  a  level,  will  pay  over  again  in  dollars  and  cents,  sewerage. 
Then  add  the  benefits  of  sewerage,  and  convenience  to  citizens  of  passage 
everywhere  unobstructed  by  trains  and  locomotives  in  perpetual  motion,  and  individual 
who  can  doubt  that  the  change  will  be  one  of  the  best  paying  investments '^''°^''""*°'^^" 
that  the  City  ever  made  ?  uenents  to 

The  advantage   to  the   railways  will   scarcely  be   less.     They  must  every  ''^'i'*^'*^^' 
year  pay  more  for  casualties ;  and  the  first   session  of  the  legislature  the 
city  limits  will  be  widely  expanded,  and  speed  be  reduced  to   six  miles  an 
hour  for  a  couple  miles  more  ;  and  not  long  before  a  couple  more.  ^,1  ,^.i,i 

This  improvement  is  one  that  every  railway  man  would    not  only  favor,  ^'^^"'"'^''^"S®' 
but  urge  its  immediate  prosecution.     They  need  to  know  what  is  to  be  done 
to   plan   their   grounds   and   buildings  accordingly.     If  they  want   it  they  city  official 
must  work  for  it.     City  officials,  who  are  appointed  to  care  for  these  chief 
public  concerns,  who  will  neglect  to  give  all  requisite   efforts   to  the  success 
of  a  scheme  so  indispensable  to  the  City,  are  not  faithful  stewards.     No  one 
can  question  the  desirableness  of  such  an   improvement,  which  would  giveoivecin. 
Chicago  advantage  over  every  city  of  the  world  for  railway  trade.     Nor  can  advantages. 
any  reasonable   man  who  appreciates  the   future  of  railways   for  this  City, 
doubt  that  ultimately  the  railways  will  be  given   a  grade  to  themselves. 
Every  year's  delay  only  increases  obstacles  and  costs,  continues  the  existing  -q^-^^^  jj^^^j, 
inconveniences  to  citizens  and  railways,  and  sends  more  victims  to  beds  of  *'''''^'*'- 
pain,  and  others  to  their  graves. 

Room  for  Indofinite  Exjiansron — its  Benefits. — -As  before  observed,  the  expansion 
land  contiguous  to  the  City  is  all  that  could  be  desired  for  suburban  purposes 
of  a  great  city.  Instead  of  mountain  grandeur,  we  have  for  those  who  g^jj^^jg 
regard  scenic  efiect,  the  equal  grandeur  of  expanse,  in  the  illimitable  spread 
to  the  horizon  of  lake  and  prairie;  doubtless  a  powerful  influence  in  giving 
that  breadth  and  comprehensiveness  which  is  a  preeminent  characteristic 
of  prairie-reared  men. 


286  Local  Advantages  and   City  Expansion. 

No  expense       But  no  One  sitc  has  everything  in  perfection.     If  to  some   tame  for  want 

u>^pfepare  ^^  ^^^j^^,  j^jjj^^  j^^p  j-avines,  bottomless  bogs;  to  others  countervailing 
exceptions  would  be  a  full  equivalent.  To  have  the  surface  prepared  to 
haud  by  nature,  instead  of  expending  several  fold  the  first  cost  to  bring  it 
to  usable  condition,  would  be  somewhat  of  an  item  to  most  men,  even  those 

Beauty  in     qwite  given  to  fancy.     Then  what   our   environs   lack  in  variety,  will  be 

X^^My.       amply  compensated  for  in  beauty. 

No  choice  of     For  ten  miles  around,  except  upon  or  near  the  lake  shore,  there  is  little 

'*"**  '  choice  of  land.  The  water  view  is  invaluable,  and  its  limited  amount  will 
raise  it  to  a  high  price,  although  near  the  City  it  is  the  poorest  soil  we  have. 
But  from  the  Calamink  to  Waukegan  it  will  be  occupied  mainly  by  those 
doinc  business  in  Chicago.     After  leaving  the  lake  a  short  distance,  there  is 

All  good       little  choice.     For  ten  miles  and  more  it  is  good  arable  land.     Though  vary- 

'*°'^  in<r  in   elevation,  all  needs  under-draining  to   remove   surface  water;  and 

when  drained  some  of  the  wettest  will  be  the  richest,  best  land.  Even  Mud 
Lake  may  prove  no  exception.     The  Northwestern  depot  is  10  feet  above 

Eieration  at  low  Water  mark ;  and  the  railway  rises  gradually  out  to  Harlem,  9  miles, 
^*'""       which  is  45  feet  above.     Burlington  &  Quincy  depot  is  11   feet  above  low 

At  Lyons.     Water ;  Lyons,  13  miles  out,  is  41  feet. 

Bonefits.  1st.      We  have,  then,  abundant  room,  and  what  are  the  benefits  of  expansion  ? 

Health.        ^gj.    jifyfjiiJi^     Pree  ventilation   is  an  advantage  that  needs   no  argument. 

2.  Low  price  This  is  best  secured  by  expansion.     2nd.  Keeping  prices  moderate.     Should 
of  lots.         ^j^g   suburbs   be    chosen  by   the   wealthy,  as  they  may  and   should  be,  the 

interior  will  be  left  for  business,  and  for  the   homes  of  common  laborers. 
Laborers   to  To  keep  down  prices  of  land   for  manufactures  and   other  business,  and  for 
own  o  .      ^^^  homes  of  mechanics  and  other  laborers  in  their  vicinity,  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  the  progress  of  the  City.     That  so  large  a  part  of  the  laboring 
classes  are  land-owners,  is  one  of  the  most  encouraging  and  important  sug- 
gestions to  be  ofi'ered.     Let  our  City  be  ruled  by  lot>owuers,  and   there  will 
Outlets       l^e  less  official  mismanagement  and   corruption.     For  one  to  three  miles  or 
more  vaiuar  j^^j.^  outside,  the  land  may  and  should  be  made  more   valuable   than  that 

3.  Beauty,    within  a  mile  of  the  limits,  either  out  or  in.     3rd.  Beauty.     A  city  may  be 

splendid,  but  cannot  be  beautiful,  built  up  in  solid  blocks.     Of  splendor  we 
soon  weary,  but  "  beauty  is  a  charm  forever."     Nature  has  given  us  ample 
It  dcpen'is    means  to  make  here  a  beautiful  city,  with  small  cost.     It  depends  alone 
se'ues""'^      upon  thc  plaus  we  lay  for  the  future  city  which  is  surely  to  be  here,  whether 
Tobeuid     it  be  made  as  inviting  in  regard  to  beauty  as  to  business.     Could  suburban 
mentally,      owncrs  be  induced  to  join  in  plans  to  lay  out  the  land  ornamentally  with 
winding  streets;  little  parks  set  out  at  once  with  trees   and  shrubbery,  on 
which  ultimately  an  elegant  church  or  school  house  or  both  should  be  built, 
— temporary  ones  being  used  meanwhile  on  some  side  street — so  that  archi- 
tectural beauty  could  be  enjoyed;  the   current  thitherward  could  soon  be 
Boon  de«ira-set,  and  lots  of  various  size  be  occupied  with  pretty  cottages  and   stately 
mansions.     The  fine  soil  would  soon  supply  beautiful  shrubbery  and  trees, 
and  the  artesian  wells  water  for  fountains  and  other  uses. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of   Chicago   Investments.  2S7 

To  a  plan  so   desirable,  and   which  would    at  once  make   us  truly  the  Oarden  city, 
GrARDEN  CiTY,   there   are,  however,  weighty   obstacles.     1st.  Sub-division  obstacles,  i. 
to  numerous   owners    renders    concerted    plan    and    action    difficult.     2nd.  9.  s'low^"* 
Impossibility  at  present  of  reaching   the  suburbs  with   reasonable   speed.  ""°^' 
The  second  doubtless    is    chief,  the    removal    of  which   would    soon    bring 
owners  to  see  the   desirableness  of  an  arrangement  which   would   in  a  few 
years    enhance    values   several    fold.     Yet  probably  neither  is  sufficiently  R,„„oy.^i 
certain  to  render  it  indispensable  that  every  land  owner  should  immediately  ""^■*^^''''"°' 
double  his  prices. 

But  it  is  one  thing  for  a  land-owner  to  see  what  is  for  his  interest,  should  Tntioftnite 
everything  work  favorably;  quite  another  to  consent  to  put  his  land  into  ;i'''''"'"J- 
company,  rendering  himself  liable  indefinitely.     This  indefinite  liability  can  i^  t.i,arter 
only  be  obviated  by  an  act  of  incorporation ;  and  having  given  much  con-  '"^'""^^^"^■^• 
sideration  to  the  improvement  of  suburban  property,  as  the   only  means  of 
accomplishing  my  plans,  I  asked  of  the  Legislature  the  Act  of  Incorporation  j^andTm- 
of  the  Land  Improvement  Company,  (see  p.  13),  which  is  all  that  could  be  i"'"^'-'"®"' 
desired.     The  intervention  of  the  war,  and  subsequent  engagements  in  other  ueiay^'o'' 
affairs,  has  prevented  prosecution  of  the  plan,  although  several  applications  "^*'* 
to  purchase  the  charter  have  been  made,  and  the  funds  any  time  would  have 
been  a  great  relief;  yet  having  been  obtained  to  be  used  by  me,  and  having 
that  distinct  understanding  with  our  members.  Senators  Ogden  and  Blodgett, 
and  Representatives,  Brown,  Scammon,  Wilmarth  and  Haines,  it  has  been 
kept  intact.     It  is  now  my  intention  soon  to  organize  a  company  under  that  sio^^to 
charter,  and  show  what  can  be  done  in   the  way   of  improving  suburban '^''*'''°''°' 
property.     The  scheme  will  be  popular  on  all  sides,  and  numerous  organi- q^j^^j.^  g,g^_ 
zations    will    result,  effecting    general  improvement    in  outside    property. 
But  there  always  will  be  selfish,  picayune  men,  who  will  oppose  any  such  ^^^^ 
movement.     Such  usually  abhor  the  tax  collector,  and  the  most  effective  °i'i''^*s- 
dose  to  relax  their  grasp  of  land  will  be  to  bring  it  for  three  or  four  miles  ,j.^^  jj^^m 
outside  within  the  City  limits.     The  payment  of  City  taxes  a  while  will  set 
them  to  inquiring  some  way  to  make  their  land   pay,  or  else  cause  them  to 
sell.     No  just  man  can  object  to  this,  for  land  that  would  not  be  worth  65  it  is  just. 
per  acre  were  there  no  city  here,  is  by  the  City   itself  given  a  value  of  $50 
to  $2,000  per  acre,  though  most  of  it  is  without  the  slightest  improvement 
or  very  little  at  best.     Why  should  not  such  property  pay  its  proportion  of 
City  expenses  ?* 

*  The  time  will  come,  itia  to  be  hoped,  when  the  City  will  berelievedof  town  and  county  organizations,  Ultimate 
extending  the  City  say  to  Lake  County  north,  to  the  Des  Pleines  west,  and  down  the  river  to  Willow  ''"y  hmita 
Spring,  thenco  southeast  to  the  State  line  near  Thornton  ;  so  that  the   City  authorities  can  regulate  all 
sorts  of  manufactories  that  will  affect  the  City.     Tho  present  system  of  triple  government  is  not  merely  Triple  Ro'Tt 
a  useless  expense,  but  every  way  injurious.     Within  that  area  every  acre  has  its  value  almost  entirely  not    wanted, 
from  contiguity  to  Chicago,  and  it  should  be  under  City  rule  and  pay  City  taxes.     But   it  may  not  be 
expedient  at  present  to  ask  that  this  be  done.    Three  or  four  miles,  however,  in  each  directioti  should  Onlv   3   or  4 
undoubtedly  be  added  to  the  City  the  first  session  of  the  legislature,  and  make  these  do-nothing  land-  "liles  at 
holders   pay   their  part.     Some  of  the  largest  landholders  will  no  doubt  urge  the  change,   but  the '"^^^^  • 
picayunes  will  fight  it. 


288 


Local  Advantages  and  City  Expansion. 


Certain  Certain  Advance  of  City  and  Suhurhan  Property. — Notwithstanding  the 

property."     uncertainty  as  to  what  naay  be  done  for  the  improvement  of  Chicago  ;  that 

it  surely  grows  and  rapidly,  and  its  property  immensely  augments  in  value, 

is  a  tixed  fact,  and  one  of  our  chief  local  advantages.     As  we  have  seen,  the 

No  other     future  of  this  City  is  certain,  and  we  have  yet  to  consider  topics  whereby  we 

cerlfiin?"  ^  Can  judge  correctly  of  the  rapidity  and  magnitude  of  growth;  but  no  man 

can  put  his  finger  on  any  other  site  which  has  this  certainty.     Not  that  it 

is  at  all   doubtful,  whether   cities   in  the  West  are  to  grow,  some  to  a  large 

size ;  but  however  confident  the  friends  of  each  may  be,  as  we  saw  p.  107, 

no    other    city    can    claim  any  three  of  the    nine  points  made  in  favor  of 

Chicago,  most  of  which  are  essential,  and  all  important  to  any  city.     It  is. 

An  import-    therefore,  to  Chicago  a  Local  Advantage,  and  a  very  important  one,  that 

advantage,    parties  may  here  invest  in   real-estate   with   an    absolute    certainty   of  its 

advancement.     This  lot  or  that  may   be   most   valuable,  but    all    Chicago 

property  must  largely  advance  in  price. 

A  person  changes  his  home  wholly  to  improve  his  pecuniary  circumstances. 
He  locates  most  advantageously  to  pursue  his  favorite  calling.     He  must  have 
a  place  to  do  business  and  to  live.     Chicago  being  a  favorite  place  of  resort, 
Rents  high,  buildings  of  all  descriptions  have  been  difficult  to  get,  and  rents  correspond- 
ingly high,  so  that  laboring  classes  especially  have   been   compelled   to  rent 
Obliged  to     Or  buy  a  lot  and  erect  their  own  house.     They  could  not  afford  to  hire  and 
"^"  must   build   for    themselves.     As    a    consequence,  property    is   very   much 

Many  made  distributed.  Many  a  blacksmith  and  shoemaker,  whose  earnings  by  his 
trade  have  been  larger  than  they  could  have  been  almost  anywhere  else,  finds 
himself  now  in  comfortable  circumstances  merely  from  his  house  lot ;  and 
if  energy  and  foresight  led  him  to  buy  a  shop  lot,  he  is  a  rich  man. 

The  difference  in  the  advance  of  real  and  personal  property  is  not  observed 
as  it  should  be.  The  Comptroller's  Report,  1st  April,  18G7,  contained  the 
following  statement : — 

Population  of  the  City  of  Chicago  from  its  Incorporation,  in  1837,  to  October  \st,  1866, 
with  Valuation  of  Property  and  Income  from  Taxes : 


Object  in 
coming  t( 
Chi. 


Real  and 

personal 

advance. 


Population 
1S;37-'C6. 


Valuations, 
real  and 

pi'rsoiial. 
Ta.xes. 


Mayors. 


W.  B.  0E;den 

Alexander  Lloyd.. 

Au;^.  Garrett 

Aug.  Garrett 

J.  P.  Chapin 

J.  Ouitiss 

J.  II.  Woodworth.. 
.(.  H.  Wu.  id  worth.. 

J.  f'urtisB 

C.  M.  Gray 

L.  D.  Boone 

Thomas  Dyer 

Johii  Wentworth.. 
*F.  C.  Sherman.... 

F.  C.  Sh.rman 

John  B.  Rico 

John  B.  Rice.. 


July, 

1840.. 

1843.. 

June, 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Sept. 

Aug.  ■ 

1850.. 

Dec.    ■ 

June, 

Aug. 

1S60.. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

1S65.. 

Oct. 


Population. 


o  I-.  ^ 


City  Census... 

U.  S.  Census.. 

Cit.y  Census... 

State  Census.. 
46 j City  Census... 
'47 1  City  Census... 
48] City  Census... 
49 1  City  Cen^us... 
...  U.  S.  Census.. 
5.31  City  Census... 
.^s! State  Census.. 
56  j  City  Census... 
...|U.  S.  Census.. 
62  City  Cen-sus... 
64iCity  Census... 
...State  Census.. 
66lCity  Census... 


4,170 

4,479 

7,580 

12,088 

14,169 

16,8.M 

20,023 

23.047 

29,96:i 

59,130 

80,000 

84.113 

109,260 

138,186 

109,3r.3 

178.492 

200,418 


2,694 
7,603 


17,404 
31,255 

52,861 
58,955 
65,947 
82,966 
89.150 


%?i 

«  £  "S 

te  i  =; 

,S"<-    00 

=  p-S- 

a  o  a> 

«■«  i- 

> 

f>  ow 

%     236,842 

94,437 

962.221 

$     479,093 

2,273,171 

791,851 

3,664,425 

857,231 

4,935,446 

853,704 

4,998,266 

],. 302,174 

5,181,637 

1,495,047 

5,685,965 

l,5-a,2,S4 

13,130,677 

3711,154 

21,637,500 

5,355,503 

25,892.308 

5,843,776 

31,198,155 

5,855,377 

31,580,545 

5,552,300 

37,148,0l'3 

11.5.S4,7.')9 

44,0>14,499 

20,644,678 

66,495,116 

19.458,134 

S     236,8  !2 

94,437 

1,441,314 

3.065,022 

4,  21,656 

6,849,170 

6.300,440 

6,676,084 

7,220,249 

16,S41,S:jO 

26.992,893 

31,736,084 

37,0.53,512 

.37,139,845 

48,7C2,7S'J 

64.709,177 

85,95.3,250 


^  o  X 


5       5,905  15 

4,721  85 

8,647  89 

11,077  58 

16,825  80 

18,159  01 

22,051  54 

30,045  Q0 

25,270  87 

135,1  62  08 

20fi,2u9  03 

306,652  39 

.37.3,315  29 

564,038  06 

974,6.55  64 

1,294,183  54 

1.719,064  00 


*The  figures  here  given  are  for  the  territory  within  the  present  city  limits.    The  population  within 
the  old  city  limits  in  1862,  was  133,768. 


Past^    Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  289 

Last  3^8ar  the  assessment  was  made  at  the  fair  cash  value,  which  previously  isot,  real, 
had  been  nominal.     Thereby  personal  property  was  assessed  at  $5.3,487,824;       '   "'' 
real-estate,  S141, 41-5,940;  yielding  taxes  of  $2,517,143.50.     Of  the  personal  Personal, 

$53  IS?  824- 

much  has  been  brought  in  ;  but  the  value  of  the  real  has  been  made  here,      '     ' 
and  in  by  far  the  chief  part,  by  the  energetic,  rapid  use  of  the  former.     Is  citizens  to 
it  wise  for  the  active  man  to  take  to  himself  only  the  profits  upon  his  busi-  ""'^  ^''*^' 
ness,  which  is  itself  aiding   to  increase  values   all  around  him,  and   two  to 
three-fold  faster  than  his  own  ?     Is  it  no  object  to  locate   in  a  city  where  a  Advantage 
person  can  have  the  positive   certainty  of  doubling  ordinary  profits  in  ti^e"'"''^^*"^"- 
legitimate  operations  of  his  business  ? 

But   where    is    the    benefit   if  a   man    neglect   to  avail   himself  of   his  Trade 
opportunity?       The   hazards    of    trade    are   proverbial.      Real-estate   in   a ^^'^''"'°"^" 
growing  city  is  almost  the  only  sure  thing  in  which  to  invest  with  a  certainty  Real  estate 
of  rise  besides  ordinary  interest.     Every  business  man  then,  should  buy  his  B„7i'ug3g 
home  lot,  at  least,  when  he  is  able,  and  to  put  it  beyond  the  risk  of  trade,  ^^^^°  ^^^^ 
convey  it  to  some  friend  in  trust  for  his  wife  and  children.     If  he  could  do 
so  with   his   business    lot   all    the  better.     No  man   has  any  right  to  go  on 
indefinitely  in   the  hazards  of  trade,  and  make  no  provision  for  his  family  j)„ty  to 
against  calamity.     I  speak  from  sad  experience,  having  lost  two  good  estates  ''*'"''>'■ 
made  in  Chicago  property,  by  unwisely  engaging  in  other  business.*     As  an 
example  to  be  shunned,  and  at  the  same  time  exhibiting  something  of  what  My  expcri- 
has  been  done  in  Chicago  property  and  can  be  done  again  ;  and  the  folly  of 
relying  wholly  upon  business  however  promising,']'    an  account  of  my  early 
transactions,  before  referred  to,  is  taken  from  a  pamphlet  of  March,  1860: — "^'^ws  iseo. 

In  1832,  at  the   age  of  17,  my  father  took  me  to  Chicago  with  a  stock  of  mer- arrived  at 
chandize.     The  town  then  contained  some  150  people,  exclusive  of  the  garrison,  two  *^'"-  ■^^^^• 
framed  stores,  and  no  dwelling  except  those  built  of  logs.     After  remaining  a  few 
weeks,  examining  the  country  south  and  west,  and  satisfying  himself  that  he  had  Father's 
made  the  right  location,  he  left  me  to  shift  for  myself.     In  1834,  he  removed  his  opin'o°- 
family  to  Chicago  and  lived  till  1810,  having  his  first  convictions  strengthened  year 
by  year,  that  it  was  rapidly  to  become  one  of  the  largest  cities  of  the  country,  and 
of  the  world. 

Though    a  mere  boy,  I,  too,  became  impressed  with  the  advantages  of  the  point  My  early 
which  was  the  western  extremity  of  the  great  lake  navigation,  with   a  certainty  of  ""Passions, 
its  connexion,  by  canal,  with  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  rivers,  and  which  was  the 
natural  commercial  centre  of  a  country  so  fertile,  and  so  easily  tilled,  and  so  vast 
in  extent.     In  the  winter  of  1833  and  1834,  I  induced  a  wealthy  uncle  to  take  some  First  pur- 
chases  1834. 

*To  what  else  does  Paul  refer,  when  in  the  midst  of  his  directions  to  Timothy  concerning  the  duties  of  ??"  j*. 
widows,  he  remarks  ?     "  But  if  any  provide  not  for  his  own,  specially  for  those  of  his  own  house,  he  hath 
denied  the  faith  and  is  worse  than  an  infidel."     It  is  a  man's  duty  to  pay  his  debts,  especially  to  protect  1  Tim.  v.    8. 
endorsers,  but  it  is  also  duty  to  take  care  of  his  family;  and  when  he  has  a  competence  and  can  honestly 
set  aside  property,  he  ought  to  do  it  and  put  it  beyond  contingency.    This  islnot  totadvise  that  they  have  No  separate 
separate  Intel  ests.    They  are  joined  in  one,  and  their  interests  should  be  and  are  indissoluble.  " 

Let  these  energetic,  successful  husbands  see  to  it  that  their  families  are  made  safe  against  poverty  by  a  Give  your 
Chicago  lot  or  two  conveyed  in  trust  for  their  benefit.  '  ^      °  • 

fMy  mistake  was  worse,  for  property  which  had  been  settled  upon  my  wife,  and  for  which  I  had  received  A  mistake, 
money,  was  used  by  me,  with  no  security  to  her;  and  then  when  my  reverses  came  in  1857,  not  expecting 
to  be  seriously  embarrassed,  and  fearing  that  my  property   would   be  tied  up   by  judgments,  all  was 
assigned  to  secure  endorsers.    It  is  one  of  the  important  events  of  my  life,  that  under  like  circumstances 
■would  surely  not  be  repeated,  highly  as  are  obligations  to  endorsers  regarded  by  me. 

19 


290 


Local  Advantages  and  City*  Expansion. 


Benefits  to 
my  uucle. 


Sound 
reasons. 


Railroads 
n'>t  then 
foreseen. 


Are  now  a 
sure  basis. 


Pun'nses 
for  lu'. ii  If 
1S34. 
Profits. 

Snlps'in  N. 
Y.  $50,000. 


Worth 
$200,000  in 
1836. 


Crash  of 
1837. 


E  isiness 
b.^o'un. 

Small 
indebtedness 


Business  my 
rain. 


Prairie 
Farmer 
begun. 


Its  reputa- 
tion. 


Travels 
throughout 
the  West. 


purchases  which  I  had  made,  expecting  to  share  in  the  profits.  He  took  them,  and 
has  made  out  of  those  and  other  operations,  through  me,  several  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  but  alF  the  benefit  to  me,  directly  or  indirectly,  has  been  $100  He  came 
to  Chicago  in  the  Spring  of  1835,  and  the  next  day  after  his  arrival,  said  if  I  would 
sell  his  lot — one  of  those  which  I  had  bought  about  15  mouths  previously  for  $3,500 

for  §15  000,  he  would  give  me  one  hundred  dollars'     I    sold    the    lot  that  day  for 

cash,  and"  the  $100  was  reckoned  into  my  credit  in  our  final  settlement  in  1838. 

The  letters  that  I  then  wrote,  I  had  an  opportunity  to  examine  a  few  years  ago, 
and  they  show  that"  I  operated  in  no  speculative,  hap-hazard  sort  of  way,  but  at 
that  early  day,  even,  had  sound  and  abundant  reasons  to  prove  the  certainty,  and 
the  rapidity  of  the  growth  of  that  embryo  city.     [Extracts  from  one  are  given  p.  4.] 

No  one  could  then  have  anticipated  the.power  of  railroads  to  build  up  great 
commercial  points,  and  their  wonderful  multiplication,  especially  from  Chicago. 
These  have  not  only  expedited  the  development  of  the  west,  but  concentrated  and 
bound  to  its  great  commercial  centre  with  iron  bands,  the  business  and  traffic 
which  at  great  cost  otherwise,  would  still  have  come  here.  They  have  served  to 
fix,  beyond  all  peradventure,  what  some  might  then  have  regarded  as  problematical 
— that  is,  which  city  in  the  west  is  to  have  the  supremacy. 

In  1834,  I  began  to  operate  in  real-estate  on  my  own  account,  and  in  February, 
1835,  went  to  New  York  to  buy  merchandise,  and  sold  for  $10,000  a  40  acre  tract 
which  had  cost  $4,000,  the  profits  of  which  more  than  paid  for  all  my  other 
pu  ''^ases.  Thereafter  increasing  my  operations,  I  sold  in  the  Spring  of  1836  to 
varnj.^5  parties  in  New  York,  real-estate  for  over  $50,001),  receiving  about  two-thirds 
of  the  pay  cash  in  hand,  and  giving  my  individual  obligations  to  make  the  convey- 
ances when  I  came  of  age,  the  July  following.  My  father  would  have  been  my 
heir,  in  the  event  of  my  death,  and  they  knew  he  would  fulfil  my  contracts. 

I  had,  then,  in  1836,  acquired  a  property  of  over  $200,000,  without  any  assistance 
even  from  my  father,  never  having  used  his  money  for  my  operations,  the  store 
being  his,  and  for  conducting  it,  only  my  expenses  had  been  paid.  My  uncle  was 
the  only  relative  who  could  have  aided  me,  and  he  never  would,  even  temporarily. 
So  far  from  it,  he  was  in  my  debt  continuously  from  1834  to  our  final  settlement 
in  1838. 

But  1837  brought  ruin  to  me,  as  it  did  to  nearly  all  who  owed  anything;  though 
it  was  not  so  much  speculation  in  real-estate  as  engaging  in  mercantile  business 
that  involved  me.  At  that  age  it  seemed  desirable  every  way  to  have  regular 
occupation  to  promote  good  habits,  and  in  accordance  with  my  father's  wishes,  I 
purchased  in  1836  a  warehouse  and  dock-lots,  to  engage  in  the  shipping  business, 
which  cost  $23,500.  My  whole  indebtedness  was  about  $25,000.  I  had  nearly 
$20,000  due  to  me,  which  was  supposed  to  be  well  secured,  it  being  chiefly  the  final 
payments  on  property  of  which  over  half  the  cost  had  been  paid.  To  provide 
ample  means  for  business.  I  sold  in  the  autumn  of  1836  a  tract  adjoining  the  city 
for  $50,000,  quick  pay.  This  trade  was  unfortunately  broken  up  by  the  merest 
accident,  and  tliereafter  I  had  no  opportunity  to  sell  at  what  was  deemed  a  fair 
price.  I  came  in  possession  of  the  warehouse  1st  May,  1837;  and  though  having 
small  cash  resources,  I  thought  best  to  commence  business,  hoping  there  would  soon 
be  a  favorable  turn.  But  all  went  down — down,  and  I  was  soon  inextricably 
involved.  The  money  used  to  buy  those  lots  for  business,  not  speculation,  would 
have  carried  me  through. 

By  1840,  my  property  had  all  gone;  one  piece  that  had  been  worth  $100,000, 
went  for  $6,000;  another  that  had  been  worth  $12,000,  went  for  $900,  and  so  on. 

Having  been  connected  with  an  agricultural  society,  as  its  secretary  and  manager, 
the  firming  interest  had  a  good  deal  engaged  my  attention.  Seeing  the  importance 
of  having  a  newspaper  devoted  to  it,  and  of  having  an  organ  for  the  interchange  of 
experience,  in  prairie  culture,  and  believing  I  could  at  least  make  out  of  it  a  living 
till  something  better  offered,  I  commenced  in  the  autumn  of  1840,  the  "Prairie 
Farmer,"  and  was  for  several  years  its  sole  editor;  and  though  without  any  expe- 
rience in  farming,  yet  it  is  gratifying  to  know  that  from  its  commencement  it  has 
been  regarded"  one  of  the  most  practical,  reliable  agricultural  papers  in  the  country. 
I  retained  its  proprietorship  till  1857. 

From  1840  to  '45  I  traveled  most  of  the  time,  and  in  all  parts  of  the  west,  to 
acquaint  myself  with  the  influential  farmers,  and  make  them  write  articles  for  their 
paper.  _  I  became,  of  course,  well  informed  about  the  country  in  all  respects  ;  and 
witnessing  its  rapid  settlement,  and  the  development  of  its  unequalled,  inexhaustible 
resources,  I  would  anticipate  what  even  twenty  to  thirty  years  must  accomplish, 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  291 

when  its  few  hundred   thousand  population  must  be   increased   to  millions,  and  Anticipa- 
railroads  so  laid  down  as  to  bring  nearly  every  farm  within  twenty  miles  of  one,  or  -^y"^^!.  "       ® 
of  navigable  water.  * 

I  saw  how  immense  must  be  the  productions  of  so  rich  a  country — how  large  its  Effect  upon 
wealth,  and  naturally  the  effect  that    all    this    growth    must    have    upon    its  chief  C" 
commercial  centre — my  home — was  considered. 

I  resolved  in  some  way  to  get  a   larger    interest   in   property   here,  and   in    the  M'iuitcJ 
aiitunin  of  1845,  went   to   New  York  to  try  and   obtain   funds.     Having  leisure,  18'mieChi. 
wrote  a  series  of  of  fifteen  or  twenty  articles  for  the  Commercial  Adoerliser  and  the 
Evening  Post,  about  the  various  agricultural  products  of  the  West,  their  profits,  etc.,  Articles 
the  minerals — manufacturing  advantages — the  canal — railroads  that  would  be  built,  ii'Ji"i'  ^s- 
etc.,  etc.,  but  not  till  the   subject  of  tlie   State   debt   was  reached,  was   the  rapidity 
of  progress  realized.      Illinois  bonds  were  then  only  worth  about  25  to  '-'A)  cents  on  Anticipa- 
the  dollar,  and  three  years  of  accrued   interest  not  reckoned,  so   prevalent  was   llie  ''""*  ^f  }? 

Stiito  (Icut 

impression  that  we  could  never  pay  the  State  debt;  and  such  a  fearful  load  was  it 
considered,  that  immigration  hitlier  was  considerably  affected.  But  it  was  shown 
fairly  and  conclusively,  that  by  1858  or  '59,  our  State  would  pay  her  full  interest 
without  any  increase  in  the  then  rate  of  taxation  ;  and  for  two  years  we  have  done 
this,  and  our  bonds  are  above  par. 

No  predictiongives  more  satisfaction  than  this.    Littleas  thepublic  were  influenced  Views 
by  those  views,  improbable  as  all   then  regarded  them;  to  look  back  upon,  they '^'^'^'^""*'''''' 
now  appear  plain  common   sense,  just  such  as  any  business  man  who  would  study 
the  subject,  ought  to  have  arrived  at. 

Though  no  one  would  see  the  future  of  the  West  and  of  Chicago  as  I  did,  my  own  Confideuce 
confidence  had   never  been  so  strong.     The   examinations  incident  to  the  prepara-  stri-ngth- 
tion  of  those  newspaper  articles  brought  more  clearly  to  view  than  ever  before,  the 
abundant   resources,    and    great    natural   advantages    of    the    immense    territory  Desire  to 
tributary  to   Chicago,  and  my   determination  was    strengthened  to  buy  property  iwve 
here.  property. 

By  examinations   I  found   Frederic   Bronson,  Esq.,    would  sell  a  block  on  long  r.lock  1    for 

credit  for  $30,000,  with  only  $1,000   paid  down.      It  was  upon   the  river,  near   the'^^l^f'"" 

^%(\  Don 
heart  of  the  City,  and  somewliat  improved.     I  made  prudent  estimates  of  its  pres-       ' 

ent  and  prospective  rental,  and  found  it  could  be  made  to  pay  for  itself  with  aCuukiiie 

small  outlay.     But  I  could   make  no  one  so  see  it.     There  was  not  the  least  confi- "''"!'' *°P'^y 

dence  in  Chicago,  it  having  been  for  ten  years  a  synonymefor  all  that  was  wild  and 

visionary.     Mr.  Dyer  of  Chicago  also  had  commenced  prior  negotiations  with  Mr. 

Bronson,  and  not  wishing  to  interfere  with  him,  my  endeavors  were  postponed  till 

their  negotiations  should  be  closed. 

I  had  no  means  of  my  own  to  buy  with — -could  get  no  one  in  New  York  to  think  Failure  to 
favorably  of  my  projects — knew  not  where  else  to  apply,  and  after  months  of  vain  buy. 
attempts,  returned  home,  having  purchased  nothing.     In  April,  1846,  Mr.  Bronson 
sold  this  block  to  Mr.  Dyer  for  the  $30,000.     A  few  months  after  I  bought  it  of  him  Bought  from 
for  $37,500,   having  ninety  days  in  which  to   secure  the  $7,500  advance,  and  the  M''-   JJ.yo'') 
$1,000  he   had  paid.     By  much  solicitation,  my  brothers  were  prevailed  upon  to  ^jyj„-,(.p" 
give  this  security,  and  the  Bronson  contract  was  assigned  to  me. 

I  clung  to  this  block,  preferring  to  pay  this  large  advance,  rather  than  buy  other  Resison  for 
property;  because,  having  no  capital  or  means  of  raising  any,  it  was   necessary  tOiP'eference. 
get  such  as,  by  its  income,  would   pay  for  itself.      I   knew  this  would   do  it,  and   it 
was  the  only  piece  of  the  sort,  in  any  considerable  amount,  to  be  found.     This  was  320  x  GOO  ft. 
large  enough,  320  by  600  feet,  to  be  an  object,  particularly  as  I  was  confident  that 
by  tlie  time  it  was  paid  for  in  ten  years  it  would  be  worth  $200,000  and  over.     It  Wortli  in  06 
was  actually  worth  in  1856  over  $450,000.  $450,ooj. 

By  the  spring  of  1848,  I  had,  as  calculated  before  the  purchase,  with  a  few  hun-  Expectations 
dred  dollars   expenditure,  made   the   rents  about  equal   the    annual  payments  of  realized, 
principal  and  interest. 

Doubtless  it  would  have  been  better  to  have  been  satisfied  with  this  purchase,  still  wanted 
But  in  its  improvement  we  had  eifccted  an  arrangement  with  the  city  by  which  the  ""ore ! 
river  was  to  be  widened  up  to  the  line  of  this  block,  and  also  along  the  six  blocks 
next  west  of  it.     I  saw  the  benefits  that  were  to  accrue  from  making  dock-lots  189 
feet  deep,  with  an  80  feet  street  in  the  rear,  and  wanted  a  share  in  them. 

*  Less  than  fifteen  years  have  seen  this  done  for  Illinois,  and  much  more.  But  few  farms  are  ten  miles  Change  of  15 
from  a  railroad  or  navigable  river,  and  more  than  half  are  within  five  miles.  It  is  also  in  good  partV^arsto  1861 
accomplished  for  Iowa,  Wisconsin,  North  Missouri,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  country  centering  at  Chicago 


292  Local  Advantages  and  City  Expansion. 

1  »^ block  of      Mr.  Bronson  still  had'a  block  and  a  half  of  this  river  property,  and  in  the  spring 
MrTUronson.  of  1848,  I  went  to  New  York  to  see  what  could  be  done  with  him.     He    asked 
$45  OOO',  at  least  double  what  it  was  worth,  and  was  willing  to  give  long  credit,  but 
wanted  annual  interest.     That  I  knew  the  rents  could  not  meet  at  once,  the   prop- 
erty' being  chiefly  occupied  with  the  shanties  of  Irish  squatters  ;  and  till  the  river 
bank  was  excavated,  which  would  require  a  year  or  two,  it  would  be  impossible  to 
get  much  revenue.     I  therefore  insisted  upon  having  interest  for  a  few  years  added 
pu™  as"/  at  to  the  principal,  and  the  result  was  to  close  contracts  for  the  purchase,  at  $50,000, 
$po,0(jo.         on  Itj  years   time,  $li,500,  payable  in   six  months,  which  was  secured  on  the  con- 
tract  for  the  other  block,  and  no  other  payment  of  principal  for  three  and   a  half 
hen"  credit  years,  when  interest  commenced  at  six  per  cent,  payable  annually.     Payments  of 
principal  then  began  at  $1,000  a  year  for  four   years,  then  $2,000  a  year  for  three 
years,  and  so  on,  so  that  no  heavy  payments  came  due  till  18G0. 

To   guard  against  the  possiblity  of  failure,  should  my  estimate  of  rents  prove 
pro"-Uinn8      fallacious,  I  had  a  clause  in  each  contract,  authorizing  the  sale  of  a  lot,  or  half  a 

for  safety,     lot the  proceeds  to  be  applied  in  payment  of  the  contracts.     There  were  also  four 

separate  contracts,  so  that  upon  an  emergency   I  could  sell  a  part  of  the  purchase 
and  not  lose  the  whole. 
Results  pre-      The  negotiations,  and  making  contracts,  occupied  some  three  weeks  ;  and  mean- 
calculated,     while  I  carefully  estimated   what  the  property  would  yield  in  the  sixteen  years, 
with  $26,000  to  expend  within   two  and  a  half  years.     I  frankly  told  Mr.   Bronson 
my  plans  and  expectations,  and  offered  to  join  him  in  the  profits  if  he  would  let 
Desire  to       ^-^  manage  the   property,  and    he   advance  the  funds   to   improve    it.      That  would 
avoid  debt,     have  been   preferable  to  buying,  as  it  would  have  saved  the  labor  and  annoyance 
of  "shining"  to  raise  money  for  the    improvements  which  were  indispensable. 
That  estimate  I  now  have,  and  it  gave,  as  the  net  value  of  the  improvements  in 
Lar^e  profits  1  ^^4,  after  meeting   all  payments  of  principal,  interest,  taxes,  etc.,  the  sum  of  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-seven  thousand  dollars — the  surplus  rents  being  used  each  year  upon 
the   property ;    and  the    value    of  the    land    over    $400,000.     The    rents    have  far 
exceeded  that  estimate,  as  I  said  they  would.     Two  of  the  lots,  equal  in  value  to 
Ground  rent  ^'^0^^  °°®  fourth  of  the  purchase,  for  two  and  a  half  years,  with  no  improvements 
of  two  lots     except  excavating   the   river  bank   and   building  the  dock,  have  yielded  a  ground 
S7000.  pent  of  $7,000 — the  lessee  paying  all  taxes  and  assessments  ;  and  he  has  put  on  a 

grain  elevator  that  cost  about  $100,000,  that  is  security  for  the  rent. 
Plans  were         Upon   these   two  purchases  I  look  back  with   much  satisfaction.     It  is  true  I 
Bound.  failed  to  induce  capitalists   to  join  me,  as   I   had  hoped.     Getting  credit  for  six 

months  on  the  first  payment,  I  thought  would  save  me  from  advancing  even  that. 
But  thougli  in   error  on  that  point,  nothing   else  was   misconceived.     There  was 
All    calcnla-  nothing   fortuitous    or   accidental   in    the   whole   operation,   but  it  wan  perfectly 
led.  calculated  from  beginning  to  end,  and  all  possibility  of  failure  eflfectually  guarded 

against.  * 
Others  could      Though  paying  double  what  the  property  was  worth  in  cash  or  on  short  time,  yet 
not  see  the    I  could  not  get  the  cash,  and  knew  that  the  three  and  a  half  years  of  credit  without 
result.  interest,  would  bring  all  straight.     But  though  so  clear  to  me,  there  was  not  a  man 

in  Chicago,  to  my  knowledge,  with  whom   Mr.  Bronson  would  have  made  the  con- 
tracts, who  would  have  taken   the  purchase  off  my  hands.     On  this  point  there  is 
9  citizens      strong   evidence.       To    induce   parties    abroad   to    join    and    advance    capital    for 
examine        improvements,  I  had  nine  of  our  leading  and  best  citizens,  and   all  operating  more 
estimates,      q^  jgg^  j^  real-estate,  examine  the  estimate  of  rents  made  at  the  time  of  purchase, 
with  a  written  statement  of  my  views  and  reasons  thereon.     They  acknowledged, 


Second  pnr-  *  That  was  so  in  1860;  but  subsequent  reflection  causes  doubt  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the  second  purchase 
chase  unwise  Notwithstanding  it  promised  so  well,  had  my  firm  resolution  not  to  farther  increase  indebtedness  been 

adhered  to,  the  sacritico  of  block  1  would  not  have  been  made,  nor  of  other  property.     Could  others  have 

been  made  to  see  results  as  they  appeared  to  me,  and  have  advanced  funds,  the  whole  project  would  havo 
A  desirable  ^**°  successful,  and  property  been  worth  $1,500  a  foot,  which  is  now  not  worth  $500.  No  central  part 
purchase  °^  ^^'^  <^''y  "fiTU  a  more  inviting  field  than  that  very  property,  with  the  railroad  ousted  east  of  Wells 
"ow.  street,  as  it  ought  to  be.    Yet  wretchedly  as  the  property  has  been  managed,  and  notwithstanding  the 

opportunity  for  profits  still  remaining,  at  present  value  the  increase  in  twenty  years  is  over  500  per  cent. 

beHidesall  the  rents,  and  I  predict  it  will  be  as  great  a  per  cent,  in  twenty  years  to  come,  if  there  bo  any 

proper  management  of  the  property. 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  293 

that  though  the  results  were  so  astounding,  they  could  discover  nothing  unfair  or  Signed 
improbable  in  the  views  or  calculaiious,  and  they  signed  the  following  certificate  :  '^"  '         • 

"  The  iin<lcrsigned  hare  examined  an  estimate  made  by  John  S.  Wright,  of  rents  on  lots,  3,  4,  5,  and  6  *""  "'""'"'sO' 
of  blocks,*  Original  town  of  Chicago,  supposing  $10,000  to  be  expended  in  improvements  witliiu  two  "^'^J'     '"'  "'J 
years  ami  a  lialf,  together  with  the  annual  surplus  of  rents  above  tlio  payments  of  $19,250  ot  principal,  estimates, 
and  all  tlie  interest  in  sixteen  years;  and  we  concur  with   him,  in  the  main,  in  the  views  and  estimates 
therein  contained.     Chicago,  Juno  9tli,  18-lS."     [Signed].     B.  W.  K:iymond,  Goo.  W    Dole,  (ieorge  Steel, 
John  H.  Kluzie,  E.  S.  Wadsworth,  Thos.  Dyer,  John  P.  Chapin,  W.  II.  Brown,  and  Geo.  Gibbs.     [Only 
two  of  whom  now  live.     What  shadows  wo  are;  what  shadows  we  pursue  instead  of  true  riches!  ] 

On  the  28th  of  February,  1849, 1  printed  a  circular,  and  in  conection   with   the  Circular 
above  certificate,  said:  ^^'*^- 

"  Five  of  the  first  signers  gave  the  papers  a  minute  and  critical  examination,  and  the  first  two  examined  Views  well 
them  thoroughly  by  themselves,  and  also  together.     The  others  studied  them  less  critically,  but  satisfied  considered. 
themselves  of  their  general  correctness,  and  most,  if  not  all,  expressed  the  opinion,  that,  extraordinary 
calauiilles  alone  excepted,  the  results  would  be  realized.     One  of  them  (W.  II.  Brown,  Esq.)  a  few  days  W.H.Brown 
since  casually  expressed  some  distrust  of  the  operation,  and  I  subsequently  told  tim   that  I  wished  to 
use  his  name  in  connexion  with  the  certificate,  but  could   not  rightly  do  so  as  long  as  he  bad   doubts 
about  it ;   and  upon  re-examination  of  the  estimates,  he  expressed  himself  satisfied. ' 

They  could  not  but  "  concur  in  the  views  and  estimates,"  for  they  were  reasonable  Concurence 
and  moderate,  yet  their  total  lack  of  confidence  in  their  attainment  was  evinced  reasonable, 
by  the  fact  that  three  and  a  half  blocks  more  of  this  same  north-side  river  property 
were  nearly  all  in  the   market,  yet  for  years  no  one  bought  in  it  but  myself,  with  a  j^'^* ""' 
single  exception,  and  that  exception  the  more  strongly  confirms  my  statement.     Mr.       "^  ^  ' 
Wadsworth,  one  of  the  above  signers,  and  considered  one  of  the  most  sagacious  of  ?yorth      ' 
them,  and  who  carefully  studied  and  discussed  the  papers  with  me,  sold   the  winter 
of  '48  and  '49,  to  Mr.  Steel,  another  of  the  signers,  two  lots  next  adjoining  one  of  Mr.  Steel. 
my  blocks,  for  one  quarter  cash  and  the    balance   in   1,  2  and    3  years,   at  a  rate 
considerably  less  than  half  the  price  1  had  paid.     Though  very  conscientious,  and  in  jjyjjjgQgg  qj 
all  honor  and   integrity  certifying  as   above,  yet  he   could  not   bring    himself  to  their 
realize  that  the  result  must  come.     As  do  most  real-estate  operators,  he  went  with  disbelief, 
the  current.      I  have  joked  him  several  times  since  for  his  folly,  for  the  lots  he  sold 
for  $4,500  would  have  since   brought  $80,000,  and  are   to-day  worth  $50,000.     He 
has  made  no  use  of  his  money  that  would  have  paid  at  all  equal  to  this,  and  I  know 
of  no  other  purchase  as  good.      The  buyer,  it  happens,  was  one  of  the  signers,  but 
he  did  not  credit  the  results  certified   to  any  more    than  did  the  others,  for  he  was, 
and  is,  a  wealthy  Scotchman,  and  could   and    would   have  bought  every  one  of  the 
lots  if  he  had  supposed  there  was  a  fifth  part  of  the  profits   in  them   that  he   has 
realized. 

In  '46  the  best  lot  on  the  north  side,  80  feet  on  the  river  and  North  Water  street,  Another 
and  1»9  feet  on  Clark  (a  bridge)  street,  was   offered  for$G,000;  and  for  years  I  north  side 
urged  friends  to  buy  it.      The  owner  kept  advancing    his  price,  till  in  January  '50,   "'" 
I  induced  a  couple   of  Virginia   friends   to   take   it  at  $9,000.      In  '56  that   lot  was 
worth  over  $110,000,  and  is  now  worth  $70,000,  and  has  all  the  time  yielded  a  good 
ground  rent. 

But  these  purchases,  though  apparently  so  judicious  and  profitable,  were  a  heavy  purchases  a 
load  to  me  and  my  brothers  for  years.     I  could   not   make  capitalists  see   through  heavy  load. 
my  spectacles,  and  none  would  lend  me  the  aid  of  their  money.     The  widening  of 
the  river  cut  off  rents  largely  for  two  years,  and  the  excavation,  building  of  docks, 
warehouses,  etc.,  had  run    me  into  debt,  at   two   to  five   per  cent,  a  month,   and  a 
brother  was  an  endorser,  greatly  against   his  will,  for  $15,000  to  $20,000.     In  the  Block  1  sold 
spring  of  '50,  he   insisted   upon  relief,  and    having  our   affairs  disentangled,  and  1850— 
learning  that  the  Galena  Railroad  would  buy  one  of  the  blocks  for  a  depot,  he  urged 
its  sale.     He  had  acted  generously  towards  me — few  brothers  would  have  done  as 
much — and  his  request  was  reasonable,  notwithstanding  it  involved  such  a  sacrifice 
of  my  expectations.     The  block  first  bought  for  $37,500,  was  sold  to  the  Company —for $60,000. 
for  $60,000.  t 


*  This  was  the  half  block,  about  two-fifths  in  value  of  the  purchase — the  other  block,  about  three-fifths  Two-fifths  of 

costiTig  $.30,7.50.    I  did  not  care  to  trouble  them  to  go  through  the  calculations  for  the  latter,  for  if  correct  ^J'g  ?>5q^'^' 

for  the  half  block,  they  would  be  found  so  on  the  whole  purchase.  -^       ^      ^ 

'  ,.  .J  ,  T  i-       D-?pot  not 

f  Let  it  not  be  imagined  that  the  depot  was  regarded  an  important  disideratum  by  me.     In  converting  (jpgjreij  l5y 

the  nine  lots  into  wholesale  property  for  groceries  and  iron,  as  was  my  expectation,  by  supplying  stores  me. 


294 


Local  Advantages  and   City  Expansion. 


The  personal 
Ciiiii-idera- 
lious 
roijuired. 


Experience 
valuable. 


Reaper 
works. 


Ocupation 
Wiiiited. 


A'lvanta, 
for  raufi; 


Prairii 
Farmer. 


Mnfg.  agri- 

culturiil 

iraplemeutg. 


Partn-Tship 
formed. 


Atkin'a  self- 
raUer. 


Its  complete 
success. 


It  was  my 
ruin. 


Thouch  prolix  and  tedious  \n  discussing  these  operations,  it  is  not  from  foolish 
conceit.  The  egotism  is  as  distasteful  to  me  as  to  you,  but  seems  required.  Whether 
I  have  judgmenl  or  not  in  real-estate  transactions  to  make  your  money  safe  and 
profitable,  is  the  point  considered,  and  how  can  it  be  so  well  shown  as  by  what  has 
been  done?  The  reasons  and  motives  influencing  me  are  also  important,  for  if  the 
transactions  were  accidental  instead  of  calculated,  they  would  give  no  assurance 
for  the  future.  Therefore  is  this  statement  presented,  and  though  from  necessity 
"  blovvinc  my  own  trumpet,"yet  it  is  fair  and  truthful.  It  may  not  be  in  my  power 
to  make  just  such  operations  again,  but  I  shall  be  sadly  disappointed  if  ten  years 
hence,  with  my  life  and  health,  I  do  not  show  some  as  good  relatively  as  were  those. 
Increased  knowledge  and  experience  ought  to  be  of  some  service ;  and  at  all  events 
no  purchase  will  be  made  without  due  investigation,  and  you  shall  always  have  a 
good  reason  if  you  ask  me. 

I  made  some  profitable  exchanges,  but  no  considerable  purchase  of  property 
till  '55  I  bought  52  acres  on  and  near  the  North  Branch,  for  my  Reaper  works, 
for  $72,000. 

Until  '51,  the  management  of  these  blocks  had  given  me  constant  work.  They 
were  then  mostly  rented,  yielding  several  thousand  dollars  beyond  annual  payments, 
and  I  wanted  more  occupation.  I  did  not  wish  to  buy  more  property,  being  satis- 
fied with  what  I  had  done  and  knowing  that  a  few  years  would  make  it  a  fortune 
large  enough  for  me  and  my  family.  Manufacturing  suggested  itself,  for  which 
Chicago  possesses  great  advantages,  all  kinds  of  raw  materials  being  as  cheaply 
brought  together  here  as  at  any  city  in  the  Union,  while  it  excels  all  others  in 
distributing  facilities.  My  connection  with  an  agricultural  paper  informed  me  of 
the  great  demand  the  prairies  would  make  on  Chicago  fo'r  farming  implements, 
and  the  large  acquaintance  and  warm  friendships  made  among  the  leading  and  most 
enterprising  farmers  all  over  the  West,  would  give  great  advantages  in  selling  what 
I  might  make.  It  seemed  that  with  a  good  practical  man  as  a  partner,  a  safe  and 
lucrative  business  could  be  easily  built  up  of  a  most  agreeable  character,  and  it  was 
much  more  congenial  to  my  temperament  than  sitting  still  to  wait  the  rise  on  real 
estate.  Besides,  though  having  no  desire  to  be  immensely  wealtJiy,  I  wanted  more 
income  to  use  year  by  year. 

I  therefore  formed  a  partnership  with  an  experienced  mechanic  at  the  East,  but 
after  getting  the  business  started,  he  decided  not  to  remove  to  Chicago,  and  I  had  to 
abandon  my  plans  or  go  on  alone.  Not  being  fond  of  backing  out,  I  continued  the 
business  in  a  small  way  at  first,  hoping  month  by  month,  and  year  by  year,  to  find 
a  suitable  partner.  Mr.  Atkins,  too,  had  given  me  a  half  interest  in  his  Self- Raking 
Reaper  for  patenting  and  introducing  it,  which  I  saw  had  great  merit,  and  having 
become  warmly  interested  in  this  most  ingenious  invention,  I  did  not  like  to  relin- 
quish it.  No  other  harvester  ever  had  such  success.  I  built  the  first  in  '52,  forty 
in  '53,  three  hundred  in  '54,  twelve  hundred  in  '55,  and  there  had  been  no  complaint 
or  difficulty  with  them  of  any  account ;   nor  had  any  taken  so  many  premiums. 

But  this  unequaled  success  led  me  on  to  my  ruin.  It  is  not  necessary  to  the 
present  purpose  to  follow  through  the  success  and  disasters  of  the  reaper  business.* 


Reasons  for 
its  purchase 


River  prop- 
erty di-- 
Btroyed. 


Cause  of 
disaster  in 
rfaper 
buriDees. 

Lambcr  bo' 
in  Obio. 


40  X  180  feet,  at  low  rents  to  begin  with,  it  seemed  advantageous  to  have  a  railway  track  for  the  acconi 
modation  of  the  stores,  and  I  started  the  project  of  soiling  block  5  for  a  depot.  But  Mr.  Newberry  would 
not  consent  to  that,  because  as  the  owner  of  the  contiguous  projierty,  it  would  appear  that  lie  was 
rendering  the  railway  s'irviceablB  to  himself:  and  Mr.  Turner  wanted  it  as  far  east  as  possible,  iu  order 
to  facilitate  connexion  with  the  Illinois  Central  by  a  bridge.  Entirely  against  my  own  judgment  and 
plans,  circumstances  compelled  the  sale  of  block  1  instead  of  5,  and  precisely  the  result  which  I  predicted  to 
Mr.  Newberry,  has  come.  The  value  of  the  entire  river  property  has  been  destroyed.  I  would  never  have 
consented  to  the  arrangement,  had  it  not  been  my  purpose  to  tight  the  railroad  in  their  use  of  the  street, 
where  they  had  no  rights,  and  compel  them_to  exchange  with  ine  block  1  for  5  ;  and  west  of  the  latter  they 
could  have  used  it  as  they  pleased.  I  knew  the  whole  city  would  be  with  rae,  because  of  the  immense 
inconvenience  of  constantly  running  of  cars  and  engines  back  ami  forth  across  Clark  and  Wells  streets. 
But  absorption  in  my  reaper  successes,  postponed  attention  to  real  estate. 

*An  explanation,  however,  is  due  to  myself:  In  the  winter  of  1854-5,  the  unvarying  success  leading 
me  to  build  1,200  machines  for  the  ensuing  harvest,  it  seemed  reasonable  to  expect  to  build  3,001} 
machines  for  1856,  and  that  winter  I  employed  a  competent  person  to  purchase  lumber,  mostly  ash.  In 
Ohio.  It  was  carefully  piled  on  docks  at  Conneaut,  Fairport,  etc.,  for  summer  freight,  which  had  previ- 
t  ously  been  $2,  to  S3,  per  M.  The  summer  of  1855,  there  being  no  down  freights,  and  a  vast  amount  of 
railroad  iron  to  come  up,  vessels  asked  S8,  to  $12  for  lumber.    In  October  I  contracted  at  $6.25,  but  the 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  295 

Nothing  of  that  kind  is  herein  proposed,  and  sure  am  I  that  I  shall  not  again  be  so 
caught.  Suffice  it  here  to  say,  that  the  reaper  involved  me  inextricably  in  '57,  and 
has  swept  away  all  my  real-estate,  worth  to-day  half  a  million. 

Some   good   friends,   because    of  past   predictions,    and   from   engaging  in   those  Myplans 
north-side  purchases  which  no  one  else  would  touch,  have  considered  me  at  least  a  "1^;^^ 
little  wild  and  visionary.      But  with  these  explanations  of  motive,  and  of  calculation, 
I  do  not  see  that  I  am  amenable  to  the  charge.      The  purchases  of  those  blocks  were 
too  thoroughly  scrutinized   and   planned  to   be   even   doubtful ;   and  certain  it  is,  I 
was  not  so  elated  with  success  as  to  engage  in  other  operations  of  a  like  character. 
I  was  satisfied  with  the  property  made,  but  wanted  more  income,  and  hence  enGrau-ed, 
not    in    anything    speculative,    but    in    a   regular    staid    business,   that    with    more  ^^'^g 
experienced  aid  in  its  conduct,  would  have  realized  all  my  anticipations. 

So  with  regard  to  predictions.     With   my   knowledge   of  the   west,  and   fondness  Predictions 

for  investigating  all  subjects  bearing  upon  its  prosperity,  I  could  not  but  anticipate  lea.sonable. 

the  results,  as  would  have  others  viewing   from  my  stand  point.     I  could   not  over-  chuscs  of 

look  railroads,  and  in  some   degree  appreciated   their  immense   power  to  develop  a  obom-vitiim. 

country,  and  build  up   great  cities.      In   the   investigations   incident   to  the  writing 

of  several  articles  for  New  York  and  Boston  papers,  in  1848  and  '9,  about  western  Railway 

railroads,  laying  down  five  or  six  roads   that  must   De  built,  I  was  forcibly  struck '^^  "^''"^ '°"^ 

with  the   congruity  of  interest  between  Chicago,  and  the  cities   of  New  York  and  n.  y.  Boston 

Boston,  in  bringing  business  to  the  lakes,  to  make  it  tributary  to  those  cities  and  to  aud  Chi. 

the  intermediate  routes.     I  endeavored  to  demonstrate  the  importance  of  extending  inter^t'"^ 

to  Chicago  the  eastern  lines  of  railroad,  and  thence  argued  that  when  once  they 

reached  here,  competition  would  ensure  the  construction  of  all  paying  roads.      Has  Results 

not  the  result  justified  the  preilictions  ?     True   it  is,  the   competition  and  railroad  ^^^.^^'^  '  ^° 

mania  have  done  for  us  much  more  than   was   anticipated,  but  was  it  not  a  natural 

result  of  interest  that  eastern  capital  should  build  roads  from  here  as  from  no 

other  point?     That  it  has  been  done  is  a  fact,  and   I  see  nothing  visionary  in  the 

predictions. 

Nor  was  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  an  exception.     That  was  regarded  a   wild  ^^^'  ^®?*'  '^° 
1  ,1,.,,.  1  >,  .  o      exception, 

goose    chase;    but   looking   back,   it   seems    a   natural,    reasonable   operation   tor 

Congress,  as  a  great  land  proprietor,  to  have  given  each  alternate  section  of  land 

to  build  a  road  through  a   region  otherwise  inaccessible,  and  then  double  the  price 


vessels  took  railroad  iron  again  at  better  ratea.     Another  contract  was  made  as  soon  as  possible  at   higher  „   ?  ,  . 

figures,  and  two  cargoes  arrived,  but  winter  closing  two  or  three  weeks  earlier  than  usual,  two  cargoes  ofi 

thick  lumber,  and  most  important  to  have  well  seasoned,  were  frozen  up  in  the  St.  Clair  river.     There  2  cargoes 

was  no  seasoned  lumber  of  the  sort  here,  and  mills  were  engaged  in  Indiana  and  Michigan  to  saw  to  bill.     °  ^^    "' 

But  we  cuuld  obtain  none  till  February,  and  then  entirely  green.     Super-heated  steam  kilu-dryers  were 

constructed;   but  being  obliged  to  go  east  in   March,  my  partner,  an  energetic,  driving  man,  but  utterly  Qpegn 

unfitted  to  direct  a  large  business,  would  not  wait  for  the  lumber  to  season,  and  Mr.  Holliugswortb,  the  lumoer  ; 

foreman,  informs  me  that  much  was  put  in  entirely  green.     The  result  was,  of  course,  a  universal  failure  wsea. 

*  .  ^      A  conse- 

under  the  burning  sun  of  harvest.    Payments  had  to  be  put  over,  and  a  cash  outlay  incurred  of  $30  to  SoO  q^gnt 

on  each  machine.     Still,  the  farmers  were  universally  pleased  with  the  machines,  and   the  circular  of  failure.  . 

1857,  showed  stronger  confidence  than  ever,  nothwithstanding  their  difficulties.     Then  in  1857,  and  '58  the 

farmers  had  no  crops  and  could  not  pay;  and  with  the  utter  prostration  of  real-estate,  my  property  was  un^^ble  to 

entirely  swept,  not  paying  my  endorsers,  though  subsequent  advance  in  real-estate  will  save  them  from  pay. 

loss.     Had  the  business  been  kept  up,  as  it  should  have  been,  there  was  property  in  stock  and  reapor  Business 

dues  that  would  have  paid  all.     Besides,  I  had  not  misjudged  as  to  the  superiority  of  self-rakers.     The 

Atkins  was  the  pioneer  in  this  important  improvement,  and  the  patents  could  have  been  made  to  control 

upon  the  essential  point,  the  delivery  by  one  rake  out  of  the  way  of  the  team  on  the  next  round.     Nearly  '''^'•■'"akers 

all  reapers  now  built   are  self-rakers,  and  probably  none  equal  to  the  Atkins.     Every  little  while  I  heur 

of  one  of  the  machines  still  running  and  giving  the  highest  satisfaction  ;  and  with  more  nerve  the  busi-  Business 

ness  would  have  been  saved  and  been  largely  profitable,  and  all  my  debts  have  been  paid  with  small  loss  should   have 

to  any  one.     Th°  dues  to  me  for  reapers  sold  would  have  paid  my  debts  had  the  business  boen  kept  up.        been     saved. 

Having  said  this  much  to  show  that  failure  in  the  business  was   the  result  of  circumstances  beyond  „    , , 

"  No  blame  to 

my  control,  it  is  due  to  my  brothers,  the  endorsing  creditors  m  whose  behalf  the  assignment  was  made,  brothers 

to  add;  that  under  the  pressure  of  the  times,  and  with  this  heavy  load  upon  them,  most  persons  would 

have  endeavored  as  they  did  to  take  care  of  themselves,  without  risking  more  in  a  business  which  had 

not  only  sunk  my  large  property  but  also  heavily  involved  them.    It  is  one  of  the  examples   of  the  Should  have 

UDcertjiinty  of  all  business,  exhibiting  the  wisdom  and  necessity  of  having  some  means  of  family  support  besides 

placed  beyond  such  dangerous  contingencies.  business. 


296 


Local  Advantages  and  City  Expansion. 


Years  of 
labor  for  it. 


of  the  other  sections,  so  that  it  cost  the  Government  nothing.  I  do  not  regret  that 
for  years  I  worked  for  this,  and  spent  three  weeks  at  Washington  when  the  bill  was 
passed.  It  is  one  of  those  visionary  schemes,  resulting  in  such  practical  benefits, 
that  for  one  1  am  proud  to  have  had  a  hand  in  its  accomplishment. 


Opinions  not 
TJsionary 
tlieu  or  now. 


Chi.  safer 
than  ever. 


Business 
changes. 


Others  to 
come. 


Chances 
offering. 


10  per  cent, 
snre. 


Natural 
I  rogress. 
Fnrfhpr 
chances. 

Evidence. 


Revulsions 
may  come. 


All  rif;bt  in 
the  end. 


Opportuni- 
ties great. 


Examples. 


Probably  no  one  would  now  consider  former  opinions  visionary,  even  at 
their  dates  of  expression,  but  reasonable  and  certain  from  my  stand-point. 
So  will  these  be  found  in  the  future.  And  in  my  best  judgment,  according 
to  the  views  most  men  take  of  future  operations,  Chicago  is  to-day  a  safer 
city  to  invest  in  than  ever  hitherto.  More  money  is  now  required,  and 
doubtless  the  per  cent,  of  increase  will  be  less,  especially  upon  inside  prop- 
erty. But  business  which  has  been  almost  wholly  confined  to  South  Water 
and  Lake  Streets,  has  within  only  two  or  three  years  broken  its  old  bounds, 
and  Randolph,  Washington,  and  Madison,  and  the  cross  streets,  have 
advanced  several  hundred  per  cent.  The  same  effect  will  be  seen  on  other 
streets  within  a  few  years.  The  uncertainty  where,  however,  affords  ample 
scope  for  the  exercise  of  judgment.  Very  much  depends  upon  contingencies 
as  well  as  foresight  and  energy,  in  a  city  having  so  many  powerful  influences, 
not  only  old  but  new,  constantly  arising  to  shift  business  centres. 

But  one  thing  a  buyer  may  rest  upon,  that  any  property  bought  at  fair 
value,  will  with  the  rents,  if  rent-paying,  yield  more  than  ten  per  cent,  per 
annum,  exclusive  of  taxes.  If  out-property,  from  which  no  income  can  be 
had,  the  greater  increase  will  more  than  equal  the  rent  of  inside.  The 
natural  growth  of  the  City  insures  this,  and  more.  Besides  this,  a  buyer 
takes  his  chances  for  superior  judgment  or  favoring  circumstances,  and  may 
make  far  more.  It  was  my  intention  here  to  cite  instances  of  both  species 
of  property.  But  they  might  be  regarded  exceptional ;  and  the  assessment 
roll  itself,  p.  288  proves  the  statement  as  to  the  past  to  be  clear  within 
bounds.     "  The  thing  that  hath  been,  it  is  that  which  shall  be." 

Very  possibly,  even  very  certainly,  a  revulsion  from  a  causeless  panic  like 
that  of  1857,  or  from  some  efficient  cause,  like  that  of  1837,  may  come.  If 
so,  it  will  surely  send  down  values  as  then,  for  we  still  lack  capital  very 
greatly,  and  use  credit  so  extensively,  that  its  injury  works  financial  ruin. 
But,  as  several  times  repeated,  the  man  who  is  able  to  hold  his  real  estate, 
will  soon  find  old  values  returning,  together  with  good  profits.  No  property 
on  earth  is  salbi  than  Chicago  lots. 

Small  buyers  can  do  well,  better  than  in  almost  any  other  cityj  but  to 
large  capitalists,  or  to  those  who  would  make  a  combination,  and  engage 
energetically  in  improvements,  no  other  city  offers  equal  inducements. 
Consider  the  field  offering  in  that  enterprise  of  the  north-side  Dock  Com- 
pany ;  such  another  as  the  South  Branch  Canal  Company ;  Mr.  Potter 
Palmer's  improvement  of  State  Street,  any  and  all  of  which  can  and  will 
be  repeated,  if  equally  sagacious,  energetic  men,  control  the  property.     Then 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  297 

we  need  a  large  cemetery  ;*  and  tlic  field  of  operations  in  suburban  property 

is  almost  coextensive  with  the  prairie.     Because  of  the  constant  fluctuations,  Chance  for 

,   ,  ,  smart  men — 

contingencies  always  arising  upon  which  no  one  can  calculate,  the  far-sighted 

and  industrious  have  unusual  opportunities. 

Nor  is  it  indispensable  that  a  capitalist  should  be  a  resident  to  avail  him-— f'""  non- 
residents, 
self  of  some  of  these   opportunities.     /Vssuredly,  a  man  here  who  has  full 

knowledge  of  the  City  aad  watches  his  opportunity,  and  has  funds  to  avail 

himself  of  the  necessities  of  others,  or  of  other   occurring  changes,  has  an 

important  advantage.     But  by  a  liberal  commission,  or  what  is  better,  giving  P'^y^tieraiiy 

the  agent  an  interest  in  profits,  very  profitable  operations  can  be  made.     The 

man  underrates  Chicago  shrewdness  who  supposes   he   is  smart  enough  to 

come  here  and  pick  out  the  best  bargains,  and  take  them  away  from  our  ^j^",.\  ^^  ^° 

own  operators. 

The  liberal  soul  shall  be  made  fat :  p^^,  ^^.  ^^ 

And  he  that  watereth  shall  be  watered  also  himself, — 

will  be  found  true  in  this  regard  as  in  higher  interests.     It  needs  no  argu- 
ment  to  prove  that  any  non-resident  can  anord  to  give  largely  of  profits  to  good. 
secure  the  best  efforts  of  competent  agents ;  and  none  more  competent  or 
more  honest  can  be   found   anywhere.     But  if  they  can   honestly  make  a  But  wm 
good  trade  either  to  buy  or  sell,  they  will  surely  do  it,  or  they  would  not  be  bargain. 
such  agents  as  you  would  desire ;  and  how  can  the  non-resident  obtain  their 
bes-t  services  except  by  making  it  for  their  interest  ? 

Some  of  these  Citizens  are  selfish   enough   to  wish  to  keep  all  profits  to  ^"P^^^^g 
themselves.     They  consider  it  a  direct  loss   to  the   City  for  non-residents  to  selfish. 
become  our  land-holders.     But  these  very  prudent,  sag'acious  calculators  may  au  helpers 
remember   with    advantage,  that   active   enterprise    in   behalf  of  Chicago, 
depends    not  upon   residence  here.     How  many  of  our   chief  land-owners 
have  done  as  much  for  their  own  City,  as  Mr.  Charles  Butler  of  New  York,  ^^r-   Butler. 
Mr.  Nathaniel  Thayer  of  Boston,  Mr.  Joseph  E.   Sheffield  of    New  Haven,  J,^''- J^*^''"- 

.  Mr.  Sheffield 

Mr.  Erastus   Corning  of  Albany  ?     No  doubt  public  interests  and  profits  Mr.  Coming, 
otherwise   influenced  them;  yet,  has  not  their  interest  in  Chicago  property 
itself  stimulated  somewhat  to  their  efibrtg  in  behalf  of  our  railways  and 
other  public  improvements  ?     These  were  among  the   pioneers   in  creating 
the  mammoth  system  of  inter-communication  now  centering  here.     Who  of 


*It  is  no  disparagement  to  the  enterprising  persons  who  saw  the  injudicious  location  of  the  cemetery  Present 

to  be  now  converted  into  Lincoln  Park,  and  gave  us  Rose  Hill  and  Graceland,  to  say  that  they  are  totally  cemeteries 

inadequate  to  the  necessities  of  our  future  City.     Nor  are  they  judiciously  located.     All   the  lake  shore 

is  wanted  for  residences,  and  the  property  contiguous   to  a  cemetery  is  largely  reduced  in  value.     The 

best  location  we  have  is  northwest  of  the  City,  where  a  railroad  will  run  by  the  time  the  land  could  be  ^^^    wanted 

N   W 
put  in  condition.    Sections  23  and  29,  32,  and  33,  of  T.  40,  R.  13,  would  be  very  desirable,  and  somewhere     ' 

in  that  vicinity  land  should   be  bought  for  the  purpose  and   a  charter  obtained.    The  Journal  truly 

observes,  p.  278  that  the  Citizens  give  attention  to  cemetery  adornment.    But  to  obtain  this  effectually.  Must  have 

we  must  know  that  the  cemetery  is  so  located  as  to  be  permanent,  never  to  he  interfered  with  by  the  one  large  and 

growth  of  the  City.     Upon  all  these  important  public  concerns  we  can  now  plan  with  certainty  for  the  ^®^™*'^^ 

future  city  sure  to  be  here;  and  failing  to  do  this  are  we  not  derelict  in  duty? 


298  Local  Advantages  and  Cily  Expansion. 

What  prum- these  selfisli  grumblers  have  doue  as  much,  or  ever  will  do  as  much  for  this 

8o*mudi'>''""  City,  as  either  one  of  these  gentlemen,  or  twenty  other  non-residents  who 

i-notasiure  could  be  named  ?     Is  it  unreasonable  that  they  should   have  a  small  share 

thoirdue?     j^  ^i^^  wealth  their  liberality  and  enterprise  has  generated,  the  enhancement 

of  the  real   estate  which  their  own  railroads .  have  created,  and  compared 

with  which  their  railway  profits    are  insignificant  ?     Let  these  grumblers 

.,     ,.,       consider  the  proverb  above.     No  city  has  more  to  gain  from  faithful   prac- 

Tjiborality  -i- 

onr  interest,  ^jgg  ^f  ^\y^i^  liberality;  none  more  to   lose  from  its  'disregard,  and  Infinite 
Wisdom   o-ave  it  equally  to   guide  our  conduct  in  pecuniary  as  in  spiritual 
concerns. 
Q.resident      Practicing  this  principle,  then,  should  we  not  be  glad  to  have  those  non- 
[""{rve  a"^°  residents  have  some  of  the  lots,  who  with  no  proprietorship  in  the  soil  have  yet 
^^^^-  contributed  the  means  to  build  our  canal  aad  railways  ?     No  matter  that 

they  did  it  because  the  investment  promised  well.     The   same  motive  actu- 
ated the  curmudgeon  to  buy  his  lot,  who   makes  a  fortune  by  sitting  lazily 
on  his  haunches;  while  the  railway  investor  makes  his   pittance.     Besides, 
Moreroads    we  have  more  railways  to  build.     It  would   seem  that  only  about  two-thirds 
as  many  more  roads  can  ever  be  built  direct  from  Chicago,  as  have  been  in 
the  last  fifteen  or  sixteen  years.     But  each  one  of  the  present  fifteen,  and 
Thev  win     then  the  ten  more,  will  for  years  want  extension  and  branches.     The  trunk 
P*^'"  lines  will  nearly  every  one  be  good   paying  roads ;  and  if  so,  what  must  be 

the  business  they  will  pour  into  Chicago  ?  What  must  be  the  effect  upon 
Further  its  real  estate  ?  Will  it  not  stimulate  stock-taking  and  railway-building, 
own  ChUots. that  wealthy  capitalists  who  for  good  and  abundant  reasons  prefer  residence 

elsewhere,  should  own  a  good  slice  of  Chicago  property  ? 
Non-resi-  -^^^  ^^J  argue  against  the  bootless   notions   of  these  niggardly   churls  ? 

mo-e%han     D'Jzous  of  non-rcsideuts  could  be  named  who  are  fairly  entitled  to  more  of 
citizens.       ^j^g  profits  on  the  realty  of  Chicago,  than  any  equal  number  of  land  holders; 
and  it  is  the  literal  truth,  that  except  Hon.  W.  B.  Ogden,  no  Citizen  has 
Hon  J  F      drawn  capital  for  our  railway   system  equally  with  Hon.  James   F.  Joy,  of 
Joy's  aid.      Detroit,   who  I  believe  owns  not  a   dollar's  worth    of  Chicago   property. 
ManaKoment  The  Chicago,  Burlington   &  Quincy   Railroad,  a  combination  of  different 
road'i    "      "enterprises,  has  had  steady  conduct  without  the  ups  and  downs  which  char- 
acterize  most  railways,  exhibiting  fairly  what   can  be  doue  with  Chicago 
roads  honestly  built  and  managed,  and  duly  regarding  public  interests  and 
If  stockhoid- those  of  stockholders.     All  railroads  are  not  managed  for  the  stockholders, 
cOTsmake.    and  many  have  to  find  satisfaction  in  the  knowledge,  that  if  they  make  less, 

their  officers  make  more. 
Kaiiwajnipn  Doubtlcss  somo  of  thosc  railway  owners  will  take  this  view  of  the  case 
iote.°^  '"■  and  agree  that  the  time  has  fully  come  for  them  to  obtain  an  interest  in 
Varioas  Chicago  property.  Some  will  prefer  to  buy  independently  and  own  sepa- 
rately. Others  will  see  that  associated  capital  has  equal  advantages  in  land 
Compankts  Operations  as  any  other,  and  is  even  more  desirable.  A  great  public 
improvement  like  that  north -side  Dock  Company,  can  only  be   prosecuted 


ncceosary. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Cliicago  Investments.  299 

under  a  charter,  because  there  must  be  a  combination,  and  prudent  men, 
however  willing  to  take  a  known  amount  of  risk,  will  not  involve  themselves 
iadefiuitely.     Only  by  companies,  too,  can  suburban  property  be  judiciously 
laid  oft'  and  improved  in  a   large  body.     Individual  owners  will   not  agree, 
and  their  interests  must  be   committed   to  a  directory.     Notwithstanding  Suburbs 
both  public  and  individual  advantages  in  the  proper  planning  of  the  suburbs,  prov«a"with- 
we  shall  go  on  indefinitely  making  our  additions  with  none  but  straight""     '^'"' 
streets,  until  companies  are  organized  for  the  purpose.     With  a  capital  of  Most  profit- 
only  a  million  or  two,  a  company  would  have  strength  and  make  vastly* 
greater  profits  than  individuals,  while  at  the  same  time  accomplishing  pub- 
lic benefits  which  are  beyond  the  reach  of  single  eff"orts. 

A  company  of  this  kind  offers  important  advantages  to  non-residents  iu  J^est  for  non- 
particular,  provided  they  can  be  sure  of  competent  and  honest  managers 
They  will  be  relieved  of  the  difficulty  and  labor  of  individual  purchases ;  Advantages 
will  be  certain  to  have  the  average  growth  of  the  City,  probably  more  in 
the  first  enterprises;  can  make  transfer  by  assignment  of  stock  certificate; 
can  convert  it  easier  into  cash  upon  necessity ;  and  have  no  risk  from  war- 
ranty of  title. 

Taking  this  view  of  the   case,   the   charter   was  obtained   in    1861,  as  Charter  of 
noticed  pp.  13,  and  287.     Although  it  has  lain  idle,  it  has  not  been  from  Co."     ™^' 
want  of  appreciation    or    confidence,  but  on   account  of  other  occupation 
from  a  sense  of  duty.*     My  fear   has   been  constantly  that   some  one  would 
engage  in  a  similar  project,  yet  no  one  has.     Property  is  rapidly  advancing  Time  to useit 
and  will   probably  never  be  lower,  and  no  time  should  be  lost  in  organiz- 
ing and  purchasing  the  land.     But  we  have  no  spare  capital  for  such  an  capital  from 
enterprise,   and   my   hope   is  that  some  readers   abroad   will   percieve  the*  '^°^  ' 
reasonableness  and   certainty  of  the   project,  and  make   due  inquiries  and 
become  shareholders.     The  inauguration  of  one  such  will   be   speedily  fol-  one  brings 
lowed  by  others,  as  soon  as  chartei's  can  be  obtained;   and   the  quicker  the 
better  both  for  shareholders  and  the  City. 

This  long  topic,  however,  should  be  ended.     The  ownership  of    Chicago  To  own  cw. 
lands  or  lots,  must  be  conceded  to  be  be  a  chief  and  abundantly  satisfactory  advantage. 
Local  Advantage,  by  whatsoever  means  attained.     The  non-resident  who  has  Neglect  of 
information  and  fails  to  employ  some  means  or  other  to  obtain   more  or   less  dentrinjudi- 
of  Chicago  property,  commits  a  blunder  which  he  will  regret  in   less  than  *^'°'^^~ 


*  A  plan  was  prepared  immediately  after  obtaining  the  charter,  which  contains   some  novel  featuies  ggrne  fea- 

without  complication.     An  annual  dividend  is  to  be  declared  out  of  the  profits  (there  will  be  nunc  for  a  tures  of  my 

year  or  two,)  which  the  shareholder  can  draw  in  cash  or  scrip,  the  latter  beiug   convertible  into  stock  ;  Co. 

for  the  capital,  as  sales  are   made,     will  be  constai.tly  invested  in  contiguous  property  and  put  under  Dividend 

improvement.     Unless  needed,  the  dividends  will  always  be  taken  in  scrip.     I  shall  be  bound  to  give  my  optional. 

undivided  attention  to  the  Company,  and  make  no  purchase  except  for  it.    The  plan  in  substance  is  t  o  Efforts  cquiy- 

offset  my  charter  and  experience  against  capital.    If  any  think  my  services  are  put  too  high,  let  them  alent  to 

look  into  the  plan.    Those  who  prefer  to  take  20  per   cent,  per  annum  on  their  stock  can  have   the  capital. 

•.U  per  cent, 
option,  and  I  take  the  balmce.    If  a  project  can  be  offered   that  is  absolutely  safe,  with  a  reasonable  ngj-  annum. 

prospect  of  such  a  profit  for  a  terra  of  years,  am  I  not  entitled  to  an  equal  share? 


300 


—of  residents 
criminal. 


Other  topics 
touclungtliis 


Points  al- 
ready estab- 
lish certainty 


Others  to 
judge  of  mag- 
nitude. 


Internal 
trade — its 
power. 
Material  sup- 
plied by 
othei'3. 


This  from  an 
Ohiuan. 


Age  im- 
proves qual- 
ity. 


Internal 
Trade  of  U.S. 


Local  Advantages  and  City  Expansion. 

ten  years  ;  but  the  resident  who  can  possibly  do  this,  even  in  a  small  degree, 
and  labors  year  after  year  to  build  up  the  City  with  no  recompense  but  his 
regular  business,  grievously  wrongs  himself  and  family. 

But  to  appreciate  the  immense  Local  Advantage  of  owning  Chicago 
lands  and  lots,  some  further  topics  must  be  carefully  considered.  We  have 
seen,  it  is  true,  that  the  matchless  facilities  of  inter-communication,  by 
lakes  railways,  canal  and  rivers ;  the  unequaled  progress  hitherto ;  the 
firm  establishment  of  commerce;  the  marvelous  growth  of  manufactures ; 
the  conjunction  of  minerals,  with  cheap  food  and  lumber;  and  now  these 
local  advantages,  all  combine  to  assure  a  certain  and  rapid  growth,  and 
consequently  entire  safety  in  the  real  estate.  But  there  are  still  other  con- 
siderations which  not  only  confirm  both  as  to  rapidity  and  certainty,  but 
also  aff"ord  satisfactory  means  to  judge  of  the  magnitude  of  growth.  Upon 
this  important  point,  let  us  first  consider, — 

Power  of  the  Internal  Trade  to  Build  up  Great  Cities. 

It  will  be  admitted,  that  except  to  devise  the  plan  of  discussion,  which 
naturally  presented  itself,  my  chief  labor  has  been  to  arrange  the  abundant 
material.  Under  this  topic,  original  views  would  be  out  of  place  ;  for  Mr. 
J.  W.  Scott,  the  widely  known  Editor  of  the  Toledo  (Ohio)  Blade,  has  too 
fully  discussed  it  for  me  to  add  to  the  argument.  Not  only  so,  but  the 
quarter  of  a  century  which  has  intervened  since  the  papers  were  published  in 
Unnt's  3Ier chants'  Magazine  (1843,)  has  brought  to  maturity  this  pure  tl'nth, 
as  the  same  time  would  the  pure  juice  of  the  grape  or  of  rye.  The  three 
papers  should  be  given  entire,  did  room  permit. 

INTERNAL  TRADE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES, 

By  J.  W.  Scott,  of  Toledo,  Ohio. 


Population 
hitherto  on 
Bea/-board. 


Imagined 
superiority 
of  foreign 
commerce. 


Internal 
trade  not 
realized. 


Annual 
eaniliins 
$1 ,500,000,- 
OOO. 


Almost  up  to  the  present  time,  the  whole  weight  of  population  in  the  United 
States  lias  lain  along  the  Atlantic  on  shore,  and  near  its  tide  waters,  and  a  great 
proportion  of  their  wealth  was  connected  with  foreign  commerce,  carried  on 
hroiigh  their  seaports.  These  being  at  once  the  centres  of  domestic  and  foreign 
trade,  grew  rapidly,  and  constituted  all  the  large  towns  of  the  country.  The  infer- 
ence was  thence  drawn,  that  as  our  towns  of  greatest  size  were  connected  with 
foreign  commerce,  this  constituted  the  chief,  if  not  the  only  source  of  wealth,  and 
that  large  cities  could  grow  up  nowhere  but  on  the  shores  of  the  salt  sea.  Such 
has  been  the  experience  of  our  people,  and  the  opinion  founded  on  it  has  been 
pertinaciously  adhered  to,  notwithstanding  the  situation  of  the  country  in  regard 
to  trade  and  commerce  has  essentially  altered.  It  seems  not,  until  lately,  to  have 
entered  the  minds  even  of  well-informed  statesmen,  that  the  internal  trade  of  this 
country  has  become  far  more  extensive,  important,  and  profitable,  than  its  foreign 
commerce.  In  what  ratio  the  former  exceeds  the  latter,  it  is  impossible  to  state 
with  exactness.  We  may,  however,  approximate  the  truth  near  enough  to  illustrate 
our  subject. 

The  annual  production  of  Massachusetts  has  been  ascertained  to  be  of  the  value 
of  $11)0,000,000.  If  the  industry  of  the  whole  nation  were  equally  proiluctive,  its 
yearly  value  would  be  about  $2,300,000,000;  but,  as  we  know  that  capital  is  not  so 
abundantly  united  with  labor  in  other  states,  it  would  be  an  over-estimate  to  make 
that  state  the  basis  of  a  calculation  for  the  whole  country.  $1,500,000,000  is  prob- 
ably near  the  actual  amount  of  our  yearly  earnings.  Of  this,  there  may  be 
$500,000,000  consumed  and  used  where  it  is  earned,  without  being  exchanged.     The 


Paat^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  301 

balance,    being  $1,000,000,000,  constitutes    the    subjects    of    exchange,   and    the  Tri(lo$l,000,- 
articles  that  make  up   the  domestic    trade   and  foreign  commerce  of  the  United  oooooo. 
States.     The  value    of   those    which   enter  into   our  foreign  commerce  is,   on    an  Foreign 
average  about  $100,000,000.     The  average  domestic  exports  of  the  years  1841   and  f '""-O'^-Ooo. 
1842,  is  $09,470,000.     There  will  then  remain  $900,000,000,  or  nine-tenths,  for  our  pomostic 
internal  trade,      [jupposing,  then,  some  of  our  towns  to    be  adapted  only  to  foreign  S9on,ooo,00O. 
commerce,  and  others  as  exclusively  fitted    for  domestic    trade  ;   the   latter,  in    our 
country,  would  have  nine  times  as  much  business  as  the  former,  and  should,  in  con-  Internal 
sequence,  be  nine  times  as  large.     Although  we  have  no  great  towns  that  do  not,  in  *"y|j';,'^^l°e|' 
some  degree,  participate  in  both  foreign  and  domestic   trade,  yet  we  have  those 
whose  situations  particularly  adapt  them  to  tlie  one  or  the  other;  and  we  wish  it 
constantly  borne  in  mind,  that  an  adaptation  to  internal  trade,  other  things  being 
equal,  is  worth  nine  times  as  much   to  a  town  as  an  adaptation   in  an   equal   degree 
to  foreign  commerce.     It  may  be  said,  and  with  truth,  that  our  great  seaports  have 
manifest  advantases  for  domestic,  as  well  as  foreign  commerce.     Since  the  peace  of  Coast  trade  5 
Europe  left  every  nation  free  to  use  its  own  navigation,  the  trade  of  our  Atlantic  tunes  greater 
coast  has   probably  been  five  times    greater   than   that  carried    on    with    foreign  fy,'.„i,rn. 
nations ;  as  the  coasting  tonnage  has   exceeded   the  foreign,  and  the  number  of 
voyages  of  the  former  can  scarcely  be  less  than  five  to  one  of  the  latter. 

Now,  what  is  tlie  extent  and  quality   of  that  coast,  compared  with   the  navigable  Ocean  and 
river  and  lake  coasts  of  the  North  American  valley  ?     From  the  mouth  of  the   St.  i"'^^°j|  °*^; 
Croix  to   Sandyhook,  the  soil,  though  hard   and  comparatively   barren,  is  so  well  ^^.Ted. 
cultivated  as  to  furnish   no  inconsiderable  amount  of  products  for  internal   trade,  gt.  croix  to 
In  extent,   including  bays,  inlets,  and  both  shores  of  navigable  rivers,  and  exclud-  Sandyhook. 
ing  the  sand   beach  known  as  Cape  Cod,  this  coast  may  be  estimated  at  900  miles. 
From  Sandyhook  to  Norfolk,  including  both  shores  of  Delaware  and  Chespeake  _to  Nor. 
bays,  and  their  navigable  inlets,  and  excluding  the  barren  shore  to  Cape  May,  the  folk- 
coast  may  be  computed  at  900  miles  more.     And  from  Norfolk  to  the   Sabine,  there  —to  the 
is  a  barren  coast  of  upwards  of  2,000  miles,  bordered  most  of  the  way  by  a  sandy  Sabme— 
desert  extending  inland  on  an  average  of  80  or  90  miles.     Over  this  desert  must  be 
transported  most  of  the  produce  and  merchandise,  the  transit  and   exchange  of 
which,    constitute  the  trade  of  this  part    of    the    coast.     This   barrier  of    nature 
must  lessen  its  trade  at  least  one  half.     It  will  be  a  liberal  allowance  to   say,  that 
4,000  miles  of  accessible  coast  are  afforded  to   our  vessels   by  the  Atlantic  Ocean  — 4000 
and  Gulf  of  Mexico.     Of  this  only  about  2,500  miles,  from   Passamaquoddy  to  St.  '"''<''^- 
Marys,  can  be  said  to  have  contributed  much,  until  recently,  to  the  building  of  our  2.500  miles 
Atlantic  cities.     To  the  trade  of  this  coast,  then,  are  we  to  attribute  five-sixths  of  ^j^g'^j^f^^tic 
the   growth  and  business,  previous  to  the  opening  of  the  Erie  canal,  of  Portland,  cities. 
Salem,    Boston.    Providence,    New    York,    Albany,    Troy,    Philadelphia,    Baltimore, 
Washington,  Richmond,  Norfolk,  Charleston,  Savannah,  and  several  other  towns  of 
less  importance.     Perhaps,  it  will  be  said,  that  foreign  trade  is  more  profitable  in  Pomestic 
proportion   to  its  amount,  than  domestic.     But  is  this  likely  ?     Will  not  a  New  York  *™,p''j,J'"^*" 
merchant  be  as  apt  to  make  a  profitable  bargain  with  a  Carolinian,  as  with  an  English-  foreign. 
man  of  Lancashire?     Or,  is  it  an  advantage  to  trade,  to  have  the  wide  obstacle  of 
the  Atlantic  in  its  way  ?     Do  distance  and  difficulty,  and  risk  and  danger,  tend  to 
promote  commercial  intercourse  and  profitable  trade  ?     If  so,  the  AUeganies  are  a 
singular  blessing  to  the  commercial  men  living  on  their  western  slope.     Some  think 
that  it  is  the  foreign  commerce  that  brings  all  the  wealth  to  the  country,  and   sets 
in  motion  most  of  the  domestic  trade.     At  best,  however,  we  can  only  receive  by  it 
imported  values,  in  exchange  for  values  exported,  and  those  values  must  first  be 
created  at  home.     [The  different  effect  of  foreign  and  domestic  trade  are  considered,  Other  points 
showing  that  we  export  necessaries  and  import  luxuries,  which  is  not  condemned,  consueic  . 
but  the  point  is   made,  that  if  they  were   our  own  products  the  commerce  would 
have  equal  value.     Then  the  error  is  controverted,  of  "  attributing  the  rapid  increase 
of  wealth  in  commercial  nations  to  foreign  commerce."] 

Will  it  be  said  that,  admitting  the  chief  agency  in  building  up  great  cities  to  In  internal 
belong  to  internal  industry  and  trade,  it  remains  to  be  proved  that  New  York  and  (^'^'f,"'},^^,^ 
the  other  great  Atlantic  cities  will  feel  less  of  the  beneficial  effects  of  this  agency  aavantuso 
than  Cincinnati  and  her  western  sisters  ?     It  does  not  appear  to  us   difficult  to  sus-  over  N.  Y.  ? 
tain  by  facts  and  reasoning,  the  superior  claims  in  this  respect  of  our  western 
towns.    It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  that  the  North  American  valley  embraces  the  Variety  of 
climate,  soils,  and  minerals,  usually  found  distributed  among  many  nations.     From  ourpruducta. 
the   northern  shores   of  the  upper  lakes,  and  the   highest  navigable   points  of  the 
Mississippi  and  Missouri  rivers,  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  nearly  all  the  agricultural 


302  Poioer  of  Internal  Trade  to  Build  up   Great   Cities. 

articles  which  contribute  to  the  enjoyment  of  civilized  man,  are  now,  or  may  bo 
A  •  It  r  1  produced  in  profusion.  The  north  will  send  to  the  south,  grain,  flour,  provisions, 
exchanges*  including  the  delicate  fish  of  the  lakes,  and  the  fruits  of  a  temperate  clime,  in 
North  and  exchano-e  for  the  sugar,  rice,  cotton,  tobacco,  and  the  fruits  of  the  warm  south. 
South.  These  are  but  a  few  of  the  articles,  the  produce  of  the  soil,  which  will  be  the  sub- 

.Aiinerii  j^cts  of  Commerce  in  this  valley.  Of  mineral  productions,  which  at  no  distant 
products.  day,  will  tend  to  swell  the  tide  of  internal  commerce,  it  will  suffice  to  mention 
Will  ex  coal,  iron,  salt,  lead,  lime,  and  marble.  Will  Boston,  or  New  York,  or  Baltimore, 
change  be  Qp  New  Orleans,  be  the  point  selected  for  the  intercliange  of  these  products  1  Or 
""  •^"land'?'^'^  shall  we  choose  some  convenient  central  points  on  river  and  lake  for  the  theatres 
of  these  exchanges?  Some  persons  may  be  found,  perhaps,  who  will  claim  this 
for  New  Orleans  ;  but  the  experience  of  the  past,  more  than  the  reason  of  the 
\  a  and  t'liiigi  will  not  bear  them  out.  Cincinnati  has  now  more  white  inhabitants  than 
cin. "  that  outport,  although  her  first  street  was  laid  out,  and  her  first  log-house  raised 

lone  after  New  Orleans  had  been  known  as  an  important  place  of  trade,  and  had 
already  become  a  considerable  city. 
Valley  have  It  is  imagined  by  some,  that  the  destiny  of  this  valley  has  fixed  .it  down  to  almost 
something  exclusive  pursuits  of  agriculture,  ignorant  that,  as  a  general  rule  in  all  ages 
iipsideagri-  ^^  ^^^  world  and  in  all  countries,  the  mouths  go  to  the  food,  and  not  the  food  to 
^Dr^^Chalm-  the  mouths.  Dr.  Chalmers  says:  "The  bulkiness  of  food  forms  one  of  those 
crs.  forces  in  the  economic   machine,  which  ends  to   equalize  the  population  of  every 

land  with  the  products   of  its  own  agriculture.     It  does  not  restrain  dispropor- 
tion and    excess   in   all    cases ;    but  in  every   large  state  it   will  be  found,    that 
wherever  an  excess  obtains,  it  forms  but  a  very  small  fraction  of  the  whole  popu- 
Agriculture  lation.     Each  trade  must   have   an  agricultural    basis  to  rest  upon ;  for  in  every 
the  basis.      process  of  industry  the  first  and  greatest  necessity  is,  that  the  workmen  shall  be 
fed."     Again:    "Generally  speaking,   the    excrescent   (the   population,    over    and 
above   that   which  the    country    can   feed,)  bears   a   very    minute    proportion   to 
the  natural  population  of  a  country;   and  almost  nowhere  does  the  commerce   of 
a  nation   overleap,  but  by  a  very  little  way,   the  basis   of  its  own  agriculture." 
Error  of        The  Atlantic  states,  and  particularly  those   of  New   England,  claim  that   they  are 
New  Eng-      to  become  the  seats  of  the   manufactures  with  which  the  West  is  to   be  supplied  ; 
land.  ji^j^^  mechanics,  and  artisans,  and  manufacturers,  are  not  to  select  for  their  place 

of  business,  the  region   in  which  the  means  of  living  are  most  abundant  and  tlieir 
manufactured  articles   in  greatest  demand,  but  the  section  which  is  most  deficient 
in  those  means,  and  to  which  their  food  and  fuel  must,  during  their  lives,  be  trans- 
ported hundreds  of  miles  and  the  products  of  their  labor   be  sent  back  the  -same 
long  road  for  a  market. 
Population         I^^^''  ^^^^  claim  is  neither  sanctioned  bj'  reason,  authority,  nor  experience.     The 
not  over  10  mere  statement  exhibits  it  as   unreasonable.     Dr.    Chalmers    maintains,   that  the 
percent.        excrescent  population  could  not,  in  Britain  even,  with  a  free  trade  in  bread-stufiFs, 
'    exceed  one-tenth  of  all  the  inhabitants  ;  and  Britain,  be  it  remembered,  is  nearer 
the  granaries  of  the  Baltic  than  is  New  England  to  the  food-exporting  portions  of 
our  valley,  and  she  has,  also,  greatly  the  advantage  in  the  diminished   expense  of 
New  En<^-      transportation.     But  the  eastern  manufacturing  states  have  already  nearly,  if  not 
land  nearly    quite,  attained  to  the  maximum  ratio  of  excrescent  population,  and   cannot,  there- 
reached  this,  fore,   greatly  augment   their  manufactures   without  a  correspondent  increase   in 

agricultural  production. 

Agriculture       Most  countries,  distinguished   for  manufactures,   have  laid  the  foundation  in  a 

the  basis  of  highly  improved  agriculture.     England,  the  north  of  France,  and    Belgium,    have 

prosperity,     g^  more  productive  husbandry  than  any  other  region  of  the  same  extent.     In  these 

same  countries  are  also  to  be  found  the  most  efficient  and  extensive  manufacturing 

establishments  of  the  whole  world  ;  and   it  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  abundance  of 

food  was  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  setting  them  in  motion.     How  is  it  that  a  like 

To  be  so        cause  operating  here,  will  not  produce  a  like  effect?     Have  we  not,  in  addition  to 

here.  our  prolific  agriculture,  as  many,  and  as  great  natural  aids  for  manufacturing,  as 

any  other  country  ?     Are  we  deficient  in  water-power  ?     [The  abundanca  of  this  is 

shown,  and  also  of  coal  for  steam-power.] 

Food  brings       ^^i'^I  laborers  be  wanting?     Where  food  is  abundant  and  cheap,  there  cannot  long 

cheap  labor,  be-a  deficiency  of  laborers.     What  brought  our  ancestors  (with  the  exception  of  the 

few  who  fled  from  persecution)  from  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  but  the  great 

Cause  abundance  of  the  means   of  subsistence  on  this   side  ?     What  other  cause  has  so 

hitherto.        strongly  operated  in  bringing  to  our  valley  the  10,000,000  or  11,000,000  who  now 

inhabit  it  ?     The  cause  continuing  will  the  effect  cease  ?     While  land  of  unsurpassed 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  303 

fertility  remains  to  be  purchased,  at  a  low  rate,  and  the  increase  of  agriculture  in 
the  AVest  keeps  down  the  relative  price  of  food;  and  while  the  population  of  the  Must  con- 
old  countries  of  Europe,  and  the  old  states  of  our  confederacy  is  so  augmenting  "■"'^' 
as  to  straiten  more  and  more  the  means  of  living  at  home,  and  at  the  same  time, 
the  means  of  removing  from  one  to  the  other  are  every  year  rendering  it  cheaper, 
easier  and  more  speedy  ;  and   while,  moreover,  the  new  states,  in  addition  to  the 
inducement  of  cheaper  food,  now  offer  a   country   with  facilities  of   intercourse 
among  themselves   greatly   improved,    and    with    institutions   civil,    political,    and 
religious,  already  established  and  flourishing — are    farmers,   and    mechanics,   and  Best  settlers 
manufacturers — the   young,    the    active,   and    enterprising   no    longer   to  be   seen  P'^}''"  ■°*°_ 
pouring   into    this  exuberant  valley  and    marking  it   with  the    impress   of   their 
victorious  industry,  as  in  times   past?     [Growth  of  New  York  is  then  considered, 
and  the  immense  river  navigation  of  the  West.] 

But  our  interior  cities  will  not  depend  for  their  development  altogether  on  inter-  Interior 
nal  trade.     They  will  partake,  in  some  degree,  with  their  Atlantic  sisters   of  the '^''"^'' !.°'^?'*'® 
foreign  commerce  also;  and  if,  as  some  seem  to  suppose,  the  profits  of  commerce  trade, 
increase  with  the  distance  at  which  it  is  carried  on,  and  the  difficulties  which  nature 
has  thrown  in  its  way,  the  western  towns  will  have  the  same  advantage  over  their 
eastern  rivals  in  foreign  commerce,  which  some  claim  for  the  latter  over  the  former 
in  our  domestic  trade.     Cincinnati  and  her  lake  rivals,  may  use  the  outports  of  Atlantic  out- 
New  Orleans  and  New  York,  as  Paris  and  Vienna  use  those  of  Havre  and  Trieste ;  P™'^- 
and  it  will  surely  one  day  come  to  pass,  that  the   steamers  from  Europe  will   enter 
our  great  lakes,  and  be  seen  booming  up  the  Mississippi. 

To  add  strength  and  conclusiveness   to  the  above  facts  and  deductions,  do   our  Large  cities 
readers  ask  for   examples  ?     They  are  at  hand.     The  first  city  of  which  we  have  inland. 
any  record  is  Nineveh,   situated  on  the   Tigris,  net  less  than  700  miles  from   its  Nineveh, 
mouth.     Babylon,  built  not  long  after,  was  also  situated  far  in  the  interior,  on  the  Babylon. 
Euphrates.     Most  of  the  great  cities  of  antiquity,  some  of  which  were  of  immense 
extent,  were  situated  in    the  interior,  and  chiefly  in  the  valleys  of  large  rivers, 
meandering  through  rich  alluvial  territories.     Such  were  Thebes,  Memphis,  Ptole- Thebes,    etc. 
mais.     Of  the  cities    now  known  as  leading  centres  of  commerce,  a  large  majority 
have  been  built  almost  exclusively  by  domestic  trade.     "What  country  has  so  maoy  Chinese 
great  cities  as  Cliina,  a  country  until  lately,  nearly  destitute  of  foreign  commerce  ?  cities. 

To  bring  the  comparison  home  to  our  readers,   we  "here  put  down,  side  by  side.  Comparison 
the  outports  and  interior  towns  of  the  world  having  each  a  population  of  50,000  "f  outports 
and  upwards.     It  should,   however,  be  kept  in  mind,  that  many  of  the  great  sea- " 
ports  have  been  built,  and  are  now  sustained,  mainly  by  the  trade  of  the  nations 
respectively  in  which  they   are  situated.     Even  London,   the  greatest  mart  in  the  London, 
world,  is  believed  to  derive  much  the  greatest  part  of  the  support  of  its  vast  popu- 
lation from  its  trade  with  the  United  Kingdom.     [The  table  of  67  outports,  and  142  Tai)ie 
interior  cities,  the  chief  of  the  world,  is  omitted.]  omitted. 

If  it  be  said    that  the  discoveries  of  the  polarity  of  the  magnetic   needle,  the  if  invention 
Continent  of  America,   and  a   water    passage  to  India   around  the  Cape  of  Good  ^'^^j^'^ 
Hope,  have  changed  the  character  of  foreign  commerce,   and  greatly  augmented 
the  advantages  of  the  cities  engaged  in  it,  it  may  be  replied,  that  the  introduction 
of  steam   in  coast  and  river  navigation;  and  of  canals  and  railroads,  and  McAdum  — it  ^ilso 
roads,  all  tending  to  bring  into  rapid  and  cheap  communication  the  distant  parts  of  t^. Vrade^^^' 
the  most  extended   Continent,  is   a  still  more   potent  cause  in  favor  of  internal 
trade    and    interior   towns.     The   introduction,    as  instruments    of  commerce,    of  Railways, 
steamboats,  canals,  rail,  and  ^McAdam  roads,  being  of  recent  date,  they  have  not  ere,  new 
had  time  to  produce  the  great  results  that  must  inevitably  flow  from  them,     jj^gin^eu  ion. 
last  twenty  years  have  been  devoted  mainly   to   the  construction  of  these  labor- 
saving   instruments    of  commerce  ;    during    which    time,    more   has    been    done    to 
facilitate  internal  trade  than  had  been  effected  for  the  thousands   of  years  since  the 
creation  of  man.     These  machines  are  but  just  being  brought  into  use  ;  and  he  is  a  A  hold  man 
bold  man,  who,  casting  his  eye  one  hundred  years  into  the  future,  shall  undertake  to  J?-*.'''^^'! 
tell  the  present  generation  what  will  be    their  effect  on  our  Nortli  American  valley 
when  their  energies  shall  be  brought  to  bear  over  all  its  broad  surface. 

Let  it  not  be  forgotten  that,  while  many  other  countries  have  territories  border-  No  inland 
ing  the  ocean,  greatly  superior  to  our  Atlantic  slope,  no  one  Government  has  an '^°^°*'^"y  ^'^® 
Interior  at  all  worthy  a  comparison  with  ours. 

It  will  be  observed  that  in  speaking  of  the  natural  facilities  for  trade  in  the  Lake  valley 
North  American  Valley,  we  have  left  out  of  view  the  4000  or  5000  miles  of  rich  and  1*°'  noticed, 
accessible  coasts   of  our   great  lakes,  and   their  connecting  straits.     The  trade  of 


304  Poicer  of  Internal  Trade  to  Build  up   Great   Cities. 

these  inland  seas,  and  its  connection  with  that  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  are 
subjects  too  important  to  be  treated  incidentally,  in  an  article  of  so  general  a 
nature  as  this.     They  well  merit  a  separate  notice  at  our  hands. 


Int.  trade 
No.  II. 


INTERNAL  TRADE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES,  NO.  II. 


Natural 
advantages 
of  Interior. 


The  lakes. 


Stretch 

BOUth^ 

— east. 
Lake  and 


Varied  sur- 
face. 


Providence  has  evidently  designed  the  temperate  regions  of  the  interior  of  North 
America  for  the  residence  of  a  dense  population  of  highly  civilized  men.  Through- 
out its  southern  and  middle  "regions,  which  are  elevated  but  a  few  luindred  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  the  deflected  trade  wind  bears  from  that  sea 
the  vapors, which,  falling  in  showers,  give  fertility  to  the  soil,  and  swell  to  navigable 
size  their  numerous  and  almost  interminable  rivers.  Towards  the  north  he  has 
spread  out,  and  connected  by  navigable  straits,  great  seas  of  pure  water,  to  equalize 
and  soften  the  temperature  of  that  comparatively  high  latitude,  and  to  aid  in  irrigat- 
ing the  surrounding  countries.  And  he  has  so  placed  these  seas,  as  to  give  them  the 
utmost  availability  for  purposes  of  trade  ;  for,  while  they  reach  to  the  highest  lat- 
itude to  which  profitable  cultivation  can  be  carried,  they  stretch  away  south 
almost  to  the  very  heart  of  the  great  valley.  Towards  the  east  they  approach  the 
Atlantic,  and  extend  westward  towards  the  Pacific,  more  than  a  third  of  the  dis- 
tance across  the  continent.  To  give  the  lake  and  river  countries  easy  access  to 
river  valleys  each  other,  he  has  placed  them  nearly  on  the  same  level;  and  strongly  pointed 
closely  con-  ^y^^  j^j^j  indeed,  in  some  places,  almost  finished,  the  great  channels  of  intercourse 
""^  ^  '  between  them.  To  invite  and  facilitate  migration  from  Europe  and  the  old  states, 
he  has  provided  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Mississippi  rivers,  and  cuf  a  passage  through 
the  Appalachian  chain,  where  flow  the  turbulent  Mohawk  and  majestic  Hudson. 
His  munificence  ends  not  here.  He  has  diversified  its  surface  with  hills,  voles,  and 
plains,  and  clothed  them  alternately  with  fine  groves  of  timber,  and  beautiful 
meadows  of  grass  and  flowers.  Beneath  the  soil,  the  minerals  of  nearly  every 
geological  era,  and  of  every  kind,  which  has  been  made  tributary  to  man's  comfort 
and  civilization,  are  properly  distributed.  [The  country  is  described  and  its  then 
settlement.] 

In  anticipation  of  the  early  settlement  of  the  fine  country  bordering  on  these 
waters,  and  its  capacity  to  furnish  the  basis  of  a  large  commerce,  the  Erie  canal 
was  projected  and  opened.  But  its  banks  had  hardly  become  solid,  its  business 
men  been  got  into  train  and  reduced  to  system,  before  the  discovery  was  made  that 
its  capacity  would  little  more  than  sulfice  for  the  business  of  the  countrv  through 
which  it  runs,  and  of  course,  that  it  would  soon  be  inadequate  to  the  passage  of 
the  trade  then  just  springing  up,  with  indications  of  vigorous  growth,  on  the 
upper  lakes.  Wild  as  were  thought  the  visions  of  Morris  and  Clinton  by  the 
strictly  practical  men  of  their  day,  it  turns  out  that  what  were  considered  visions 
were  but  practical  deductions,  falling  short  of  the  truth  instead  of  exceeding  it. 
Ten  years  after  the  chimerical  grand  canal  was  completed,  men,  having  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  eminently  practical,  thought  they  saw  the  necessity  of  making  it 
about  three  times  as  large,  and  forthwith  entered  upon  such  enlargement.  Practical 
men  in  other  states  have  believed,  perhaps  prematurely,  that  such  portion  of  the 
lake  trade  as  they  could  divert  from  this  New  York  route  would  pay  them  for  the 
outlay  of  so  many  millions  as  will  be  necessary  to  construct  two  more  canals,  and 
the  same  number  of  railroads,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  lake  waters.  Not  only  are 
cities  and  states  entering  upon  a  competition  for  this  trade,  but  there  are  indica- 
tions that  a  few  years  will  witness  an  active  emulation  between  the  United  States 
and  Great  Britain,  in  endeavors,  on  the  one  hand,  to  retain,  and  on  the  other  to 
acquire  it.  On  all  sides  it  is  admitted,  that  the  city  of  the  Atlantic  coast  which 
receives  the  bulk  of  our  eastern  business  will  be  the  leading  city  of  that  border; 
and  if  it  is  not  now  admitted,  it  soon  will  be,  that  the  emporium  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley  which  commands  the  best  channel  of  intercourse  with  the  lakes,  must  be 
and  remain  the  Queen  City  of  that  valley. 

But  what  is  it  that  makes  this  lake  country  of  such  commanding  importance  ? 
In  the  first  place,  it  is  of  great  extent.  It^  navigable  shores,  including  bays  and 
Shores  5,f'00  straits,  measure  more  than  5,000  miles.  Not  only  do  these  coiumaud  a  large 
miles.  country  lying  back,  in  many  places,  much  beyond  the  head  waters  of  the  streams 

which  fiow  into  them,  but,  by  means  of  canals  and  other  artificial  aids,  no  incon- 
TftUe  trade  of  sidoriible  portion  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  is  made  tributary  to  their  commerce. 
river  valiiy.  This  is  owing  to  their  affording  the  cheapest  and  best  route  to   New  York  and 


Enlarge- 
raont  re- 
quired. 


Two  more 
canals. 

Two  rail- 
roads from 
lake  to 
ocean. 

Lake  trade 
mak'-s  At- 
lantic city 
chief. 


Large    area. 


Past^    Present  and  Future  of  Clucago  Investments. 


305 


Canada.     Even  with  the  small  canal  between  Buffalo   and   Albany,  levying  tolls 

high  enough  to  have  already  paid   for  its  construction,  we  find  a  strong   inclination 

to  that  route,  not  only  for  the  foreign  and  eastern  manufactures  that  are  purchased  Draws  from 

in  the  great  Atlantic  Emporium,  and  brought  into  the  lake  and  Minsissippi  Valleys,  N.  0. 

but  for  the  farming  produce  of  sections  of  country  that  formerly  floated  it  down  to 

New  Orleans. 

The  strong  tendency  of  business  toward   the  lakes  instead  of  the  rivers,  other  east- 
was  even  then  perceptible  and  well  argued.     Also,  the   increased   facilities 
of  the  enlarged   Erie  canal,  Chesapeake   &  Ohio,    Pennsylvania   canal  and 
railroad,  Welland  canal,  and  the  N.  Y.  Central,  the  Erie,  and  the  Baltinaore 
&  Ohio  Railroads,  and  Mr.  Scott  proceeds  : — 

Such  are  the  great  works  made  and  making  ;  and  for  whom  ?  surely  not  for  the  For  whom 
two  or  three  millions  that,  within  a  few  years  past,  have  fixed  their  homes  in  the  '"'^'1'^^ 
lake  countries.     No !  but  for  the  anticipated  tens  of  millions   of  intelligent  and 
industrious  freemen,  who  will,  as  a  moderate  forecast  enables  men  to  see,  in  no 
long  course  of  years,  spread  over,  and  clear  and  cultivate  and  beautify  these  pleasant 
and  fertile  shores.     Whatever  other  error  may  arise  from  making  the  past  a  basis  No  danger 
of  calculation  for  the  future,  that  of  a  too  sanguine  estimate  could  hardly  be  com-  °^,?^®t" 
mitted,  in  treating  of  any  civilized  country  of  the  present  day,  much  less  of  ours, 
the  most  rapidly  progressive  of  the  whole  family  of  nations.     To  exhibit  the  growth 
of  the  principal  upper  lake  towns,  from  1830  to  1840,  we  here  give  their  population 
at  those  periods  : — 


Buffalo 

Erie 

Cleveland 

Sandusky  City... 
Lower  Sandusky 

Perrysburg , 

Maumee  City 


1830 

1840 

8,653 

18,213 

1,329 

3,412 

1,076 

7,648 

400 

1,433 

351 

1,117 

182 

1,0G5 

200 

1,290 

Toledo 

Detroit 

Monroe 

Chicago 

Milwaukee. 
Huron 


1830 


Growth     of 
1840    '^'^^  cities, 


30 

2,053 

2,222 

9,102 

500 

1,703 

100  . 

4,470 

20 

1,712 

75 

1,488 

Total 15,138    54,706 


Showing  an  increase  which,  if  the  numerous  villages  that  have  commenced  their  Four-fold  in 
existence  since  1830  were  added,  would  more  than  quadruple  their  number  in  ten  ten  years, 
years.  The  increase  of  business  on  the  upper  lakes  has  been  in  a  greater  ratio 
than  even  ten  to  one-  Indeed  it  has  nearly  all  grown  up  since  1830.  If  the  reader 
doubt  this,  let  him  examine  and  compare  the  acoouut  of  the  collector  of  canal  tolls 
at  Buffalo  for  that  year  with  that  for  the  past  season,  and  add  to  the  last  the 
produce  passing  through  the  Welland  canal. 

But  it  should  not  be  forgotten,  that  while  the  relative  amount  of  products  of  the  Towns  grow- 
soil,  in  proportion  to  the  population,  is  rapidly  augmenting,  our  cities  and  towns  '°e' 
are  beginning  to  receive  a  large  accession  of  mechanics,  manufacturers,  and  other 
business   men,  which   will    more    and   more  tend   by  its    increase,    to   keep  down 
exports  to  the  East. 

The   intercourse   between   the    agricultural  aud  manufacturing   regions    of  our  Trade  to 
country  will  doubtless  increase    as    fast,  and  be  productive  of  as  much   i^'i^U'^1  ^°^n''g^c. 
benefit,  as  any  friend  of  both  sections  now  anticipates  ;  but  the  home  trade  within  tions— 
the  limits  of  our  North  American  Valley  will  grow  much  faster,  and  possess  a  vigor  —more   still 
as  superior  to  the  former,  as  do  the  great  arteries  near  the  heart  to  those  of  the  '^^p"[g^„ 
limbs   of  the   human    system.      Western    commerce   with  the    Atlantic  border,  is  valiey.' 
analogous  to  that  of  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States  with  Europe. 

This  trade  has  been  a  rapid  development,  but  by  no  means  in  proportion  to  the  Domestic 
augmentation  of  that  with  their  own  coast  and  Interior.     The  foreign  commerce  of  ^^,!;^^ '°' „„x 
Philadelphia,  for  instance,  is  no  greater  than  it  was  in   1^87,  when  the  population 
of  the  city  and  liberties  did  not  exceed  40,000,  while  its  home  trade  has  increased  Philadelphia 
ten-fold,  and  its  population  become  more  than  five  times  40,000.     It  will  probably 

20 


306 


P<ywer  of  Internal  Trade  to  Build  up   Great   Cities. 


Lake  ports     surprise  many  of  our  readers  to  be  informed  that  the  exports  and  imports  of  our 

exceed  the     ^,pper  lake  region,  the  past  season,  have  probably  exceeded  in  value  those  of  all  the 

whole  col-     g^j^^jjjgg  (jQ  an  average   of  six  years  preceding   1775.     According  to  Pitkin,  the 

"     '  annual  exports  from  the  colonies  of  those  six  years,  amounted  to   £1,752,142,  and 

the  imports  to  $2,732,036.     The  average  annual  amount  of  the  exports  and  imports 

of  this  upper  lake  country  for  the    last  three  years,  would  be   estimated  low  at 

820,000,000.     Such  are  the  results  of  the  infantile  labors   of  the  young  Hercules 

of  the  Lakes. 

The  basins  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Mississippi  constitute  nearly  all  the  great 
Interior  Valley.  Each  of  these  basins,  when  settled  to  a  fair  extent,  will  have  a 
vast  commerce  of  its  own;  and  it  will  be  interesting  to  ascertain  through  what 
channels,  and  through  what  towns  the  great  intercourse  that  will  naturally  grow 
— givevalua-up  between  them,  will  be  carried  on.  The  time  will  come  within  the  present 
ble  trade.  century,  when  the  trade  between  the  northern  and  southern  portions  of  the  North 
American  Valley  will  become  more  important  than  that  of  the  whole  valley  with  the 
eastern  States  and  Europe.  Until  that  period  arrives,  the  channels  which  com- 
mand most  of  the  eastern  business  will  be  of  paramount  importance. 


Vallics    of 
lakes  and 
rivers — 


The  Ohio  canal,  the  Miami,  from  Maumee  to  Ciaciunati,  and  the  Illinois 
&  Michigan,  from   Chicago   to   the   Illinois  river,  are   compared;  and  the 


Bon^p'  west 
compi  ivd. 
Distance 

Maumee.      gfjr'.ter  distance  by  Chicago  gave  the  then  result  in  favor  of  Maumee 


Obi.  route  to     When  the  day  shall  arrive  that  witnesses  the  predominance  of  the  home  trade 
increase  in     of  the  North  American  Valley,  over  that   which  is  carried   on   with  the    Eastern 
irapcrtance.   gtates  and  Europe,  and  the  intercourse  between  the  northern  and  southern  portions 
of  it  takes  the  place   of  that  which  is  now  carried    on  with  the  old  States  ;  and 
when,  also,  the  shores  of  the  upper  lakes  shall  be  brought  under  cultivation,  and 
become  densely  settled,  the  just  claims  of  the  Chicago  route  to  participate  largely 
in  the  trade  between  the  lakes  and  the  central  and  lower   Mississippi  Valley,  will 
Trade  north  be  greatly  enlarged.     Then  she  will  be  the  port  from  which  supplies  of  southern 
and  south,     productions  will  be  drawn  for  all  the  borders   of  the  great  Lakes,  IMichigan  and 
Superior,  and  the  northern   shores  of  Lakes   Huron  and  Iroquois ;  and    through 
which    will  be  sent  southward   most   of  the  surplus  productions   of  those   exten- 
sive regions.     But  the   Miami  canal,  as  soon  as  completed,  will  fall  into  possession 
of  a  well  peopled  and  highly  cultivated  region  of  great  extent,  whose  productions 
will  rush  through  from  both  extremes  the  moment  it  is  rendered  navisable. 


Miimi  and 
I'irtsburgh 

Expense       with  the  Pittsburgh   route,  and  the  ocean,  gulf  and  river  routes  via  New 

favors 
Maumee. 


And  Mr.  S.  argues  on  in  favor  of  the  Miami  route,  and  then  compares  it 
ith  the  Pittsburgh   route,  and  the  0( 
Orleans,  where  expense  favors  Maumee. 


N.  0. ronto 
cheapest. 


Productions  sent  from  the  West,  having  greater  weight  and  bulk  in  proportion  to 
their  value  than  merchandise  coming  the  other  way,  can  better  atford  to  pay 
insurance,  and,  other  things  being  equal,  would  incline  to  the  New  Orleans  outlet, 
as  the  cheapest.  The  cost  of  taking  flour  to  the  New  York  market  from  all  places 
on  the  Ohio  below  Cincinnati,  (at  which  point  it  will  be  about  equal,)  will  be  less 
Climate  in-  this  way  than  by  the  Miami  canal.  But  flour  taken  from  the  West  through  New 
jures  flour.  Orleans,  brings  less  in  the  great  Northern  markets  than  that  which  goes  by  the 
lakes,  by  more  than- the  ordinary  cost  of  carriage  from  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  to 
Cincinnati.  This  is  well  known  to  be  owing  to  the  great  liability  to  damage  in  going 
through  a  hot  climate.  As  a  final  market.  New  Orleans  is,  in  general,  very 
fluctuating  and  uncertain.  These  facts  assure  us  that  nearly  all  the  surplus  flour 
within  reach  of  the  canals  leading  from  the  lakes  into  the  Mississippi  Valley,  will 
take  the  northern  road  to  market.  For  safety  from  the  bursting  of" boilers,  there 
is  no  steam  navigation  in  the  States,  and  perhaps  not  in  the  world,  equal  to  that 
of  the  lakes.  On  the  ocean,  the  use  of  salt  water,  and  on  the  western  rivers,  the 
use  of  muddy  water  for  the  boilers,  has  probably  occasioned  a  large  proportion 
of  the  explosions  that  have  so  greatly  augmented  the  risk  of  navigation  on  the 
Mississippi  waters.  The  pure  waters  of  the  lakes  has  proved  eminently  favorable 
to  safe  steam  navigation  ;  and  the  numerous  harbors  along  the  American  shore  of 
Lake  Erie,  have  lessened  the  riks,  and  given  it  an  advantage  in  that  respect  over 
the  others  —  Ontario,  perhaps,  excepted. 


Lake  route 
best — 


— Bafeet. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  307 

But  it  may  be  said  that,  at  no  very  distant  day,  a  large  portion  of  the  produc-  Foreign 
tions  of  foreign  countries  brought  into  the   great  western  marts  for  sale  will   l^e ''^"'jp'^"^*! |."^' 
imported  directly  from  the  regions  in  which  they  are  produced  ;  and  that  the  assuming  tlie  West, 
of  New  York  as  the   great   centre  of  supply,  will  fail  in  regard  to  thvse,  and  thus 
affect  the   conclusions  heretofore   drawn.      An  examination   of    the    various    inlets 
to  this  foreign  trade  will  not,  liowever,  much  vary  the  results  on  the  routes  we  have 
contrasted  and  compared.     Is  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  route  for  the   European  sup- 
plies adopted  ?     The  Miami  and  Illinois    canals  will  still  be  the  channels  for  its  *^'*"''^''"''''' 
transport  to  a  great  part  of  the  Mississippi  Valley.     Is  the  Mississippi  the  chosen  '  "" ^ '<i"n<^  s- 
channel  for  the  introduction  of   what  are  usually  called  West  India   and    South  ^■'"'"  N- 0. 
American  products  to  the  upper   lakes?     Still  are  these  the   only   rivals  in   their  "  "'''■ 
transportation.     AVill  the  IMississippi  challenge  comparison  with  the  St.  Lawrence, 
in   our  anticipated  European  trade  ?     Such  comparison  can  only  result  in  the  tri- ^"'i^'^Jj^^ern 
umph  of  her  northern  rival.     It  would  not  be  difficult  to  prove  that,  when  the  route, 
canals  now  being  made  around  the  obstructions  to  navigation  from  Montreal  to  the 
upper  lakes,  shall  be  finished,  so  as  to  admit   sea-going  vessels   to   their  ports, 
freight  and  insurance,  between  Liverpool  and  the  ports  of  Cleveland,  Maumee,  and 
perhaps  Chicago,  will  be  lower  than   to  the  port  of  New  Orleans.     The  distr.nce  Distance  less 
from  England  or  France  by  the  St.  Lawrence,  to  the  ports  of  Lake  Erie,  is  less,  by  noo  miles. 
more  than  1,100  miles,  than  to  New   Orleans  by  the  Gulf  of    Mexico.     On   the   St. 
Lawrence  route,  the  distance   by  river  and  canal,  requiring  the  aid  of  steam   or 
horse  power,  may  be  about  200  miles;  and  by  the  Mississippi,  from   its  mouth  to 
New  Orleans,  upwards  of  100  miles.     The  advantage  possessed  by  the  latter  of  the 
saving  of  tolls,  can  hardly  be   an  offset  against  the   1,100  miles   additional  length 
of  voyage.     Each   route  will  have    some  peculiar  advantage.     The  northern  will  ^^^^'''itsit^ 
build,  man,  and  own  the  shipping  employed  on  it ;   whereas  the  southern  will  depend  '^  ^'^^  "^^^ 
on  ships  foreign  to  her  port.     The  southern  will  be  open  all  the  year;  whereas  the 
northern  will  be  barred  by  ice  half  the  j'ear.     The  favorable  effect  upou  a  trade, 
of  being  carried  on  by  a  maratime  people,  in  their  own  vessels,  from  their  own  own  tiieir 
ports,  is  made  manifest  by  contrasting  the  trade  of  Boston  and  Portland,  with  that  vessels. 
of  Charleston  and  New  Orleans. 


INTERNAL  TRADE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES,  NO.  HI.  Int.  Trade, 

'  No.  III. 

The'increasing  tendency  to  reside  in  towns  and  cities  which  is  manifested  by  the  Tendency  of 

inhabitants  of  all  countries,  as  they  make  progress  in  the  arts  and  refinements  of  pop\i'|H^un 

civilization,  is  sufficiently  obvious  to  most  men  who  think  on  the  subject.     But  it  is 

not  so  apparent  to   those  whose  attention  has   not  been  particularly  turned  to  the 

matter,  that  the  improvements  of  the  last  century  have  so  much   strengthened  that  Strength- 

■t  Gnsti  Dv  new 

tendency  as  almost  to  make  it  seem  like  a  new  principle  of  society,  growing  out  of  jmprove- 

the  combined  agency  of  steam  power  and  machinery.     Mr.  Hume,  who  had  as  clear  meuts. 
apprehension  of  the  relations  of  the  various  conditions  of  society,  and   the  opera- 
tion of  the  causes  modifying  them,  as  any  man  of  his  time,  expresses  the  opinion  ^^^ne. 
that  no  city  of  antiquity  probably  ever  contained  more  inhabitants  than  London, 
which,  at  the  time  he  wrote,  near  one  hundred  years  ago,  'vas  estimated  at  800,000. 
He  thought  there  were  internal  and  inherent  causes  to  check  and  stop  the  growth  ^°  ^^i'  o^*"^ 
of  the  most  favorably  situated  cities  when  they  reached  that  size.     Taking  the  tlien       ' 
existing  condition  of  society   as  the   basis  of  his  reasoning,  it  seems  probable  that.,  .       .^ 
he  judged  correctly.     Neither  the  spinning  jenny,   nor  the  power  loom,  nor  the  ventions 
steam  engine,  nor  the  canal,  nor  the  McAdam  road,  nor  the  railway,  had  then  been  unknown, 
brought  into  use  ;  nor  had  the  productive  power  of  the  soil,  aided  by  science  and 
art,  been,  at  that  time,  tasked  to  its  utmost  to  bring  forth  human  sustenance.     Mr. 
Hume  looked  with  the  eye  of  a  philosopoer  on  the  past  and  present,  but,  in  pre- 
dicting of  the  future,  his  mistakes  were  nearly  as  numerous  as  his  vaticinations. 
To  judge  of  the  future  by  the  past  may  seem  safe  and  philosophic  to  those  who  ^I^n's  con- 
believe   not  in  the  certain  advance  of  mankind    towards  a  more  perfect    condition  grass, 
and  nature.     So  to  judge  was  in  accordance  with  the  sceptical  mind  of  Mr.  Hume. 
Let  us  avoid,  as  far  as  we  may,  his  mistake  ;  though  to  us  it  seems  not  practicabl-e 
to  avoid  falling  into  some  degree  of  error  of  the  same  sort,  when  we  undertake  to 
foretell  future  conditions  and  events,  in  a  rapidly  progressive  community.  What  the 

What  has  been  the  effect  of  the  improvements,  physical  and  moral,  of  the  past  eflfect  of  mod- 
century,  on  the  growth  of  towns  ?  and  what  is  likely  to  be  their  future  effect,  aided  nien'triu"^*^" 
by  other  and  probably  greater  improvements,  on  the  growth  of  towns,  during  the  towns. 


308  Power  of  Internal  Trade  to  Build  vp   Great   Cities. 

hundred  years  to  come  ?  We  define  a  town  to  mean  any  place  numberiog  2,000  or 
more  inhabitants.  It  is  to  Great  Britain  we  are  to  look  for  the  main  evidences  of 
the  eflfects  of  the  labor-saving  improvements  of  the  last  century. 

Changes  in  The  changes  in  Eagland  and  Scotland  are  described,  and  the  greater 
Scotland.  relative  growth  of  the  towns  is  noticed ;  also  the  effect  of  railways,  in 
Advance  of   crivin""  more   rapid  advance  to    the  towns    over  the  States  in  New  York, 

Pennsylvania   and    Ohio,    which  is  placed  under  the  next  section,  and   our 

author  observes : — 

20U  S.  The  increase  of  the  twenty  largest   towns  of  the  United  States,  from  New  York 

town^  grew   (_,,  gt_  Louis,  inclusive,  from  1830  to  1840,  was  55  per  cent.,  while  that  of  the  whole 
— whole*^°*     country  was  less  than  34  per  cent.     If  the  slaveholding  states  were  left   out,  the 
couutrySl.    result  of  the  calculation  would  be  still  more  favorable  to  the  towns. 
TenJt-ncy  to      The  foregoing  facts  clearly  show  the  strong   tendency  of  modern  improvements 
towns—         to  build   towns.     Our  country  has  just  begun  its  career  ;  but  as  its  progress  in 

population  is  in  a  geometrical  ratio  ;  and  its  improvements  more  rapidly  progres- 
— stronger  gjyg  than  its  population,  we  are  startled  at  the  results  to  which  we  are  brought, 
in  future.       ^^  ^j^^  application  of  these  principles  to  the  century  into  which  our  inquiry  now 

leads  us. 
u.  S.  pop.  jn  184^0  the  United  States  had  a  population  of  17,068,666.     Allowing  its  future 

666^  increase  to-  be  at  the  rate  of  33J  per  cent  for  each  succeeding  period  of  ten  years, 

—1940  to  be  we  shall  number  la  1940,  303,101,641.  Past  experience  warrants  us  to  expect  this 
8(13,101  641.    great  increase. 

Cnturyesti-  The  figures  for  the  century  are  omitted,  being  beyond  the  present 
omitted.       Calculations. 

Estimates  for      But  lest  one  hundred  years  seem  too  long  to  be  relied  on,  in  a  calculation  having 
50  years.        so  many  elements,  let  us  see  how  matters  will  stand  50  years  from  1840,  or  forty- 
seven   years  from  this  time.     The  ratio   of  increase  we  have   adopted  cannot   be 
13W  72  000- objected  to  as  extravagant  for  this  period.     In  1890,  according  to  that  ratio,  our 
Ojo.'    "'     '  number  will  be  72,000,000.     Of  these  22,000,000  will  be  a  fair   allowance  for  the 
D-  tr-bution  ^^^antic  slope.     Of  the  remaining  50,000,000,   2,000,000  may  reside  west  of  the 
'  Rocky  Mountains,  leaving  48,000,000  for  the  great  valley  within  the  states.     If  to 
these  we   add  5,000,000  as   the  population  of  Canada,  we  have  an  aggregate  of 
53,000,000  for  the  North   American  Valley.     One-third,    or  say  18,000.000  being 
set  down  as  farming  laborers  and  rural  artisans,  there  will  remain  35,000,000  for 
the  towns,  which  might  be  seventy  in  number,  having  each  half  a  million  of  souls. 
}/3 in  agricul- It  can  scarcely  be  doubted  that,  within  the  forty-seven  years,  our  agriculture   will 
''"^'"°"  be  so  improved,  as  to  require  less  than  one  third  to  furnish  food  and  raw  materials 

for  manufacture  for  the  whole- population.     Good  judges  have  said  that  we  are  not 
Ripidlyim-  now  more  than  twenty  or  thirty  years  behind   England  incur   husbandry.     It  is 
proving.        certain  that  we  are  rapidly  adopting  her  improvements  in  this  branch  of  industry; 
and  it  is  not  to  be  doubted,  that  very  many  new  improvements  will  be  brought  out 
both  in  Europa  and  America,  which  will  tend  to  lessen  the  labor  necessary  in  the 
production  of  food  and  raw  materials. 
Tondency  to      The  tendency  to  bring  to  reside  in  towns   all  not  engaged  in  agriculture  that 
cOTntries."    machinery  and  improved  ways  of  intercourse  have  created,  has  already  been  illus- 
trated by  the  example  of  England' and  some  of  our  older  States.     Up  to  this  time, 
Lesiin  TJ.  S,  qxxt  North  American  Valley  has  exhibited  few  striking  evidences  of  this  tendency. 
Its  population  is  about  10,500,000 ;  but  with  the  exception  of  New  Orleans,  Cincin- 
nati and   Montreal,  it  has  no  large  towns.     As   a  whole,  it  has  been  too  sparsely 
Reaaons.        settled  to  build  up  many.     Too  intent  on  drawing  out  the  resources  of  our  exuber- 
antly  rich  soil,    we  have  neglected  the  introduction  of   those   manufactures  and 
mechanic  arts  that   give  agricultural  productions  their  chief  value,  by  furnishing 
Change  com- an  accessible  market.     This   mistake  is,  however,  rapidly  bringing  about  its  own 
'°g-  remedy.     In  Ohio  the  oldest,  (not  in  time  but  in  maturity)  of  our   western  states, 

the  arts  of  manufacture   have  commenced  their  appropriate   business  of  building 
Cincinnati,     towns.     Cincinnati,  with  its  suburbs  has  upwards  of  50,000  inhabitants  ;  a  larger 
proportion  of  whom  are  engaged  in  manufactures  and  trades,  than  of  either  of  the 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  309 

sixteen  principal  towns  of  the  Union,  except  Lowell.     The  average  proportion  so 
engaged  in  all  of  these  towns  is  1   to  8.79.     In  Cincinnati  it  is  1   to  4..[>0.     Indeed 
our  interior  capital  has  but  two  towns  (New  York  and  Philadelphia)  before  her,  in 
number  of   persons,   engaged    in  manufactures    and  trades.     Our  smaller   towns,  Smaller 
Dayton,  Zanesville,   Columbus,   and  Steubenville,  having  each  about   G,000  inhab-  towns, 
itants,  have  nearly  an  equal  proportion  engaged  in  the  same  occupation. 

These  examples  are  valuable  only  as  indicating  the  direction  which  the   industry  Tlicseindica- 
of  our  people  tends,  in  those  portions  of  tlie  West,  where    population    has  attained   '°"*' 
a  considerable  degree  of  density.     Of  the  ten  and  a  half  millions  now   inhabiting 
this  valley,  little  more  than  half  a  million  live  in  towns  ;  leaving  about  ten  millions  10,000,000 
employed  in  making  farms  out  of  the  wilds,  and  producing  human  food  and  mate-  ""^'"  '^ 
rials  for  manufactures.     When  in  1890,  our  number  reaches  53,000,000,  according 
to  our  estimate,  there   will  be  but  one-third  of  this  number  (to  wit,   18,000,000)  j^^  ^i,yQ 
employed  in  agriculture  and  rural  trades.     Of  the  increase  up  to  that  time,  (being  ;^,,'j()(),o'oo  ia 
42,500,000)  8,000,000  will  go  into  rural  occupations,   and  34,500,000  into  towns,  towus. 
This  would  people  sixty-nine  towns,  with  each  half  a  million. 

Should  we  yielding  to  the  opinion  of  those  who  may  believe  that  more  than  one- 
third  of  our  people  will  be  required   for  agriculture  and  rural  trades,  make  the  Suppose  half 
estimate  on  the  supposition  that  one-half  the  population  of  our  valley,  forty-seven  'fyr'^^"'^" ' 
years  hereafter,  will  live  on  farms  and  in  villages  below  the  rank  of  towns,  the 
account  will  stand  thus  ;  26,500,000  (being  the  one.half  of  53,000,000  in  the  valley) 
will  be  the  amount  of  the  rural  population  ;  so  that  it  must  receive  1G,-500,000  in 
addition  to  the  10,000.000,  it  now   has.     The  towns,  in  the  same  time,  will  have  an  Then 26500,- 
increase  of  26,000,000,  in  addition  to  the  500,000  now  in  them.     Where  will  these  000  intowns. 
towns  be,  and  in  what  proportion  will  they  possess  the  26,500,000  inhabitants  ?  Where? 

These  are   interesting  questions,  and  not  so   impracticable  of  an  aproximately    ^j^^.^^^ 
correct  solution,  as,  at  first  blush,  they  may  seem. 

One   of  them  will  be    either  St.    Louis  or    Alton.     Everybody  will   be   ready  to  One  Alton  or 
admit   that.     Still   more  beyond  the  reach   of  doubt  or  cavil  is  Cincinnati.     We  ^'-  Louis, 
might  name  also   Pittsburg   and   Louisville  ;  but  we  trust  that  our   readers,  who 
have  followed  us  through   our  former  articles,  are  ready  to  concur  in  the  opinion  Qjjjgf  ^^^^.y 
that  the  greatest  city  of  the  Mississippi  basin  will  be  either  Cincinnati  or  the  town  otMiss.  val- 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  be  it  Alton  or  St.  Louis.  ley. 

Witliin  our  period  of  forty-seven  years,  we  have  no  doubt  it  will  be  Cincinnati.  For  47  years 
She  is  now  in  the  midst  of  a  population  so  great  and  so  thriving  ;  and,  on  the  com-  Cm.  will  lead 
pletion  of  the  Miami  canal,  which  will  be  within  two  years,  she  will  so  monopolize 
the    exchange    commerce   at   that   end  of  the   canal   between  the   river   and    lake 
regions,  that  it  is  not  reasonable  to   expect  she  can  be  overtaken  by  her  western 
rival  for  half  a  century. 

But  such   has  been  the  influx  of  settlers  within  the  last  few  years  to  the  lake  A  lake  town 
region,  and  so  decided    has  become  the  tendency  of  the  productions  of  the  upper  *°   ''^*  ^'°' 
and  middle  regions  of  the  great  valley  to  seek  a  market  at  and  through  the   lakes, 
that  we  can  no  longer  withstand  the  conviction   that,  even  within  the  short   period 
of   forty-seven  years,  a  town   will  grow  up  on  the  lake  border  greater  than  Cin- 
cinnati.    The  following  facts  it  is  believed,  will  force  the  same  conviction  to  our  Reasons, 
readers : 

The  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois,  are  bordered  by  both   Lake  and  river.  River  avs. 
All  have  large  river  accommodation,  but  Illinois   has  it  to  an  unrivaled  extent ;  ^'^^•*"^®"'"^ 
whereas  it  has  but  one  lake  port. 

Now  let  us  see  what  has  been   the  relative   and   positive    growth   of  the  river  Relative 
region  and  lake  region  of  these  states,  from  1830  to  1840.     Southern  Ohio,  includ-  fi7"^'''i(f 
ing  all  south  of  the  national  road,  and  the   counties  north  of  that  road  which  touch  lake  regions, 
the  Ohio  river,  had,  in  1830,  550,000  inhabitants,  and  in  1840  730,000;  showing  an 
increase  of  180,000— equal  to  33.V  per  cent.     Northern  Ohio,  in  1830,  numbered  but  Ohio  in  1880 
390,000,  which  in  1840  had  incre'ased  to  805,000;  exhibiting  an  increase  of  413,000,  and  1840. 
or    105   per    cent.     In    1830,    Southern    Ohio  had   160,000   more   than    Northern 
Ohio  ;   whereas,  in   1840  the  latter  excelled  the  former   75,000.     This  preponder- 
ance of  the  lake  region   has  not  been  owing   to  the   superiority  of  its   soil,  or    the 
beauty  of  its  surface  ;  for,  in  these  respects,  it  is  inferior  to  its  southern  rival. 

Let  us  now  see  how  the  river  and  lake  regions  of  Indiana  compare  in   1830  and 
1840.     The  national  road  is  the  dividing  line. 


310  Power  of  Internal  Trade  to  Build  up   Great   Cities. 

Ind.  in  1830  Southern  Indiana  had,  in  1830, '^^^'^S^r, 

and  1840.       Northern  Indiana    "  "     oJ.UOU 

Southern  Indiana  had,  in  1840, 397;000 

Northern  Indiana    "  "     278,000 

Southern  Indiana  in  1830, 252,000  |  ^.^^^  145,000,  or  58  per  cent. 

II  "  1840 3y/,0U0j  '  ^ 

Northern  Indiana  had  in  1830, 89,000  \  Showing  a   gain   of  189,000, 

1840, 278,000/      or  212  per  cent. 

Such  has  been  the  rapidity  of  settlement  of  the  northern   counties  of  Indiana, 
for  the  three  years  since  the  census  was  taken,  that  we  cannot  doubt  that  the  north 
has  nearly  overtaken,  in  positive  numbers,  the  south  half. 
Ills  more  Illinois  exhibits  the  preference  given  to  the  lake  region,  in  a  still  more  striking 

striking.  manner.  A  line  drawn  along  the  north  boundaries  of  Edgar  and  Cole  counties, 
and  thence  direct  to  the  town  of  Quincy,  on  the  Mississippi,  will  divide  the  State 
into  two  nearly  equal  parts.  The  three  counties,  Morgan,  Sangamon  and  Macon, 
■we  divide  equally,  and  give  two-thirds  of  Adams  to  the  North,  and  one-third  to  the 
South. 

Changes  1830  Southern  Illinois  had  in  1830, 122,732 

10  1840.         Northern  Illinois  "     "      '•     33,852 

Southern  Illinois  had  in  1840, 242,873 

Northern  Illinois    "     "       "     232,222 

Southern  Illinois  in  1830 122,732  )  Showing  a  gain  120,141, 

1840 242,873/      equal  to  97  per  cent. 

Northern  Illinois  had  in  1830, 33,852  I  Showing  a  gain  of  198,370, 

"         "       "1840, 232,222/      equal  to  586  per  cent. 

N.  half  There  can   be  no   doubt,  with  those   who  know  the  course  of  immigration,  that 

largest.         Northern    Illinois,   at  this  time,   contains    many  thousands  more   than    Southern 

Illinois. 

Increase  not      It  may  be  said  that  the  lake  region  of  these  States,  being  of  more  recent  settle- 

ouiy  in  per    ment,  and  having  more  vacant  land,  has  chiefly  on    that  account,  increased   more 

cent,  but       than  the  river  region.     This   might  account  for  a  higher   ratio,  but  it  would    not 

account  for  a  greater  amount  of  increase.     For  instance ;  the  State  of  New    York 

between   1820   and  1830,  had  a  greater  amount  of  increase  than  any  western  state, 

though  most  of  them  increased  in  a  far  higher  ratio.     So  by  the  census  of  1840,  it 

appears  that  the  amount  of  increase  of  Ohio,  for  the  ten  years  previous,  was  about 

three  times  as  great  as  that  of  Michigan,  although  the  ratio  of  increase  of  Michigan 

was  more  than  nine  times  as  high  as  that  of  Ohio. 

These  com-        Lgt  us  compare,  then,  the   amount  of  increase  of  the   lake   and  river  regions  of 
pared.  ^j^^^^  gj^^^j^^g  . 

(■Northern  Ohio 413,000 

N.  half  1830  Increase  from  1830  to  1840  of -|  "        Indiana 189,000 

'        Illinois 198,370 


— iLl\;i.ctiOC   11  uu±   x\jfj\j  Lvj   xu:ru  01 -< 

to  l&W.  J 


800,370 

S  half  1830  f  Southern  Ohio 180,000 

to  1840    "     Increase  from  1830  to  1840  of  J  •'         Indiana 145,000 

(.  "         Illinois 120,141 

445,141 

Ark.  and  Arkansas  and  Michigan,  were  it  not  that  the  latter  has  the  advantage   of  not 

.lich.  holding  slaves,  would  afford  almost  a  perfect  illustration   of  the  preference  given 

to  the  lake  region  over  the  river  country.  Each  has  extraordinary  advantages  of 
navigation,  of  its  peculiar  kind.  No  State  in  the  valley  has  as  extensive  river 
navigation  as  Arkansas,  and  no  State  can  claim  to  rival  Michigan  in  extent  of 
navigable  lake  coast. 

^r}^ll\^'K^  ^°  l^-^'^'  -"^I'cliigan  had  a  population  of 32,538 

tolS40.  Arkansas     "  "  30,388 

In  1840,  Michigan  numbered 212  276 

"     "       Arkansas         "  97!578 


Past,     Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  311 

These  facts  exhibit  the  difference  in  favor  of  the  lake  country  sufficient  to  satisfy  Potunt 
the  caudid  inquirer  that  there  must  be  potent  causes  in  operation  to   produce   such  <='>■"'*"«— 
results.     Some  of  these  causes  are    apparent,  and   others  have  been    little  under- —mtio  un- 
stood  or  appreciated.     The   staple   exports,   wheat  and   flour,   liave    for   years  so  'leretooii. 
notoriously  found  their  best  markets  at  tlie  lake  towns,  that  every  cultivator,  who  Grain  seeks 
reasons  at  all,  has  come  to  know  the  advantage  of  having;   his  farm  as  near  as   pos- *^'' '"'^'■^• 
sible  to  lake  navigation.      This  has,  for  some  years  past,  brought  immigrants  to  the 
lake  country  from  the  river  region  of  these  Slates,  and  frtun  the  States  of  Pennsyl-  This  draws 
vania,  Maryland,  and  Virginia,  which  formerly  sent  their  immigrants  mostly  to  tlie  ""wiK'"a'nts. 
river  borders.     The  river  region,  too,  not  being  able  to  compete  with  its  northern 
neighbor  in  the  production  of  wheat,  and   being  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  raislug.^  °^ 
stock,   has  of   late    gone   more   into    this  department  of   husbandry.     This    busi- 
ness, in  some  portions,  almost  brings  the  inhabitants  to  a  purely  pastoral  state  of 
society,  in  which  large  bodies  of  land  are  of  necessity  used  by  a  small  number  of 
inhabitants. 

These  causes  are  obviously  calculated  to  give  a  dense  population  to  the  lake  N.  dense,  S. 
country,  and  a  comparatively  sparse  settlement  to  the  river  country.     There  are  ^l'*'"®" 
other  causes  not  so  obvious,  but  not  less  potent  or  enduring.     Of  these,  the  supe- 
rior accessibility  of  the  lake  country  from  the  great  northern  hives  of  emigration,  l-akes  acces- 
New  England   and  New  York,  is  first  deserving  attention.     By  means  of  the  Erie  ®'''''^* 
canal  to  Oswego  and  Buffalo,  and  the  railway  from  Boston   to  Buffalo,  with  its 
radiating  branches,  these  states  are  brought  within  a  few  hours'  ride  of  our  great 
central  lake ;  and  at  an  expense  of  time  and  money  so  small,  as  to  offer  but  slight 
impediment  to  the  removal  of   home,  and  household  goods.     The   lakes,   too,   are  Propellers, 
about  being  traversed  by  a  class  of  vessels,   to  be  propelled  by  steam  and   wind, 
called  Ericson  propellers,  which  will  carry  emigrants  with   certainty  and  safety, 
and  at  greatly  reduced  expense. 

European  emigration  hither,  which  first  was   counted  by  its   annual  thousands,  increase 
then  by  its  tens  of  thousands,  has  at  length   swelled   to  its  hundred  thousands,  in  from  Europe 
the  ports  of  New  York  and  Quebec.     These  are  both  but  appropriate  doors  to    the  '^  '.^^'e 
lake  country.     It  is  clear  then,  that   the  lake  portion  will  be  more  populous  than  ''''S"^"- 
the  river  division  of  the  great  valley.     This  is  one  reason  why  the  lormer  should  Gives  large 
build  up  and  sustain  larger  towns  than  the  latter.  towns. 

A   comparison   is  instituted    between  Cleveland  and   New  Orleans,  and  ^^^^^^^q** 
Alton  and  Chicago,  exhibiting  the  superiority  of  the  lake  towns.  Chic"  o*"* 

The  facts  we  have  adduced,   taken  altogether,  seem   conclusive  in  favor  of  the  L^ke  towns 
lake  towns.     Asa  body  they  come  out  of  the  investigation  decidedly  triumphant,  superior. 
But  how  shall  we  decide  on  their  relative  merits?     There  are   several,  whose  citi- 
zens would  claim  preeminence  for   each — Oswego,  Buffalo,  Cleveland,  the    Maumee  ^t'c^  to 
town,  (be  it  Maumee  City  or  Toledo)  Detroit  and  Chicago.  ^'^ 

The  relative  advantages  of  those  towns  being  fairly  considered,  the  range  Cleveland, 

1  /^i         1        1      n/r  1     /-^i  •  mi  o  Maumee  and 

was  narrowed  to  Cleveland,  Maumee  and  Chicago.     The  water   power  of  Chicago. 
Maumee,  cheap  fuel,  fiicilities  of  procuring  wheat,  wool  and  cotton,  lead  to  M.  to  lead, 
the  following  conclusion : — 

As  a   point    for    manufacturers    and  mechanics,    the   aids  and   facilities   above  Advantafea 
mentioned  give  Maumee  an  incontestable  superiority  over  Cleveland  and  Chicago,  of  Maumee 
Let   us   now    compare  their  commercial    advantages:      Those    of  Cleveland   have  ?^'®^  ^^®^®' 
been   already  set  forth   to  some   extent,   in  comparing  her  claims   with  those  of 
Buffalo.      In  the  exchange  of  agricultural  products  of  a  warm  and  of  a  cold  climate, 
Cleveland  by  her  canals  and   her   connexion   with   the   Ohio,  can  claim  south,  as 
against  the  Miami  canal,  no  fartlier  than  western  Virginia  and  eastern    Kentucky. 
Maumee    will  supply  the  towns  on  the  Lakes  Erie,  Huron,  and  probably  Ontario, 
with  cotton,  sugar,  molasses,  rum,  (may  its  quantity  be  small)  rice,  tobacco,  hemp, 
(perhaps)  oranges,  lemons,  figs,  and,  at  some  future  day,  such  naval  stores  as  come 
from  the  pitch-pine  regions  of  Tennessee,  Mississippi  and  Louisiana.     Chicago  will  Chi.  market 
furnish  a  supply  of  the  same  articles  to  Lake  Michigan,  Lake  Superior,  when  that  ®^''^°^''''®- 
lake  becomes  accessible  to  her  navigation,  and  perhaps  the   northern  portion  of 


312  Power  of  Internal   Trade  to  Build  vp    Great   Cities. 

But  MaumeoLake  Huron.     How  important  these  commodities  are  in  modern  commerce  need  not 

region  most  j^  j^p  enlar"-cd  on  in  a  magazine  whose  readers  are  mostly  intelligent  merchants. 

vws'''°^^   During  the  forty-seven  years  under  consideration,  the  countries  to  be  supplied  with 

these  articles  from  Maumee  will  continue  to  be  more  populous  than  those  depending 

on  Chicago  for  their  supply.     This  position  seems  too  obvious  to  need  proof.     It  is 

clear,    then,  that  as  a   point  of    exchange  of    agricultural  products    of    different 

Chi.  only       climates,  Maumee  has  advantages  over  Chicago — the  only  place  on  the  lakes  that 

""""'■  can  set  up  any  pretension  of  rivalry  in  this  branch  of  trade. 

.  What  are  the  relative  merits  of  these  towns  for  the  exchange  af  agricultural 
of  ^thesT"  ^  products  for  the  manufactures  of  Europe  and  the  eastern  States  ?  The  claims  of 
towns.  Cleveland,  in  this  respect,  have  already  been  considered  ;  and  to  some  extent,  also, 

those  of  Maumee. 
Cleveland  The    control  of  Cleveland  south  and  south-east,  embraces  a  country  of  about 

area.  40,000  square  miles ;  being  a  quarter  larger  than   Ireland.     For  early  spring  sup- 

plies,   and   light    goods,   this    domain    may   be    invaded    from   Philadelphia   and 
Baltimore ;  but  for  the  shipments  east,  and  the  bulk  of  goods  from  New  York   and 
Europe,  it  belongs  legitimately  to  Cleveland. 
Maumee  Maumee  will  have  in  this  trade  the  chief  control  of  not  less  than  100,000  square 

area.  miles— say  12,000  iu  Ohio,  30,000  in  Kentucky,  30,000  in  Indiana,  10,000  in  Illinois, 

13,000  in  Tennessee,  5,000  in  Mississippi  and  Alabama,  and  5,000  in  Michigan — to 
say  nothing  of  her  claim  on  small  portions  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas.     This  domain 
is  half  as  large  as  the  kingdom  of  France,  and  twice  as  fertile. 
Maomee  ^he  Miami   canal,    connecting  Maumee  with   Cincinnati,  will,  with  that   part  of 

canals.  the  Wabash  and  Erie  which  forms  the  common  trunk  after  their  junction,  be  two 

hundred  and  thirty-five  miles  long.  The  Wabash  and  Erie  canal,  from  Maumee 
to  Terre  Haute,  will  be  three  hundred  miles  long.  Of  this,  all  but  thirty-six  miles 
at  its  northern  extremity,  will  be  in  operation  the  present  season.  By  means  of 
these  canals,  and  the  rivers  with  which  they  communicate,  great  part  of  this 
extensive  region  will  enjoy  the  advantage  of  a  cheap  water  transport  for  its 
rapidly  increasing  surplus. 
Chi.  may  Chicago,  on  the  completion  of  the  Illinois  canal,  may  command,  in  its  exchange 

equal  M.  in   of  agricultural  for  manufactured  products,  an  extent  of  territory  as  large  as  that 
^^'^^'  controlled  by  Maumee.     Admitting  it  to  be  larger,  and  of  this   our  readers  must 

Not  equal  in  judge  for  themselves,  it  does  not  seem  to  us  probable  that  within  forty-seven  years 
4"  years.        it  can  even  aproximate,  iu  population  or  wealth,  to  the  comparatively  old  and  well- 
peopled  territory  that  comes  within  the  range  of  the  commercial  influence  of  Mau- 
Chi  in  future  naee.     We  have  not  sufficient  data  on  which  to  calculate  the  extent  of  country  that 
power  un-      will  come  under  the   future  commercial  power  of  Chicago.     That  it  is  to   be  very 
-nown.         great,  seems  probable,  from  the  fine  position  of  that  port  in  reference  to  the  lake, 
and  an  almost  interminable  country  south-west,  west,  and  north-west  of  it.     An 
Canal  to        extension  of  the  Illinois  canal,  to  the  mouth  of  Rock  river,  seems  destined  to  give 
"^     ^*°  'her  the   control   of  the  eastern  trade  throughout   the  whole  extent  of  the  upper 
Mississippi,  except  what  she  now  has  by  means  of  the  Illinois  river.     She  will  also 
probably  participate  with   Maumee  in  the  lake  trade  with  the  Missouri  river  and 
Chi.  only'      St.  Louis.     On  the  whole,  we  deem  Chicago  alone,  of  all  the  lake  towns,  entitled 
rival  of  M.    ^g  dispute  future  preeminence  with  Maumee.     The  time  may  come,  after  the  period 
After  47  y.     under  consideration,  when  the  extent  and  high  improvement  of  the  country  making 
^jy^""*"™^ Chicago  its  mart  for  commercial  operations,  may  enable  it  at  least  to  sustain   the 
°'  second  place  among  the  great  towns   of  the  North  American    valley,    if  not   to 

dispute  preeminence  with  the  first. 
Superior  When  we  properly  consider  the  future  populousness   of  our  great  valley;  the 

of  m"'^^°*    tendency  of  modern  improvements  to  build  up  large  towns  ;  the  great  and  increas- 
ing inclination  of  population  and  trade  to  and  through  the  lakes,  and  the  decided 
advantages  which  Maumee  possesses  over  any  other  lake   port,  we  need  not  fear 
being  over  sanguine  in  anticipating  for  the  leading  town  on   that  port  a  growth 
unrivaled,  by  any  city  whose  history  has  been  recorded. 
Conclusions   _    The  conclusions  to  which  we  have  come,  in  this  and  the  preceding  articles  on 
not  popular,  internal  trade,  are  not  expected  to  be  universally  or  generally  acceptable.     Many 
of  them  run  counter  to  the  hopes  and  preconceived  opinions  of  too  many  persons 
p^j  .  for  us  to  expect  that  they  will  be  considered   with  candor,  or  judged   with  impar- 

trover'tible'."  *''^^i*^y-  The  facts  therein  contained  will  be  encountered  with  less  alacrity.  On 
these  we  rely.  For  these  we  ask  a  dispassionate  and  fair  examination..  If 
other  and  different  conclusions  are  deducible  from  them  than  those  we  have 
drawn,  it  would  give  us  pleasure  to  acknowledge  our  error,  and  correct  it.     But  if. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  313 

after  a  thorough  examination  of  the  subject,  we  have  gone  beyond  the  anticipa- l-ot  critics  bo 
tions  of  men,  who,  with  more  ability,  have  bestowed  much   less  thought  on  it,  let  "^"  erat<?. 
them  not  condemn  merely  because  our  conclusions  seem   to  them  extravagant ;  but 
let  them   examine  for  themselves,  or,  if  they  will  not  do  that,  let  them  hesitate  Not  give 
before  they  pass  a  hasty  judgment  on  what  we  have  investigated  with  the  utmost  j^^^^^''"''^' 
care,  and  with  an  earnest  desire  to  arrive  at  the  truth. 

The  concluding  paragraph  presents  both  the  noble  spirit  in  which  this  NoUb  spirit, 
profound  examination  was  conducted,  and  the  gist  of  the  argument.     Based 
upon  facts,  fticts  as  they  then  existed,  exhibiting  fairly  and  conclusively  the 
superiority  of  the  lake  to  the  river  basin  ;  have  not  the  twenty-five  succeed-  ui7i',e'^f  bj"25 
ing  years  abundantly  confirmed  the  deductions  from  preexisting  facts  and  r];'J'ce.*''^^^ 
changes  ?     Yet  these  very   opinions   and   statements,   although   a  quarter 
century  old,  were  scarcely  more  discredited  in  their  origin  than  they  are  to- "  ' 
day,  by  the  mass  of  our  countrymen,  and  even  a  large  proportion   of  our 
own  Citizens.     Nor  is  any  other  argument  needed  now  to  demonstrate  the  "^"i,!"™™* 
moderation  and  reasonableness  of  these  views,  than  this  with  two  or  three  *''''*'®  '''®^^^- 
corrections,  not  of  the  facts,  but  of  their  application.     Mr.  Scott  in   com- 
paring the  Chicago  route  with  Maumee,  made  distance  the  criterion,  which  Mr.  Scotfs 
largely  favored  the   latter  in  consequence  of  the  detour  of  the  lakes  north-  take. 
ward.     Then  Pittsburgh  and  Maumee  were  compared  as  to  expense.*     The 
mistake  was  in  not  making  time  and  expense  together    the    elements   of 
calculation. 

The  chief  error,  however,  lay  in  miscalculating  the   rapidity  of  changes  Rapidity  of 

.  .  ...  changes  not 

in  favor  of  Chicago.     His  careful  study  and   far-sighted  vision,  discerned  calculated, 
changes   that  would  probably  intervene  in  favor  of  Chicago   after   1890. 
But  they  have  come  in  less  than   half  the  time  named,  in  consequence  of 
multiplying  railways  as  by  a  magician's  wand.     Even  my  own   predictions,  My  own  pre- 

.,,,''  ,  PI  PI  !•  »Ti  dictions  too 

Wild  as  they  were  esteemed,  were  tar  short  oi  the  reality.     And  as  the  next  moderate, 
step  to  sound  judgment  concerning  future  relative  power  of  the  chief  inte- 
rior city  compared  with  that  of  the  sea-board,  let  us  consider  the — 

Power  of  the  Railway  to  Develope  and  Centralize.  devek>p?and 

centralize. 

Since  time  began,  no  such  power  as  the  railway  to  develope   the   hidden  No  other 

,.,  ii-iT-i-iT_  1  equal  power. 

resources  ot  a  country,  and  give  them  world-wide  distribution,  lias  been  known 

to  man.     Nor  was  it  ever  brought  to  bear  upon  such  another  region  as  the  No  such  area 

°  ^  .  .  .  to  work 

Great  Interior.     Somewhat  of  the  nature  and  capacity  of  this  section  we  upon. 
have  learned.     It  seems  to  have  been  kept  back  by  Providence  from  occu- Kept  back 
pation,  until  both  railway  and  telegraph  should  have   been  brought  into  and  teie- 
existence  to  connect  all  parts  of  the  civilized  world  with  this  storehouse  of  " 
nature's    richest    treasures.     Midway    between    the    ancient    Orient   and 


*  At  the  Harbor  and  River  Convention  held  here  in  1847, 1  sought  out  Mr.  Scott  and  told  him  of  my  ,,    q    xi    j 
collecting  materials  to  answer  his  papers  in  Hunt,  pointing  out  his  mistake.     He  inquired  how,  and  upon  mittej  tjje 
explanatioQ  at  once  admitted  that  Chicago  must  be  the  great  City  ;  and  ten  years  after  he  published  the  mistake, 
paper,  p.  320,  in  our  favor.     But  my  engagements  then  and  for  several  years  in  individual  concerns 
precluded  the  preparation  of  the  answer. 


o;^4r  Power  of  the  Railway  to  Develope  and   Centralize. 

Am.  in  con-  Occident,  the  Occident  now  our  Orient,  and  the  Orient  our  Occident,  it  is 
made  our  glorious  duty  to  develope  and  employ  the  wealth  which  ages  have 
been  appointed  to  gather,  that  it  might  be  used  in  these  years  of  wonderful 
progress  to  advance  the  best  good  of  man,  the  highest  glory  of  our  God. 

Wemmtseo      However   careless  or   ignorant   we  may  be   concerning  our   destiny,  we 

'**'  cannot  altogether  close  our  eyes  to   the   remarkable  occurrences  along  our 

pathway,  in  which  we  are  chief  performers,  and  the   result  of  which  is  so 

Providence    unmistakable.    We  can  no  more  fail  to  recognize  the  direction  of  Providence 

directs.  ,^  man's  work  than  in  that  of  nature.  As  remarked  pp.  40,  41,  these 
individual,  soulless  corporations,  each  seeking  its  own  special  interests,  have 

Roads  right- yet  operated  so  directly  for  the  public  good,  that  we  could  scarcely  desire 
any  important  change  in  any  existing  line  of  railway.     Not  yet  forty  years 

since  first  have  clapscd  since  the  first  horse-power  railroads  of  Quiucy,  three  miles  for 
stone,  and  Mauch  Chunk  nine  miles  for  coal,  were  built,  and  under  the 
next   topic   we   shall  ascertain  present  progress.     Yet  even  now  no  other 

Northwest    equal  area  on  the  globe  has  either  so  many  miles  of  railway,   or  the  lines  so 

dated.  admirably  located  to  accommodate  the  country  traversed,  as  this  north  east- 

ern  quarter   of    the   Great    Plain    between    the    x\Ueghany    and     Rocky 

Agricultural  Mountains.     This  is  that  region  whose  agricultural  products  already  astonish 

product    uu-  1111 

example^—  statisticians,  though   not  one  or  twenty  acres  has  yet  been  touched  by  the 

plough ;  but  which  the  railways  are  peopling  with  such  rapidity,  that  were 

—supply  the  the  scttlcrs  to  be  restricted  to  agriculture,  they  would  soon  glut  the  markets 

worl3. 

of  the  world. 

M.?i\T!^  of  But  to   save  from  this  calamity,   nature  has  here    showered  in    equal 

profusion,  as  we  have  seen,  the  chief  essentials  of  manufacture ;  and  in 
conjunction,  art   supplies    by    her    railways    and    water     communication, 

Gathering     abundant  facilities  to  bring  together   materials,  and  to  interehauo-e  amongr 

an  I  diftribu-  .  .  o  o 

tiug facilities  ourselves,  and  also  to  transport  to  various  regions  of  our  country,  and  to 
the  whole  world,  all  such  products  as  we  can  most  advantageously  produce. 

Duty  to  To  develop  these  advantages  and  employ  them  in  the  most  active,  efficacious 
way  for  man's  benefit,  is  made  our  first  duty,  and  the  evidence  of  our 
regard  for  the  Creator.     What  we  do  for  ourselves  and  for  our  race,  it  is 

WiTafver!  ^"^ViQ,  must  be  done  under  a  sense  of  our  obligation  to  the  Infinite  Giver, 
or  we  fail  to  come  up  to  our  privileges  as  co-workers  with  our  God.  But 
that  sense  of  obligation  is  all  that  the  Creator  requires  of  us  in  perform- 
ance to  Himself;  and  should  this  be  difficult  for  recipients  of  such 
unexampled    benefactions  ?     Yet   even  the   measure  of    our  realization  of 

Work  for  our  God's  goodness,  is  determined  by  what  we  do  for  our  fellow-man.     Let  the 

follow-maii.  ,  ^       ^  ,  .  .  „, 

doubter  Study  James,  on  this  point.     Ihe  soul  is  only  reached  through  the 

body,  and  every  effort  made  to  benefit  the  physical  condition  of  man,  is  a 

Aco-w.,rki;r  Very  direct    means    to  adopt  to  advance    the  glory   of    our  God.       We 

with  God.  .      ^     „    ^,.  i-  i  ,        .  , 

need  or  all  things  to  realize  these  truths,  in  order  to  properly  fulfill  our 
duties  and  faithfully  employ  the  means  our  God  has  given  us  to  promote 
His  own  great  work,  the  advancement  of  our  race. 


Past,  Present  and  Fuhire  of  Chicago  Investments.  315 

For  tills  work  no  such  means  have  been  entrusted  to  man  as  the  railway.  Railway  and 
and  its  liand-maid,  the  telegraph.     What  could  answer  more  specifically  to  iiest  means. 
Daniel's  vision  and  prophecy,  that  "many  shall  run  to  and  fro,  and  knowl- ^i"-  ^"-  A- 
edge  shall  be  increased?"     While  we  build  them  to  make  our  dollars,  as  is 
our  duty,  will  it  detract  from  their  profit  to  recognize   our  duty  to  God  in  Pecuniary 

•"  i  o  ^  profit  least 

their    construction  ?     Will  it  diminish  the  satisfaction  of  pecuniary   profit 
to  well  apprehend  the  truth,  that  that  is  the  least  of  railway  benefits  ? 

The  effect  of  railways  in  the  West  is  a  most  difficult  matter  of  judgment.  "VY-    raiiwaj 

•'  .     ,  progress 

Being  yet  in  its  first-half  century  of  existence,  and  most  of  that  period  difflruit  to 
confined  to  old  settled  regions,  starting  from  one  prominent  town  to  run  to 
another;  we  can  hardly  judge  therefrom  what  the  effect  is  to  be  in  a  new 
country.     All  the  criteria  worth  a  straw  are  supplied  alone  by  the  West. 
Especially  as  to  the  development  of  the  country  is  the  West  a  measure  to  its  own 

.  .  .  110  •T-1  L     measure. 

itself.     Of  what   value  is  experience   in    our  old  btates,  or  in  Jijurope,  to 
estimate  progress  here  ? 

Nor  do  we  lack  experience  of  our  own.     The  difficulty  is  our  application  ourexperi- 
of  it,  and  our  incredulity  in  following  it  out  to  its  legitimate   results.     In 
that  eminently  National  work,  the  U.  S.  Census,  in  a  very  able  introduction  u.  s.  census 

''  ....  .  i860. 

of  clxxii  pp.  to  the  agricultural  volume  considering  the  various  questions 
afi"ecting  this  chief  interest  of  our  country,  and  toward  the  conclusion^ 
"Influence  of  Railroads  upon  Agriculture"  is  presented,  which  is  very 
naturally  confined  to  the  West.  After  showing  that  railroads  have  in  no  way 
injured  agriculture,  the  demand  even  for  horses  having  been  augmented,  Mr.  Ed- 
Mr.  Edmunds  observes  : — 

We   now   proceed  to    show    the  positive    advantages    which   all   departments    of  Positive 
agriculture  have  derived  from  the  construction  of  railroads.     So  great  are  their  t'epefits  of 
benefits,  that  if  the  entire  cost  of  railroads  between  the  Atlantic  and  Western  States ''''''''^'*y^~ 
had  been  levied  on  the  farmers  of  the  central  west,  their  proprietors  could  have 
paid  it  and  been  immensely  the  gainers.     This  proposition  will  become  evident  if 
we  look  at  the  modes  in  which  railroads  have  been  beneficial;  especially  in  the —special    to 
grain    growing  States.     These   modes   are,  first,  in   doing  what   could    not    have  ^™'°   ^'^''^' 
been  efiected   without  them  ;   second,  in  securing  to   the  producer   very  nearly  the  Means  of 
prices  of  the  Atlantic  markets,  which   is  greatly  in    advance    of  what    could   have  Ijenefit. 
been  had  on  his  farm  ;  and  third,   by  thus  enabling  the  producer  to  dispose  of  his 
products  at  the  best  prices  at  all  times,  and  to  increase  rapidly  both  the  settlement 
and  the  annual  production   of  the  Interior  States.     A  moment's  reference  to  the 
statistics  of  internal  commerce  will  illustrate  these   effects  so  that  we  can  see  the 
vast  results  which  railroads  have  produced  on   the  wealth  and  production  of  the 
country. 

If  we  examine  the  routes  and  tonnage  of  the  trade  between  the  Atlantic   cities  No  other 
and  the  central  western  States,  we  shall  find  some  general  results  which  will  prove  means    ade- 
the  utter  incapacity  of  all  other  modes  of  conveyance  to  carry  on  that  trade  without  '^^'^  ®" 
the  aid  of  railroads. 

A  comparison  is  instituted  between  the  tonnage  of  canals  and  railways  canais  and 
in  1862,  and  Mr.  Edmunds  remarks  : — 

It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  railroads  not  only  cari-y  two-thirds  of  the  freights  Railroads 
to  and  from  the  West  at  the  present  time,  but  .that  such  is  the  rapid  increase  of  carry  two- 
western  products,  and  the  surplus  carried  to  Atlantic  or  foreign  markets,  that  the  *''"''**• 
time  is  near  when  all  that  can  be  carried  by  water  will  be  but  a  small  proportion 
of  the   whole.     The  transportation  by  wagons  is  no  longer  possible  to  carry  the 


gjg  Power  of  the  Railway  to  Develojpe  and   Centralize. 

surplus  products  of  the  Interior  States  to  either  foreign  or  domestic   markets.     In 
fine    in  the  absence  of  railways,  the   cultivation  of  grain  beyond  the  immediate 
dis^^WeV  wants  of  the  people  must  cease,  or  the   surplus  perish  in  the  fields.     Such  was 
exactly  the  state  of  things  in  the  West  before  the  general  introduction  of  railroads. 
The  orain-fields  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  beyond  the  Mississippi,  have  been 
wist  market  mainty  cultivated  because  railroads  made  their  products  marketable  and  profitable. 
In  one  word,  railroads  have  done  what  could  not  have  been  done  without  them. 
Railroads   secured  to    the    producer    very    nearly    the    prices    of    the    Atlantic 
fa'rme?*       markets,   which   was   greatly   in   advance  of   any   price   which   could   possibly  be 
profits.  obtained  in   western  markets.     It  might  be  supposed   that  if    the    carriage  of  a 

bushel  of  grain  fi'om  Sandusky  to  New  York  was  reduced  from  forty  cents  a  bushel 
to  twenty  cents,  the  gain  of  twenty  cents  would  inure,  in  part  at  least,  to  the  con- 
sumer ;  but  experience  shows  this  is  not  the  fact.     This  gain  of  twenty  cents  inures 
to  the  producer.     In  proof  of  this  it  will  be  sufficient  to  adduce  two  or  three  well 
V  Y       ■      known  facts.     The  prices  of  flour  and  meat  at  New  York  (estimating  them  at  the 
not  reduced,  gold   standard)  have  not   been  reduced  in  the  least,  notwithstanding   the   immense 
quantities  of  the  products  of  grain  imported  into  that  city.     On  the  other  hand  the 
A,  n-  prices  at  Cincinnati,  on  the  Ohio,  have  doubled,  and  in  some  articles,  such  as  pork, 

dnibied  and  have  trebled.     The  great  bulk  of  the  gain  caused  by  the  cheapness  of  transporta- 
^^^^-  tion  has  gone  to  the  producer.     This  depends  on  a  general  principle,  which  must 

Old  country  continue  to  operate  for  many  years.     The  older  a  country  is,  the  more  civic  and  the 
to  be  fed.      less  rural  it  becomes.     That  is,  the  greater  will  be  the  demand  for  food,  and  the 
less  the  production     The  competition  of  the  consumer   for  food  is   greater  than 
that  of  the  producer  for  price.     Hence  it  is  that  Europe,  an  old  country,  filled  with 
cities,  makes  a  continual  demand  on  this  country  for  food.     Hence  it  is  that  New 
England  and  New  York,    continually  filling  up  with  manufacturers,  artisans,  and 
cities,  must  be  supplied  with  increased   quantities  of  food  from  the  interior  West. 
Prices  can-     -A-^d  hence,  while  this  is  the  case,  prices  cannot  fall  in  the  great  markets.     Hence 
not  fall.        it  is  that  the  cheapening  of  transportation  inures  to  the  benefit  of  the  agricultural 
NewEno--      producer.     New   England  consumes   more  than  a  million  barrels  of  western  flour, 
land  flour      The  transportation  is   cheapened  a  doUer  per  barrel;  and  thus,  in  New  England 
increased       alone,  in  the  single  item  of  flour,  a  million  of  dollars  net  profit   is  put  into   the 
profit.'       ^^  pockets  of  the  western  farmer  by  the  competition  of  railroads  ;  for  a  large  portion 
of  tliis  flour  is  carried  over  the  Massachusetts  Western  railroad.     It  is  entirely 
true   that  the  manufacturer  of  New  England   shares,  on  his  side,  in  the   gain  of 
cheap  transportation;  but  we  are  here  considering  simply  the  influence  of  railroads 
on  agriculture. 
, .  ,         In  the  western  markets  the  gain  to  the  farmer  is  palpable  in  the  enhanced  prices 
in  West.        of  every  article.     At  Cincinnati,  in  1848  and  1849,  (which   was   the   beginning  of 
the   greatest  railroad  enterprise)  the  average  price  of  hogs  was  $3  per  hundred. 
In  1860  and  1861  it  was  double  that,  and  has  continued  to  increase.     This  was  a 
Ohio  $3  000-'^®*'  giiii  to  the  farmers  of  Ohio  alone  of  from  three  to  four  millions  of  dollars.     In 
000   gain  in  the  entire  west  it  was  a  profit  of  more  than  twenty  millions  on  this   single  animal, 
hogs  For  if  there  were  now  no  railroads,  this   product  could  not  be  carried   to    market 

except  on  foot,  which  would  take  away  half  the  value.  No  further  illustration  of 
West,  prices  t'^'s  point  need  be  made.  Take  the  market  prices  of  New  York  and  Boston,  on  the 
grown  to  Atlantic,  and  of  St.  Louis  and  Cincinnati,  in  the  West,  at  an  interval  of  twenty 
^^^^-  years,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  the  cheap  prices  of  the  West  have  gradually  approxi- 

mated to  the  high  prices  of  the  East,  and  this  solely  in  consequence  of  cheapening 
the  cost  of  transportation,  which  inures  to  the  benefit  of  the  fanner. 
Railroads  Ey  thus    giving  the  farmer  the  benefit  of  the  best  markets   and  highest  prices, 

stimulate      railroads  have  increased  the  agricultural  productions  of  the  interior  States  beyond 
agncu  lure    anything  heretofore    known    in   the    world.     We    have    already    shown    that   this 
increased  production,  or  rather  its  surplus,  could  not  have  been  carried  to  market 
without  the  aid  of  railroads,  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  whole   being  carried  off 
by  that  means.     Let  us  now  reverse  this  operation  and  we  find,  on  the  other  hand, 
Especially     that  railroads  have  stimulated  and  increased  production.     The  Northwestern  States 
in  N.  W.       are  those  in  which  the  influence  of  railroads  on  agriculture  is  most  obvious. 
West,  built       In  the  five  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  and  Wisconsin  there  were 
since  I860,     comparatively  few  miles  of  railroad  prior  to  1850;   but  from  1830  to  1860  the  con- 
struction of  roads  was  most  rapid.     In  1850  there  were  only  1,275  miles  of  railroad 
Effect  of       in   those  States,   but  in   1860  there  were  9,616  miles.     Let  us  now   examine  the 
railways.       profits  of  those  States  in  1850  and  1860,  and  see  how  the  progress  of  railroads  has 
eustained  and  stimulated  agricultural  production.     The  following  tabic  show^  the 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments. 


317 


increase  of  the-  principal  vegetable  and   animal  production   in    the  five   States  of 
Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  and  Wisconsin  in  the  ten  years  from  1850  to  1860  : 


In  1850. 
bushels. 

In  1860. 
bushels. 

Produce  five 
Increase  ^6^"' 
per  cent,  increase  per 

cent. 

Wheat 

39,848,495 

177,320,441 

32,660,251 

13,417,896 

3,438,000 

79,798,163 

280,268,862 

51,043,334 

27,181,692 

5,371,000 

100 

Corn 

58 

Oats 

■50 

Potatoes 

100 

Cattle 

59 

This  increase  is  decidedly  beyond  that  of  the  population;  showing  that  the  Greater 
products  of  agriculture  are,    in  those  States,  profitable.     The  aggregate  in  those  Jljj^"  poptilar 
States  of  wheat,  rye,  corn,  flats,   barley  and  buckwheat,  in  1850  was  255,240,444 
bu.,  in  1800  was  422,369,719  bushels. 

Then  the  concentrated  form  into  which   corn   is  put,  in   pork,  beef  and  Com  concen- 
whisky,  is  considered ;  and  prices  at  Cincinnati  in  1826,  '35,  '53,  '60,  show 
that  flour    doubled,   corn    increased    four-fold,   hogs    three-fold,   and    lard 
double.     The  benefit  of  obtaining   distant  manufactures   is  presented,  and 
Mr.  Edmunds  remarks  : — 

Again,    the   influence    of  railroads   on  the  value  of  farming  lands  is   too   great  Farming 
and  striking  not  to  have  been  noticed   by  all   intelligent  persons.     We  have,  how-  j^JJ^gg^"' 
ever,    some  remarkable  instances  of  the   specific   effect  of  certain  railroads  ;   we 
have,  for  example,  the  immediate  eifect  produced  on  the   lands   of  Illinois   by  the  111.  Cent 
Illinois  Central  railroad.     That  company  received   from  the  government  a  large  ^-  ^• 
body  of  laud   at  a  time  when  the  government  could  not  sell  it  at  $1.25  per  acre. 
Since  then  the  company  has   constructed  its  road  and  sold  a  large   part  of  those  Lands  worth' 
lands   at  an  average  of  $11  per   acre,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  lands  of  lUiaois  *^^- 
is  fully  worth  that.     Notwithstanding  the  rapid   growth   of  population,  the   larger  Due  to 
part  of  this  advance  is  due  to  railroads.     The   following  table  shows  the   advance  railroads, 
(by  the  census  tables)  of  the  cash  value  of  farms  in  the  five   States  mentioned  in 
the  ten  years  from  1850  to  1860. 

1850  1860 

Ohio $358,758,602  $666,564,171  Advance  of 

Illinois 96,133,290  -432,531,072  f'*™^ '^^g^O 

Indiana 136,385,173  344,902,776  iseo.' 

Michigan 51,872,446  163,279,087 

Wisconsin 28,528,563  131,117,082 

Aggregate $671,678,075  $1,738,394,188 

Increase  in  ten  (10)  years $1,066,716,113  $^066,716,- 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  one  half  this  increase  has  been  caused  by  rail- Hulf  effect  of 
roads,  for,  we   experience  already  the   impcssibility  of  conveying   off  the  surplus  ''''  "^^'^^• 
products  of  the  interior  with  our  railroads.     Putting  the  increase  of  value  due  to 
railroads  at  a  little  more  than  one-third,  we  have  four  hundred  millions  of  dollars 
added  to  the  cash  value  of  farms  in  these  five  States  by  the  construction  of  rail- 
roads.    This  fact  will  be  manifest  if  it  is  considered  that  the  best  lands  of   Illinois  Land $1.25 
were  worth  but  a  dollar  and  a  quarter   per  acre  prior  to  the   construction  of  rail-  now  $20. 
roads,    and    are    now    worth   twenty    dollars.     We    need  not  pursue   this  subject 
further.     If  the   effect  on  the  central  western  States  has  been  so  great,  it  is  still  West  of 
greater  in  the  new  States  which  lie  beyond  the  Mississippi.     They  are  still  further  Mis^.  s^tiH^^ 
from  market,  and  will  be  enriched  in  a  greater  ratio   by  the  facilities  of  transpor-  ^bK 
lation.     Indeed  railroads  are  the  only  means  by  which  the  distant  parts  of  this 
country  could  have  been  commercially  united,  and  thus  the  railroad  has  become  a 
mighty  means  of  Wealth,  Unity,  and  Stability. 


318  Power  of  the  Railway  to  Devehi^e  and  Centralize. 

Benefit  of         Mr.  Edmunds'  views  are  unquestionable ;  and  thougli  he  does  not  say  it, 
^kuhure?yet  the  result  is  inevitable;  that  agriculture,  more  than  any  other  department 
of  labor,  is  benefited  by  railways.     This  must  indefinitely  be  the  predom- 
This  chief  in  inating  interest  of  the  West.     Besides  a  virgin  soil  of  unsurpassed  fertility 
**'■  and  ease  of  tillage,  no  department  of  industry  is  deriving  more  benefit  from 

inventions  of  machinery  to  save  labor  and  time,  and  in  none  is  the  face  of 
the  country  and  the  nature  of  the  soil  better  adapted  to  their  use.     AVith  even 
Feed  Europe  present  means  of  transportation  we  can  feed  western  Europe  cheaper  than 
Mouths        can  any  other  country.     But,  as  Mr.  Scott  argued,  p.  302,  the  mouths  are 
come  CO   •  j.^  gQ  j^^  ^^^g  food,  and  more  and  more  who  depend  upon  the  West  will  come 
from  the  old  States  and  from  Europe,  and  for  their  food  and  clothing,  do 
their  part  to  develope  the  Grreat  Interior.     Arguing  as  we  do,  and  must, 
nrni.  s.  B.  from  the  past  to  the  future,  the  report  of  Hon.  S.  B.  Buggies,  Delegate 
port^to^  Ber^  from  the  United  States  to  the  International  Statistical  Congress  at  Berlin, 
Progress  of"  in  1863,  Supplies  valuable  information.     After  examining  area  and  progress 
'  '  of  population  of  the  United  States,  "advance  in  the  material  wealth"  is 

considered,  which,  excluding  slaves,  was  ^8,048,825,840  ;  the  official  valua- 
tion having  been  in  1850,  86,174,780,000;  and  in  1860,  814,222,618,068; 
and  Mr.  B.  continues  : — 

10  years'  The  advance,  even  if  reduced  to   $8,048,825,840,  is  sufficiently  large  to   require 

increase  of    the  most  attentive  examination.     It  is  an   increase  of  property  over  the  valuation 
property.       ^^  1850  of  130  per  cent.,  while  the  increase  of  population  in  the  same  decade  was 

but  35.99  per  cent.     In  seeking  for  the  cause  of  this  discrepancy,  we  shall  reach  a 

fundamental  and  all-important  fact,  which  will  furnish  the  key  to  the  past  and  to 
Cause  rail-  the  future  progress  of  the  United  States.  It  is  the  power  they  possess,  bj-  means 
ways  and  of  camils  and  railways,  to  practically  abolish  the  distauce  between  the  seaboard  and 
cana  8.  j^j^g  wide  spread  and  fertile  regions  of  the  interior,  thereby  removing  the  clog  on  their 

agricultural  industry,  and  virtually  placing  them  side  by  side  with  the  communities 
ll,ai2  miles  on  the  Atlantic.  During  the  decade  ending  in  1860,  the  sum  of  $413,541,510  was 
iu  West  1850,  expended"  within  the  limits  of  the  interior  central  group,  known  as  the  "food  ex- 
^  porting  States,"  in  constructing  11,212  miles  of  railwav  to  connect  them  with  the 

seaboard';     The  traffic  receipts  from  these  roads  were  in  1860,  $31,335,031  ;  in  1861, 

$35,305,509  ;  in  1862,  $44,908,405. 
Saved  Tlie  saving  to  the  communities  themselves  in  the  transportation,  for  which  they 

$44,9(18,405    paid  $4-f, 908,405,  was   at  least  five   times  that  amount;   while  the  increase  in  the 
tetlon"^^'^'^'  ^^PO'"'-^  from  that  portion  of  the  Union  greatly  animated  not  only  the  commerce  of 

the  Atlantic  States,  carrying  those  exports  over  their  railways  to  the  seaboard,  but 

the  manufacturing  industry  of  the  Eastern  States,  that  exchange  the  fabrics  of  their 

workshops  for  the  food  of  the  interior. 
Increase  of      By  carefully  analyzing  the  $8,048,825,840  in  question,  we  find  that  the  six  manu- 
each section,  facturing  States  of  New  England   received  $735,754,244  of  the  amount;  that  the 

Middle  Atlantic,  or  carrying  and  commercial  States,  from  New  York  to   Maryland 

inclusive,  recived  $1,834,911,579,  and  that  the  food-producing  interior  itself,  em- 
West,  Si-  bracing  the  eight  great  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  Wisconsin, 
810.000,000.    Minnesota,  Iowa.and  Missouri,  received  $2,810,000,000.     This  very  large  accession 

of  wealth  to  this  single  group  of  States  is  sufficiently  important  to  be  stated  more 
States  de-  in  detail.  The  group,  taken  as  a  whole,  extends  from  the  western  boundaries  of 
scribed.         ]^evf  York  and  Pennsylvania  to  the   Missouri  river,  through  fourteea  degrees  of 

longitude,  and' from  the  Ohio  river  north  to  the  British  dominions,  througli  twelve 
441,167  sq.  degrees  of  latitude.  It  embraces  an  area  of  441,167  square  miles,  or  2»2, 134,688 
imlee.  acres,  nearly  all  of  which  is  arable  and  exceedingly  fertile,  much    of  it  in  prairie 

and  ready  at  once  for  the  plough.     There  may  be  a  small  portion  adjacent  to  Lake 

Superior  unfit  for  cultivation,  but  it  is  abundantly  compensated  by  its  rich  deposits 

of  copper  and  of  iron  of  the  best  quality. 


Past,    Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  319 

Into  this  immense  natural  garden,  in  a  salubrious  and  desirable  portion  of  the  Increase  of 
temperate  zone,  the  swelling  stream  of  population  from  the  older  Atlantic  States,  pc'p'il*tion. 
and   from    Europe,    has    steadily    flowed   during  the  last   decade,    increasing    its 
previous  population  from  5,403,595  to  8,957,690,  an  accession  of  3,554,095  inhabi-  ^.?^''(Vt 
tants  gained  by  the  peaceful  conquest  of  nature,  fully  equal  to  the  population  of    '"''  ' 
Silesia,  which  cost  Frederick  the  Great  the   seven  years'  war,  and  exceeding  that 
of  Scotland,  the  subject  of  struggle  for  centuries. 

The  rapid  influx  of  population  into  liiis   group  of  States   increased  the  quantity  Increase  of 
of  the  "improved"  land,   thereby  meaning  farms  more  or  less  cultivated,   within  *^^*'''"'*- 
their  limits,  from  26,080,361  acres  in  1850,  to  51,826,395  acres  in  1800,  but  leaving 
a  residue  yet  to  be  improved,  of  230,308,293  acres.     The  area  of  25,140,054  acres  25,146,054 
thus  taken  in  ten  years  from  the  prairie  and  the  forest  is  equal  to  seven-eightlis  of  ''','^"^^.  '"  ^^ 
the  arable  area  of  England,  stated  by  its  political  economists  to  be  28,00i),000  of  ^^'^  ^' 
acres. 

The  area  embraced  in  the  residue  will  permit  a  similar  operation  to  be  repeated  Capacity  8- 
eight  times  successively,  plainly  demonstrating  the  capacity  of  this  group  of  States  '^^^'^  ^^^^' 
to    expand  their    present    population   of  8,957,690  to  at  least  thirty,  if  not  forty 
millions  of  inhabitants,  without  inconvenience. 

The  efi"ects   of  this  influx  of  population  in  increasing  the  pecuniary  wealth  as  Wealth  in- 
well  as  the  agricultural  products  of  the  States  in  question,  are  signally  manifest  in '''■•^^^*'^~ 
the    census.      The    assessed  value  of   their  real  and  personal  property   ascended 
from  $1,110,000,000  in  1850  to  $3,926,000,000  in  1860,  showing  a  clear  increase  of  -52,810,000,- 
$2,810,000,000.     We  can  best  measure  this  rapid  and  enormous  accession  of  wealth  *^'^'^' 
by  comparing  it  with  an  object  which  all  nations  value,  the  commercial  marine. 
The  commercial  tonnage  of  the  United  States  was  in  1840  2,180,764  tons,  in  1850 
3,535,454  tons,  in  1860  5,358,808  tons. 

At  $50   per  ton,  which   is    a  full  estimate,    the  whole   pecuniary    value  of  the  Anr.iial 
5,358,808  tons,  embracing  all  our  commercial  fleets  on  the  oceans  and  the  lakes  and 'V'-'^''''*''.   ,„ 
the  rivers,  and  numbering  nearly  thirty  thousand  vessels,  would  be  but  1:520 <, 940,-  commercial 
000 ;  whereas,  the  increase  in  the  pecuniary  value  of  the  States  under  consideration,  mariue. 
in  each  year   of  the  last  decade,  was   $281,000,000.     Five  years  increase   would 
purchase  every  commercial  vessel  in  the  Christian  world. 

But   tlie    crnsus    discloses  another   very   important  feature  in   respect  to  these  Cap'xcity  to 
Interior  States,    of  far  higher  interest  to  the  statisticians,  and   especially  to   the  ^^''^  ^    °°  ' 
statesmen  of  Europe,  than  any  which  has  yet  been  noticed,  in  their  vast  and  rapidly 
increasing    capacity    to    supply    food,    both    vegetable    and    animal,    cheaply  and 
abundantly,  to  the  increasing  millions  of  the  Old  World.     In  the  last  decade  their  Increase  of 
cereal  products  increased  from  309,95(1,595  bushels  to  558.160,323  bushels,  consider-  "cereals, 
ably  exceeding  the  whole  cereal  products  of  England,  and  nearly,  if  not  quite,  equal 
to  that  of  France.     In  the  same  period,  the  swine,  who   play  a  very  important  part  Swine. 
in  consuming  the  large  surplus  of  Indian  corn,  increased  in  number  from  8,536,182 
to  11,039,352,  and  the  cattle  from  4,373,712  to  7,204,810.     Thanks  to  steam  and  the 
railway,  the  herds  of  cattle  which  feed  on  the  meadows  of  the  upper  Mississippi,  Cattle, 
are   now   carried   in    four   days,    through    eighteen   degrees    of   longitude   to    the 
slaughter  houses  of  the  Atlantic. 

It  is  diificult  to  furnish  any  visible  or  adequate  measure  for  a  mass  of  cereals  so  Fisures  diffl- 
enormous  as  558,000,000  bushels.     About  one-fifth  of  the  whole  descends  the  chain  ?^'J_' '°  '■®*'' 
of  lakes,  on  which  1,300  vessels  are  constantly  employed  in  the  season  of  naviga- 
tion.    About  one-seventh  of  the  whole  finds  its  way  to  the  ocean  through  the  Erie  Erie  canal, 
canal,  whicli  has  already  been  once  enlarged,  for  the  purpose  of  passing  vessels  of 
two   hundred   tons  ;  and   is  now   under    survey  by  the   State  of  New  York  for  a 
second    enlargement,    to    pass   vessels   of    five  hundred    tons.     The  vessels  called 
"canal  boats,"  now  navigating  the  canal,  exceed  five  thousand  in  number,  and  if 
placed  in  a  line  would  be  more  than  eighty  miles  in  length. 

Who  doubts  the  efficiencv  of  railways  as  the   chief  instrument  of  these  Railways  th« 

*'  -^  power. 

marvelous  results  ?  Who  imagines,  either,  that  Mr.  Ruggles  found  a  false 
key  to  unlock  the  causes  of  unexampled  increase  of  production  over  that 
of  population  in  the  past  which  will  fail  to  unlock  the  future  ?     The  water  Water  faciu- 

,.,.  ii'Pii  i_     ties  valuable 

facilities  nature  has  supplied  in  our  grand  chain  of  lakes,  are  not  to  be 
ignored;  nor  the  close  conjunction  of  lake  and  river  vallies,  which  art  has 


320  Power  of  tJie  Railway  to  Develope  and  Centralize. 

improved   and   is  carrying  on   unto  perfection.     Yet  undoubtedly   as   Mr. 
Relievo        Edmund.s  showed  us,  p.  315,  the  railways  are  moving  and  are  to  move  more 
railways,      and  uiorc  our  agricultural  products  to  the  East.     How  small   is  the  propor- 
tion of  our  food  products  which  we  export ;  yet  were   that   little  retained, 
usually  our  prices  would  be  sunk  to  at  least  a  very  moderate  remuneration. 
So  in  transportation.     Only  the  most  bulky,  and  that  in  which  a  few  days' 
delay  is  of  no  importance,  goes  by  water ;  yet  this  relieves  the  pressure  on 
the  railways,  and  prevents  prices  of  freight  from   reaching  the   exorbitant 
fio-ures  which  might  be  expected,  were   we  subjected  entirely   to  soulless 
Gathering     railroad  corporations.     Then  as  to  gathering  here  the  products  of  the  farm, 

tacilities.  ,  i  i  •  i       i  -i  o 

what  Other  means  are  at  all  comparable  with  the  railway  : 

Centralizing      Nor  is  the  railway   valuable  only  as  a  means  to  develope  a  country. 

J'j^7ways.  Nothing  equals  it  for  centralizing.  Man  is  naturally  gregarious,  attaining 
highest  culture  in  the  largest  centres  of  civilization.  As  our  destiny  is 
onward  and  upward  to  a  glory  of  which  we  can  form  no  conception,  and  we 
undoubtedly  are  working  it  out  under  Divine  conduct,  while   at  the  same 

Its  use  wise,  time  we  pursue  our  own  individual  plans  ;  we  show  our  highest  wisdom  in 
the  large  use  we  make  of  this  chief  centralizing  power.  What  we  need  is 
to  consider  somewhat  the  ultimate  results  of  our  labors  and  plans,  and  not 
restrict  ourselves  to  the  narrow  superficial  views  which  pertain  to  us  merely 

We  operate  as  individuals.  We  want  to  realize  more  what  we  are  as  Citizens — Citi- 
zens of  this  City,  of  this  State,  of  the  Great  Interior,  of  the  Nation. 

City  an  ulcer  A  city,  indeed,  is  styled  an  ulcer  on  the  body  politic  of  the  State,  and 
with  entire  correctness.  The  strongest  hope  of  our  country  under  God  is 
the  fact  that  the^Great  Interior  is  to  be  the  controlling  power ;  and  because 

Does  not      the  powcr  here  lies  in  the  rural  population.     But  does  the  ulcer  make 

"itself?     What  is  it  but  the  natural   gathering  of  noxious  matter  from  the 

body  pohtic  itself,  the   effect  of  unhealthy  action  in   its  various   parts  and 

A  vent  for    members  ?     Until  inherent  corruption  is  remedied,  cities  may  be  the  best 

corrup  ion.  ^^^^  ^.^^  ^^^  body  politic  J  Es  in  the  human  system  ulcers  frequently  save 
limb  or  life. 

Centres  of         Nor  are  cities  wholly  evil.     Far  from  it.     From   time  immemorial   they 

a  ion.  -j^g^^g  been  the  centres  of  civilization.     If  they  accumulate  the  evil   of  the 

State,  they  are  equally  prominent  in  their   influence  for   good.     Man  works 

Associ'itcd    out  his  destinv  by  his  associated  powers :  and  the  worth   of  a  great  city 

effort  needed      ,  .    ,     .  ,     /,  .       .    ,  -.  i    ,       i  •    i  i    ,     i 

Worth  of  a  which  IS  rulcd  by  true  principles,  and  actuated  by  high  and  holy  purposes, 
rue  ci  y.      -j.  j^  impossible  to  over-estimate.     Is   it  not  our  highest  ambition  to  render 

Chicago  such  a  city  ? 
Modern  ten-  The  tendency  of  population  to  towns  in  consequence  of  modern  iraprove- 
tow^.*^^  ments,  has  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  been  widely  observed.  Prof. 
Prof.  TucJc^  George  Tucker  in  his  philosophical  examination  of  the  Progress  of  Popu- 
lation and  Wealth  in  the  United  States  in  Fifty  Years,  analysing  the 
censuses  from  1840  back  to  1790,  remarks  upon — 
Cities  and  Cities  and  Towns. — The  proportion  between  the  rural  and  town  population  of  a 

townB.  country  is  an  important  fact,  in  its  interior  economy  and  condition.     It  determines, 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments. 


321 


in  a  great  degree,  its  capacity  for  manufactures,  the  extent  of  its  commerce,  and 
the  amount  of  its  wealth.  The  growth  of  cities  commonly  marks  the  progress  of 
intelligence  and  the  arts,  measures  the  sum  of  social  enjoyment,  and  always 
implies  increased  mental  activity,  which  is  sometimes  healthy  and  useful,  some- 
times distempered  and  pernicious.  If  these  congregations  of  men  diminish 
some  of  the  comforts  of  life,  they  augment  others:  if  they  are  less  favorable  to 
health  than  the  country,  they  also  provide  better  defences  against  disease,  and 
better  means  of  cure.  From  causes  both  physical  and  moral,  they  are  less  favora- 
ble to  the  multiplication  of  the  species.  In  the  eyes  of  the  moralist,  cities  afford 
a  wider  field,  both  for  virtue  and  vice  ;  and  they  are  more  prone  to  innovation, 
whether  for  good  or  evil.  The  love  of  civil  liberty  is,  perhaps,  both  stronger  and 
more  constant  in  the  country  than  the  town  ;  and  if  it  is  guarded  in  the  cities  by 
a  keener  vigilance  and  a  more  far-sighted  jealousy,  yet  law,  order  and  security  are 
also,  in  them,  more  exposed  to  danger,  from  the  greater  facility  with  which  intrigue 
and  ambition  can  there  operate  on  ignorance  and  want.  Whatever  may  be  the 
good  or  evil  tendencies  of  populous  cities,  they  are  the  result  to  which  all  coun- 
tries, that  are  at  once  fertile,  free,  and  intelligent,  inevitably  tend. 


Growth  of 
cities  marks 
progress. 


Evils  have 
cuuntervail- 
iug  benefits. 


Civilization 

promotes 
tlieir  growth 


A  table  is  civen  of  31  towns,  all  in  the  country  which  in  1840  contained  ^3^,  t°^?\of 

~  •  •'  10,000  innal> 

10,000   and   upwards,    giving   respective  population  in  1820,  '30,  and  '40  »'""*«• 
and  the  decennial  increase,  and  Prof.  T.  observes  : — 


It  appears  from  the  preceding  table,  that  the  population  in  all  the  towns  of  the 
United  States,  containing  10,000  inhabitants  and  upwards,  is  something  more  than 
one-thirteenth  (10-128)  of  the  whole  number ;  that  ten  of  the  States,  whose  united 
population  exceeds  4,000,000,  have  as  yet  no  town  of  that  rank  ;  and  that  in  the 
other  sixteen  States  the  ratio  of  their  town  population  to  their  whole  population, 
varied  from  something  less  than  one-third  to  less  than  one-sixteenth  part.  It  fur- 
ther appears  that  the  increase  of  those  towns  has  been  nearly  the  same,  from  1830 
to  1840,  as  from  IBliO  to  1830;  and  that,  in  both  decennial  periods,  it  exceeds  that 
of  the  whole  population  nearly  as  50  to  32. 


l-13th  of 
entire  pop- 
ulation. 


other  points 
observed. 


Tables  follow  of  all  the  towns  in  the  United  States  containing  less  than  Towns  of 
10,000  and  over  2,000,  concluding  with  a  general  table,  valuable  chiefly  as  upwards, 
exhibiting  the  small  proportion  of  the  towns  in  the  Northwest  to  population.  Few  in  N.w. 
The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  sections,  with  the  Northwest  in  detail : — 


•Proportion  of  Toivn  Population  in    U.  S.,  1840. 


Proportion 
of   towns  in 
1840. 


Population  of  Towns. 

Total. 

Ratio  to 

whole 

Population. 

Sections  and  States. 

Of  10,000  inhab'uts 
and  upwards. 

Between  10,000  and 
2,000  inhabitants. 

574,767 
231,889 

65,680 

27,988 

215,166 

8a3,205 

82,684 

114,865 

16,469 
21,210 
46,:i3S 

789.9P3 

1,065.094 

148,364 

142,853 

16,469 

34,974 
90,244 
12,786 
11,708 
9,102 

85.3 

20.8 

4.4 

Southwetttern  States 

6.6 
4.S 

13,7&1 
43,906 

12,786 
11,708 
9,102 

4.5 

5.9 

1.8 

2.4 

4.3 

84,017 

91,266 

175,283 

4.2 

Total 

1,829,937 

991,590 

2,321,527 

13.6 

Towns  of 
10,000. 

Towns  of 
2,000. 

Ratio  to 
whole  pop- 
ulation. 


21 


322  Poioer  of  the  Railway  to  Develope  and  Centralize. 

Towns  in  The  fact  is  noticed  that  ia  New  England  and  New  York   the  proportion 

mnda^'tf"  in  small  towns  is  augmented  by  the  township  being  called  a  town,  and  Prof. 
New  York.    ^^^j^^^.  concludes  :— 

i/gof  popula-  If  the  proportion  in  the  whole  United  States  could  be  correctly  ascertained,  by 
tion  in  "  the  correction  of  the  errors  adverted  to,  it  would  probably  be  found  that  those  who 
^^°^-  live  in  towns  aud  villages  containing  at  least  2,000  inhabitants,  are  not  much  more 

nor  much  less  than  one-eighth  of  the  entire  number. 
Railways  The  eifect  of  railroads,  and  of  transportation  by  steam  generally,  is  to  stimulate 

stimulate  the  growth  of  towns,  and  especially  of  large  towns.  It  is,  therefore,  likely  that 
their  growth  ^^^  principal  cities  will,  at  the  next  census,  show  as  large  a  proportional  increase 

as  tliey  have  experienced  in  the  last  decennial  period. 

Examina-  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  a  like  examination  of  the  last  two  censuses  has 

tion  of  other  o-r»pmi)  t-»  i- 

censuses  not  been  made  with  that  of  Prof  Tucker  s.  But  speculation  upon  what 
may  be  is  too  foreign  to  indulge  even  upon  such  a  point.  The  anticipated 
effect  of  railways  has  been  realized,  and   nowhere   more   than  in  the  West. 

Growth  of     Mr.  Scott,  answeria";  the  query  on  p.  307,  "What  has  been  the  effect  of  the 

towns.  '  "  "f.  Q,,      1 

Mr.  Scott,      improvement  on  the  growth  of  towns  (     thus  continues  that  paragraph : — 

*         *  *         The  first  canal  was  commenced  in  that  country  by  the  Duke  of 

Firstcanal  Bridgewater,  no  longer  ago  than  1760.  The  invention  of  the  spinning  jenny,  by 
1760.  Hargreaves,  followed  seven  years  after.     Not  long   after  this,  the  spinning  frame 

Date  of  was  contrived  by  the  ingenuity  of  Arkwright.  In  1775,  Mr.  Compton  produced 
other  inven-  the  machine  called  the  mule,  a  combination  of  the  two  preceding.  Some  time  after 
tions.  jf J,   Cartwright  invented  the  power-loom,  but  it  was  not  until  after  1820  that  it  was 

brought  into  general  use.     The  steam   engine,   the   moving  power  of  all   this  ma- 
chinery, was  so  improved   by  Watt,   in  1785,   as   to   entitle   him    to    claim,    for    all 
Facilities  of  itnportant  practical  purposes,  being  its  inventor.     At   the   same  that  these  great 
intercommu-  inventions  were  being  brought  into  use,  the  nation  was  making  rapid  progress  in 
nication.        ^^^  construction  of  canals  and  roads,  and  the  duplication  of  her  agricultural  pro- 
ducts.    Indeed,  great  part  of  her   works   to   cheapen  and  facilitate  internal  trade, 
including  her  canals,  her  McAdam  roads,  and  her  railways,  have  been  constructed 
within  the  last  thirty  years.     The  effect  of  these,  in  building  up  towns,  is  exempli- 
Mr.   Slaney,  tied  by  the  following  facts :     Mr.  Slaney,  M,  P.,  stated  in  the  House  of  Commons, 
^l- P-  in  May,  1830,  that  "  in  England  those   engaged  in   manufacturing   and  mechanical 

Increase  of    Occupations,  as  compared  with  the  agricultural  class,  were  6  to  5,  in  1801  ;  they 
mnfrs.  and     were  as  8  to  5,  in  1821  ;  and  2  to  1  in   1830.     In  Scotland  the  increase  had  been 
in   England.  ^^^^^  more  extraordinary.     In  that  country  they  were  as  5  to  6,  in  1801  :  as  9  to  6, 
in  1821  ;  and  in  1830,  as  2  to  1.     The  increase   of  the  general  population  for  the 
preceding  twenty  years,  had  been  thirty  per  cent.  ;  in  the  manufacturing  population 
it  had  been  forty  per  cent.  ;  in  Manchester,  Liverpool,  Coventry,  and  Birmingham, 
the  increase  had  been  fifty  per  cent.  ;  in  Leeds  it  had  been  fifty-four  per  cent.,  and 
in    Glasgow    it  had   been  one  hundred  per  cent."     The  increase  of  population  in 
England  and  AVales,  from  1821  to  1831,  was  16  per  cent.     This  increase  was  nearly 
Growth  in     all    absorbed  in  towns   and  their  suburbs,  as  the  proportion  of  people  engaged  in 
towns.  agriculture  has  decreased  decidedly  with  every  census.     More  scientific  modes  of 

culture,  and  more  perfect  machines  and  implements,  combined   with  other   causes, 
have  rendered  an  increased  amount  of  human  labor  unnecessary  in  the  production 
In  1831 1^  in  of  8.  greatly  augmented  amount  of  food.     In  1831,  but  one-third  of  the  people  of 
agriculture.   England  were  employed  in  the  labors  of  agriculture.     In  1841,  very  little  more  than 
Iq  1S41  ^.     one-fourth  were  so  employed.     In  Scotland,  seven  of  the  best  agricultural  counties 
Changes    in  decreased  in  population  from  1831  to  1841,  from  one  to  five  per  cent. ;   whereas,  the 
Scotland—     counties  in  which  were  her  principal  towns,  increased  during  the  same  period  from 
15  per  cent,  to  34.8  per  cent.,  the  latter  being  the  increase  of  the  county  of  Lanark, 
in  which  Glasgow  is  situated.     The  average  increase  of  all  Scotland  for  those  ten 
— in  Eng.      years   was  11.1   per  cent.     According   to   Marshall,  the  increase  of  population  in 
England  for  the  ten  years  preceding  1831,  was  30  per  cent  in  the  mining  districts  ; 
15^  in  the  manufacturing,  and  19  in  the  metropolitan,  (Middlesex  county  ;)  while, 
in  the  inland  towns  and  villages  it  was  only  7|  per  cent. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicar/o  Investments.  323 

The  railways  which  now  traverse  England  in  every  quarter,  and  bring  into  near  Railways  in- 
neighborhood  its  most  distant  points,  have  been  nearly  all  constructed   since  1830.  ^''^'^setowun. 
Their  olFect,  in  aid  of  the  other  works,  in  augmenting  the  present  great  centers  of 
population,  will,  obviously,  be  very  considerable  ;  how  great,  remains  to  be  devel- 
oped   by    the  future.     London,    with    its    suburbs,    has    now    about   2,000,000   of  London  to 
inhabitants  ;  but  she  is  probably  far  below  the  culminating  point  of  her  greatness,  grow. 
The  kingdom  of  which  she  is  the  commercial  heart,  doubles  its  population  in  forty- 
two   years.      It    is  reasonable,   then,  to   suppose   that,  wilhiu   the  next   lifty-years, 
London  and  the  other  great  foci  of  human  beings,  in  that  kingdom,  will  have  more 
than  twice  their  present  numbers  ;  for  it  is  proved  that  nearly  the  whole  increase  Growth  in 
in  England  is  monopolized  by  the  large  commercial  and  manufacturing  towns  with  ^"S-  cliiefljr 
their  suburbs.  '°  *"""^^- 

Will  similar  causes  produce  like  efl'ects  in  the  United  States  ?     In  the  States  of  So  in  U.  S. 
Massachusetts,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  Ohio,  the  improvements   of  tlie  age 
operated  to  some  extent  on  their  leading  towns  from  1830  to  1840.     Massachusetts  Maas. 
had  little  benefit  from  canals,  railways,  or  steam  power  ;  but  her  towns  felt  the 
beneficent  influence  of  her  labor-saving  machinery  moved  by  water  power,  and  her 
improved    agriculture   and  common  roads.     The  increase   of  her   nine   principal  9  townsmore 
towns,  commencing  with    Boston  and  ending  with  Cambridge,  from  1830  to  1840,  J'j^"  ''.'^'^ 
was  66,373,  equal  to  53  per  cent ;  being  more  than  half  the  entire  increase   of  the  crease. 
State,  which  was  but  128,000,  or  less  than  21  per  cent.     The  increase,  leaving   out 
those  towns,  was  but  11  per  cent.     Of  this  11  per  cent.,  great  part,  if  not  all,  must 
have  been  in  the  towns  not  include^d  in  our  list.         *****         * 

The  growth  of  two  (owns  in   the   State  of  New   York,  during  the  same  period,  is  Growth     in 
mainly  due  to  her  canals.     That  of  the  fourteen  largest,  from  New  York  to  Seneca,  ^'  ^■~i 
inclusive,  was  204,507,  or  64^  per  cent.  ;  whereas,  the  increase  in  the  whole  State 
was  less  than  27  per  cent,  and  of  the  State,  exclusive  of  these  towns,  but  19   per 
cent.     Of  this,  it  is  certain,  that  nearly  all  is  due  to  the  other  towns  not  in  the  list 
of  the  fourteen  largest. 

Pennsylvania  has  canals,  railways,  and  other  improvements,  that  should  give  a — iuBa. — 
rapid  growth  to  her  towns.  These  works,  however,  had  not  time,  after  their  com- 
pletion, to  produce  their  proper  effects,  before  the  crash  of  her  monetary  system 
nearly  paralyzed  every  branch  of  her  industry,  except  agriculture  and  the  coal 
business.  Nine  of  her  largest  towns,  from  Philadelphia  to  Erie,  inclusive,  exhibit 
a  gain  from  1830  to  1840  of  84,642,  being  at  the  rate  of  39A  per  cent  This  list 
does  not  include  Pottsville,  or  any  other  mining  town.  The  increase  of  the  whole 
State  was  but  21J  per  cent. 

Ohio  has  great  natural  facilities  for  trade,  in  her  lake    and  river  coasts;   the  _ia  Ohio, 
former  having  become  available  only  since  the  opening  of  the  Erie  canal,  in   1826, 
and  that  to  little  purpose  before  1830.     She  has  also  canals,  which  have  been  con- 
structing and  coming  gradually  into  use  since  1830.     These   now  amount  to   about 
760  miles.     For  the  last  five  years,  she  has  also  constructed  an  extent  of  McAdam 
roads  exceeding  any  other  State,  and  amounting  to  hundreds  of  miles.     Her  rail- 
ways, which  are  of  small  extent,  have  not  been  in  operation  long  enough  to  have 
produced  much  effect.     From   this  review  of  the  State,  it  will  not  be  expected  to  More  rapid 
exhibit  as  great  increase  in  town  population,  from  1830  to  1840,  as  will  distinguish  hereafter, 
it  hereafter.     The  effects  of  her  public   improvements,  however,  will  be  clearly 
seen  in  the  following  exhibit :  Eighteen  of  her  largest  towns,  and  the  same  number  increase  of 
of  medium  size  and  average  increase,  contained,  in  1830,  58,310,  which  had  aug- 18  towns, 
mented,  in  1840,  to  138,916;  showing  an  increase  of  138  percent.     The  increase 
of   the   whole  State  during  the  same    period   was  62   per   cent.     The   northwest 
quarter  of  the  State  has  no  towns  of  any  magnitude,  and  has  but  begun  to  be 
settled.     This  quarter  had  but  12,671  inhabitants  in  1830  and  92,050  in  1840. 

Confirmatory  of  these  anticipatioas  as  to  England  and  our  old  States,  we  These  opin. 
have  the  paper  following ;  for  although  nothing  is  said  specifically  about  the  firmed, 
centralizing  power  of  railways,  and  the  relative  growth  of  town  and  country 
is  not  even  alluded  to,  the  argument  is  the  more   effective  for  the   present 
purpose.     Though  only  discussing  the  general  results  of  railways,  yet  the  a  country 
chief  point — and  the  one  of  all  to  be  regarded  in  old  settled  countries — is  fts"  railways, 
clearly  Remonstrated,  that  increase  of  imports  and  exports  is  pari  passu 


524 


Power  of  the  Railicm/  to  Develope  and   Centralize. 


Cominercel 
end  mufrs. 
centralize. 


Rail-n-ay  ex- 
tension aud 
results. 

Mr.    Baxter. 


Distribution 
of  English 
railways. 

London  the 
cenlre. 


Other  cities. 

Paris. 
Madrid. 

Other 

Kiiropean 

cities. 

United 
ii  titles. 

Manchester 
and  l.iver- 

liOul. 


Converging 
p  lints. 


Mnfg.  and 
commercial 
centres. 


with  railways.  What  is  this  but  to  exhibit  their  power  in  concentration, 
involvino;  the  two  chief  elements  of  cities,  commerce  and  manufictures  ? 
So  that  the  most  satisfactory  paper  which  has  come  under  observation,  upon 
this  very  important  point,  is  this  by  R.  Dudley  Baxter,  M.  A.,  which  was 
read  before  the  Statistical  Society  of  London,  November,  1866,  and  was 
reprinted  in  the  3Ierchanf.<i'  3Iaffazine*  July,  1867,  entitled,  "  Railway 
Extension  and  its  Results."  The  entire  paper  should  be  carefully  studied. 
After  an  introduction,  and  speaking  of  the  early  difficulties,  and  exhibiting 
growthto  1865,  this  topic  is  presented  : — 

Distribution  of  Railtcays  in  the  United  Kingdom.  *  *  The  manner  in  which  this 
railway  mileage  is  distributed  through  England  deserves  some  attention.  A  railway 
map  will  show  that  the  general  direction  of  English  lines  is  towards  the  metrop- 
olis. London  is  a  centre  to  which  nearly  all  the  mainlines  converge.  Every  large 
town  is,  in  its  degree,  a  centre  of  railway  convergence.  For  example,  look  at  the 
lines  radiating  from  Leeds,  from  Hull,  from  Birmingham,  or  from  Bristol.  But  all 
those  lesser  stars  revolve,  so  to  speak,  round  the  metropolis  as  a  central  sun.  A 
great  deal  may  be  learned  of  the  character  and  political  state  of  a  country  from 
the  convergence  of  its  railway  lines.  Centralizing  France  concentrates  them  all 
on  Paris.  Spain,  another  nation  of  the  Latin  race,  directs  her  railways  on 
Madrid.  Italy  shows  her  past  deficiency  of  unity,  and  want  of  capital,  by  her 
straggling  and  centreless  railroads.  Belgium  is  evidently  a  collection  of  co-equal 
cities  without  any  preponderating  focus.  Germany  betrays  her  territorial  divisions 
by  the  multitude  of  her  railway  centres.  Austria,  on  the  contrary,  shows  her 
unity  by  the  convergence  of  her  lines  on  Vienna.  The  United  States  of  America 
prove  their  federal  independence  by  the  number  of  their  centres  of  radiation. 

The  national  character  of  the  English  nation  may  be  traced  in  the  same  way. 
Though  our  railways  point  towards  London,  they  have  also  another  point  of  con- 
vergence— towards  Manchester  and  the  great  port  of  Liverpool.  The  London  & 
Northwestern,  the  Great  Northern  (by  the  Manchester,  Sheffield  &  Lincolnshire 
line),  the  Great  Western  and  the  Midland  run  to  Manchester  and  Liverpool  from 
the  south.  The  Manchester,  Sheffield  &  Lincolnshire  railway,  the  London  &  North- 
western, Yorkshire  &  Carlisle  lines,  and  the  network  of  the  Lancashire  &  Yorkshire 
Company  converge  on  them  from  the  east  and  north.  The  London  &  Nortwestern 
Welsh  railways  and  the  Mid  Wales  and  South  Wales  lines  communicate  from  the 
west.  Thus  our  railway  system  shows  that  Manchester  and  Liverpool  are  the 
manufacturing  and  commercial  capitals  of  the  country,  as  London  is  its  monetary 
and  political  metropolis,  and  that  the  French  centralization  into  a  single  great  city 
does  not  exist  in  England. 


Checks  upon      Adtnirers  of  arbitrary  sway  may  discover  benefits  in  a  capital  like  Paris, 

DOWcr 

which  rules  the  nation  ;  but  those  who  can  apprehend  the  dangers  of  un- 
controlled power,  whether  political  or  commercial,  cannot  but  admire  the 
—in  Great  improvement  in  Grreat  Britain,  and  the  perfection  here  enjoyed  in  consequence 
—in  u.  s.  of  the  division  of  these  wide-spread  benefits  to  the  sovereignty  of  many  States. 
Then,  to  counteract  tbis  disintegration,  which,  carried  to  an  extreme,  would 
give   no  power  to  cope  with  other  great  cities  and  nations  of  the   earth,  we 


Mr.  McChos-  *  It  is  proper  to  express  acknowledgment  to  Mr.  Robert  McChesney,  Chairman  for  several  years  of  the 
""J-  Commercial  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  for  the  privilege  of  using  his  complete  set  of  that  invalu- 

Use  of  his  able  publication,  the  Merchants'  Magazine.  Mr.  Hunt,  the  founder,  gave  me  a  set  of  some  twenty 
Merc/i.  Mag.  volumes,  and  exchanged  for  the  Prairie  Farmer  for  years.    But  o:ily  a  few  volumes  remain.     If  business 

men  as  well  as  merchants  would  cultivate  a  habit  of  studying  standard  works  of  this  kind,  they  would 
Ita  value.        find  the  benefit  in  the  expansion  of  views  and   calculations,  and  a  realization  of  the  dignity  of  their 

calling,  besides  obtaining  a  vast  amount  of  knowledge  of  the  most  practical   kind,  and  indispensable  to 

an  eminent  business  character. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicar/o  Investments.  325 

have  our  Federal  bond  of  Union,  which,  instead  of  "independence,"  as  Mr.  Federal 
Baxter  imagines,*  binds  these  States  to  each   other  by  indissoluble   obliga-  together. 
tions  irrepealably  extending  equal  rights   to   all   these  States,  and  to  their 
citizens  respectively,  in  their  joint  and  several  domains.     State  autonomy,  Benefit  of 
not  "  Federal  independence,"  has  its  influence,  at  once  healthy  and  stimu- sions. 
lating  and  powerful,  to  create  many  centres.     The  ease  with  which  requisite  Charters 
charters  are   obtained  for  associated  efforts,  in   many  States  authorized  by  taiu. 
general  laws,  affords   full  scope  to  enterprise  and   capital.     So  that  while 
State  interest  promotes   many  operations   calculated   for  individual  or  local 
advantage,  yet  in  their  commercial  relations  these  citizens  having  almost  the 
same  rights  they  would  have  in  a  consolidated  State,  the  trade  of  the  Nation  Trade  free. 
is  left  free,  as  in  no  other,  to  seek  its  natural  centre  or  centres.     Yet,  besides 
pride   in  our   States,  which  has   more  influence   than  we  are  aware  of,  the 
diversity  of  interest  from  large  extent  of  area,  and  variety  of  configuration  many  cen- 
with  lakes  and  rivers  and  mountains,  has  still  greater  power.     Covering  a 
continent,  and  with  abounding  advantages   in  all  sections,  we  must  in  the 
beginning  have   various   important   trade   centres.     Still,  nothing  is  more 
centripetal  than  trade ;  and  we  shall  find  in  due  time  that  we  have  the  best  ^j.^/'^^t^'j'*"" 
possible  system  to   leave  trade  free  to  its  natural  course  among  ourselves, 
creating  only  such  restrictions  on  foreign  commerce  as  wise  national  policy  shall 
render   expedient,  which   is  the  measure  of  iustice  in  this  regard.     In  evi- K^iiways  in 

^  '  •*  _  °_  _  the  West. 

dence  of  this,  we  have  in  our  own  country,  and  especially  here  in  the  mighty 
West,  abundant  demonstrations  of  the  centralizing  power  of  railways. 

After  exhibiting  the  different  divisions  of  British  railways,  and  their  cost, 
Mr.  Baxter  considers — 

"'  Traffic  and  Benefit  of  Railways  in  the   United    Kingdom. — In   order  to  appreciate  Benefit  of 
the  wonderful  increase  of  traffic  which  has  resulted  from  railways,  it  is  necessary  railways    in 
to  know  the  traffic  of  the  kingdom  before  their  introduction.    *  *  *        England. 

The  effect  of  railways  was  very  remarkable.     It  might  reasonably  be  supposed  d,^  not  sup- 
that  the  new  means   of  communication   would  have   supplanted   and  destroyed   the  plant  other 
old.     Singular  to  relate,  no  diminution  has  taken  place  either  in  the  road  or  canal  """''"s- 
traffic.     As  fast  as  coaches  were  run   off  the  main  roads  they  were  put  on  the  side 
roads,  or  reappeared  in  the  shape  of  omnibuses.     At  the  present  moment  there  is  Created  its 
probably  a  larger  mileage  of  road  passenger  traffic   than   in  1834.     The  railway  *''"^°- 
traffic  is  new  and  additional  traffic.    But  railways  reduced  the  fares  very  materially.  Reduced 
For  instance,  the  journey  from  Doncaster  to  London  by  mail  used  to  cost  £5  inside  fares. 
and  £o  outside  (exclusive  of  food],  for  156  miles,  performed  in  twenty  hours.     The 
railway  fares  are  now  27s  6(/,  first  class,  and  21s  second  class  for  the  same  distance, 
performed  in   four  hours.      The   average  fares  now  paid  by  first,  second  and  third 
class  passengers  are  \ld  per  mile,  against  an  average  uf  bd  in   the  coaching  days, 
being  little  more  than  one-fourth  of  the  former  amounts. 

On  canals  the  effect  of  railway  competition   was  also   to  lower  the  rates  to  one-  canal  traffic 
fourth  of  the  former  charges.     In  consequence  the  canal  tonnage  actually  increased,  increased, 
and  is  now  considerably  larger   than  it  was   before  the  competition  of  railways,  j^^jl^j^^^ 
Hence  the   railway  goods  traffic,  like  its  passenger  traffic,  is  entirely  a  new  traffic,  traffic 

*  '^Federal  independence"  is  a  misnomer,  a  palpable  contradiction.    Federal  itself  means  covenant,  Federal 
being  derived  from/tedMS.     But  this  intelligent  Englishman  has  doubtless  given  more  attention  to  rail-  g»'l„^_  ^'^' 
ways  than  politics,  very  much  after  our  own  fashion  ;  and  most  of  us  having  such  insufficient  conception  . 

of  National  Union  based  upon  State  Sovereignty,  as  to  believe  these  terms  themselves  a  contradiction,  it  ourselves, 
is  not  singular  that  foreigners  should  misapprehend  our  system  and  its  nature. 


326 


Poicer  of  the  Raihcny  to  Devehpe  and   Centralize. 


Its  saving. 


Rapid 
growth. 


Saving    to 
country. 


Still  greater 
benefit — 


— created  its 
own  traffic. 


The  savin"-  in  cost  is  also  very  great ;  goods  are  carried  by  rail  at  an  average  of 
1  \d  per  ton, "or  40  per  cent,  of  the  old  canal  rates. 

"Now  observe  the  growth  of  this  new  railway  traffic.  The  Parliamentary  returns 
(except  for  1865)  show  the  receipts  from  passenger  and  goods  traffic  on  railways  in 
the  following  years  :  1843,  total  receipts,  £4,535,000;  1848,  £9,933,000;  average 
annual  increase,  £1,079,000.  1855,  receipts,  £21,507,000  ;  annual  increase, 
£1,653,000.  1860,  receipts,  £27,766,000  ;  annual  increase,  £1,252,000.  1865,  re- 
ceipts, £35,890,000  ;  annual  increase,  £1,619,000.  Thus  the  average  annual  increase 
for  the  whole  22  years  was  £1,423,000;  and  the  increase  was  largest  in  the  latest 
years.  *  *  * 

Now  let  us  examine  the  saving  to  the  country.  Had  the  railway  traffic  of  1865 
been  conveyed  by  canal  and  road  at  the  pre-railway  rates,  it  would  have  cost  three 
times  as  much.  Instead  of  £36,000,000  it  would  have  cost  £108,000,000.  Hence 
there  is  a  saving  of  £72,000,000  a  year,  or  more  than  the  whole  taxation  of  the 
United  Kingdom. 

But  the  real  benefit  is  far  beyond  even  this  vast  saving.  If  the  traffic  had  been 
already  in  existence,  it  would  have  been  cheapened  to  this  extent.  But  it  was  not 
previously  in  existence  ;  it  was  a  new  traffic,  created  by  railways,  and  impossible 
without  railways.  To  create  such  a  traffic,  or  to  furnish  the  machinery  by  which 
alone  it  could  exist,  is  a  far  higher  merit  than  to  cheapen  an  existing  traffic,  and 
has  had  far  greater  influence  on  the  prosperity  of  the  nation. 

Following  a  statement  of  increase  of  exports  and  imports  from  1853  to 
1865,  whicli  is  omitted,  it  is  observed  : — 


Causes  of 
increase. 


Railwaj-s 

iudispensa- 

blb. 

Business 
increasi'S 
with  rail- 
ways. 


Proportion 
of  exports 
antl  imports 
to  railwi^y. 
and  naviga- 
tion. 


I  am  far  from  attributing  the  whole  of  this  increase  to  railways.  Free  trade, 
steamboats,  the  improvements  in  machinery,  and  other  causes  contributed  power- 
fully to  accelerate  its  progress.     But  I  wish  to  call  attention  to  two  facts. 

1.  This  increase  could  not  have  taken  place  without  railways.  It  would  have 
been  physically  impossible  to  convey  the  quantity  of  goods,  still  less  to  do  so  with 
the  necessary  rapidity.         *         * 

2.  The  increase  of  imports  and  exports  was  in  strict  proportion  to  the  devel- 
opment of  railways.  The  following  table  shows  the  miles  of  railway  and  navigation 
opened,  and  the  total  exports  and  imports.  It  must  be  remembered  that  there  are 
about  4,000  miles  of  navigation  and  that  the  exports  and  imports  had  been  for 
some  time  stationary  before  1833  — 

Proportion  of  Exports  and  Imports  to   Railways  and  Navigation. 


Year. 


1833 
1840 
1845 
1850 
1855 
1860 
1865 


Miles  of  railway  and 
navigation. 


4,000 
5,200 
6,441 
10,733 
12.334 
14,433 
17,289 


Total  exports  and 
imports. 


£  85,500,000 
119,000,000 
135,000,000 
171,800,000 
260,234,000 
375,052,000 
490,000,000 


Exports  and  Imports, 
per  mile. 


£21,375 
22,884 
20,959 
16,206 
21,098 
25,985 
28,341 


Even  pace 
of  trade  with 
rise  of  rail- 
ways. 


This  ex- 
I'laiued. 


■What  is 
goods  traffic 


Here  the  increase  in  exports  and  imports  keeps  pace  with  railway  development 
from  1833  to  1845,  falls  below  it  during  the  enormous  multiplication  of  railways 
and  the  railway  distress  from  1845  to  1850,  rises  again  to  the  former  level  in  1855, 
and  outstrips  it  after  that  year,  aided  by  the  lowering  of  fares  and  the  greater 
facilities  for  through  booking  and  interchange  of  traffic.  I  cannot  think  that  this 
correspondence  within  the  two  increases  is  accidental,  especially  as  I  shall  show 
that  ii  exists  also  in  France. 

But,  it  may  be  said,  how  do  exports  and  imports  depend  on  the  development  of 
the  railway  system  ?  I  answer  because  they  depend  on  the  goods  traffic,  and  the 
goods  traffic-  increases  visibly  with  the  increase  of  railway  mileage  and  the  per- 
fecting of  railway  facilities.  Goods  traffic  means  raw  material  and  food  brought 
from   ports,  or  mines,  or  farms,  to   the   producing  population,  and  manufactured 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments. 


327 


articles  carried  back  from  the  producers  to  the  inlaml  or  foreign  consumers.  The 
exports  and  imports  l)ear  a  variable  hut  apprecial)le  iiroportion  to  the  inland 
traffic.  Every  mineral  railway  clearly  increases  them  ;  every  agricultural  railway 
increases  them  less  clearly  but  not  less  centainly.  Hence  I  claim  it  as  an  axiom, 
that  the  commerce  of  a  country  increases  in  distinct  proportion  to  tiie  improvement 
of  its  railway  system,  and  that  railway  develoj)ment  is  one  of  the  most  powerful 
and  evident  causes  of  the  increase  of  commerce. 

Now  let  us  turn  to  the  benefits  which  railways  have  conferred  on  the  working 
classes.  *  *  Increased  facilities  of  transit  led  to  increased  trade;  increaseil  trade 
gave  greater  employment  and  improved  wages  ;  the  diminution  in  the  cost-  of 
transit  and  the  repeal  of  fiscal  duties  cheapened  provisions  ;  and  the  immense  fiood 
of  commerce  which  set  in  since  1850  has  raised  the  incomes  and  the  prosperity 
of  the  working  classes  to  an  unprecedented  lieight.  Railways  were  tlie  first  cause 
of  this  great  change,  and  are  entitled  to  share  largely  with  free  traile  the  glory  of 
its  subsequent  increase  and  of  the  national  benefit.  But  one  portion  of  the  result 
is  entirely  their  own.  Free  trade  benefited  the  manufacturing  population,  but  liad 
little  to  do  with  the  agriculturists.  Yet  the  distress  in  the  rural  districts  was  as 
great  or  greater  than  in  the  towns,  and  this  under  a  system  of  the  most  rigid  pro- 
tection. IIow  did  the  country  population  attain  their  present  prosperity  ?  Simply 
by  the  emigration  to  the  towns  or  colonies  of  the  redundant  laborers.  This 
emigration  was  scarcely  possible  till  the  construction  of  railways.  Up  to  that 
time  the  farm  laborer  was  unable  to  migrate  ;  from  that  time  he  became  a  migra- 
tory animal.  The  increase  of  population  in  agricultural  counties  stopped,  or  was 
changed  into  a  decrease,  and  the  laborers  ceased  to  be  too  numerous  for  the  work. 
To  this  cause  is  principally  owing  the  sufficiency  of  employment  and  wages  through- 
out the  agricultural  portion  of  the  kingdom.  If  I  may  venture  on  a  comparison, 
England  was,  in  1830,  like  a  wide-spreading  plain  flooded  with  stagnant  waters, 
which  were  the  cause  of  malaria  and  distress.  Railways  were  a  grand  system  of 
drainage,  carrying  away  to  the  running  streams,  or  to  the  ocean,  the  redundant 
moisture,  and  restoring  the  country  to  fertility  and  prosperity. 

Cost  and  Results  of  French  Railways.  *  *  *  fhe  Revolution  of  1848 
accounts  for  the  small  increase  between  1845  and  1850,  but  it  is  plain  that  the  great 
increase  in  French  commerce  was  between  1850  and  1800,  contemporaneously  with 
the  great  development  of  railways.  AVhen  travelling  in  France  I  have  always 
heard  railways  assigned  as  the  cause  of  their  present  commercial  prosperity. 

The  proportion  which  the  exports  and  imports  bore  to  the  means  of  communication 
is  shown  in  the  following  table  : — 


Commerce 
increases. 


Benefits  to 
laborers. 


Especially 
farmers. 


Surplus 
labor  re- 
lieved. 


Wages 
equalized. 


Railways 
like  drain- 
age. 

French  rail- 

waya. 

Cause  of 
Ijrosperity, 


Provortion  of  Exports  and  Imports  to  Railways  and  Navigation. 


1840 
1845 
1850 
1855 

1860 
1865 


Navigation  (7700  miles 
and  railways. 


8,264 

8,547 

9,507 

11,015 

13,286 

15,830 


Exports  and  Imports. 


82,520,000 
97,080,000 
102,204,000 
173,076,000 
232,192,000 
293,144,000 


Proportion 
of  trade  to 

=^=^=rr:=^^z=r  transporta- 
tion in 

Exports  and  Imports,  France— 
per  mile  open. 


9,985 
11,358 
10,7,50 
15,712 
17,476 
18,518 


Here  there  is  a  steady  rise  in  the  amount  per  mile,  checked  only  by  the  revolution  —clearly 
of  1848.     But  the  principle  that  there   is  a  distinct  correspondence  between  the'*'"^^"' 
means  of  communication  and  the  exports  and  imports  is  already  shown. 

The  eifect  of  railways  on  the  condition  of  the  working  classes  has  also  been  very  Labor  ben- 
beneficial.     The  extreme  lovvuess  of  fares  enables  them  to  travel  cheaply,  and  the  ^       ' 
opportunity  is  largely  used.     The  number  of  third-class  passengers  in  France  is  75 
per  cent,  of  the  total  passengers,  against  only  58   per  cent,  in  England.     (M.  Fla- 
chat,  p.  60).     The  result  of  these  facilities  of  motion  has  been  an  equalization  of  Equalized, 
wages  throughout  the  country,  to  the  great  benefit  of  the  rural  populalions.     M.  ^  Flachat 
Flachat  says  : 

'.'  Railways  found  in  France  great  Inequality  in  the  wages  of  laborers :  but  they  are  constantly  remedying 
it.  Wherever  they  were  uonstracted  in  a  district  of  low  wages,  employment  was  eagerly  sought.  The 
workiu;^  classes  rapitUy  learned  to  deserve  high  wages  by  the  greater  quantity  of  work  done.    Agriculture 


328 


Power  of  the  Railway  to  Devehpe  and   Centralize. 


Drawn   from  had  been  unable  to  draw  out  the  capabilities  of  its  workmen,  and  was  for  the  moment  paralyzed  for  want 

agriculture     of  hands ;  but  industry  developed  fresh  resources.     The  total  amount  of  work  done  was  considerably 

'    increasedall  over  the  country.     The  difficulties  of  agriculture  were  removed  by  obtaining  in  return  for 

higher  wages  a  larger  amount  of  work  thar  before,  and  also  because  machines  began  to  be  used  in  culti- 

Increased        vatiou.     Everywhere  it  was  evident  that  increased  energy  accompanied  increased  remuneration.     This 

enBrgv.  is  the  point  in  which  the  railways  have  most  powerfully  increased   the  wealth  of  France.     The  moral 

Elevation  of  result  of  this  improvement  in  the  means  of  existence  of  the  working  class  has  been  to  diminish  the 

labor.  distance  which  separates  the  man  who  works  only  for  himself  from  the  man  who  works  for  a  master.     In 

the  education  of  the  workman's  children,  in  his  clothing,  in  his  domestic  life,  and  even  in  his  amusements, 

there  is  now  an  improvement  which  raises  him  nearer  to  his  master.'' — pp.  78  and  79. 


Other  ben- 
efits to 
Frajice. 


Fngland 
compai-ed. 


I  am  sure  we  shall  all  rejoice  at  this  evidence  of  the  benefits  conferred  by  rail- 
ways upon  the  working  classes  of  that  great  neighboring  nation.  I  wish  there  was 
time  to  give  you  additional  extracts,  showing  the  immense  services  of  railways  to 
the  industry  of  France,  showing  that  France  was  kept  back  by  the  difficulty  of 
communication,  by  the  immense  distances  to  be  traversed,  and  the  impossibility  of 
conveying  cheaply  and  rapi'dly  the  raw  materials  of  manufactures.  Railways  have 
supplied  this  want,  and  have  given  a  new  impetus  to  production  and  new  outlets  for 
produce.         *  *  * 

Profits  between  France  and  England  are  compared,  and  the  different 
financial  management;  also  the  effect  of  open  competition  as  in  England, 
or  government  control  as  in  France. 


Belgium 
and  Hol- 
land. 


Railways  in  Belgium  and  Holland. — Belgium  is  one  of  the  most  striking  instances 
of  the  benefits  of  railways.  In  1830  she  separated  from  Holland,  a  country  which 
possessed  a  much  larger  commerce  and  superior  means  of  communication  with 
other  nations  by  sea  and  by  canals.         *  *  * 


Proportion 
of  trade  to 
transporta- 
tion in 
Belgium. 


Proportion  of  Exports  and  Imports  to  Railways  and  Naoigaiion. 

Canals  (910  miles)  Exports  and  Exp'ts  and  Imp'ts 

Year.                                                                 and  Railways  open.  Imports.  per  mile  open. 

1839 1,055  £15,680,000  £14,862 

1845 1,205  26.920,000  22,340 

1853 1,590  47,760.000  30,037 

1860 1,907  72,120,000  37,818 

1864 2,220  97,280,000  42,919 


Large  in- 
crease. 


Due    to  rail- 
ways 


Chief  in 
mufrs. 


Holland  8ur- 
pa«3ed. 
Her  advan- 
tages. 


She  neglect- 
ed railways. 


In  1839  her 
trade  largest 
In  1S62 
ISelgiuin 
largest. 


This  enormous  increase  of  Belgian  commerce  must  be  ascribed  to  her  wise  system 
of  railway  development,  and  it  is  not  difficult  to  see  how  it  arises.  Before  railways, 
Belgium  was  shut  out  from  the  continent  of  Europe  by  the  expensive  rates  of  land 
carriage  and  her  want  of  water  communication.  She  had  no  colonies  and  but  little 
shipping.  Railways  gave  her  direct  and  rapid  access  to  Germany,  Austria  and 
France,  and  made  Ostend  and  Antwerp  great  continental  ports.  One  of  her  chief 
manufactures  is  that  of  wool,  of  which  she  imports  21,000  tons,  valued  at 
£2,250,000,  from  Saxony,  Prussia,  etc.,  of  which  she  returns  a  large  proportion 
in  a  manufactured  state.  She  is  rapidly  becoming  the  principal  workshop  of  the 
continent,  and  every  development  of  railways  in  Europe  must  increase  her  means  of 
access  to  her  trade. 

Now  look  at  Holland,  which  in  1835  was  much  her  superior.  Holland  was 
possessed  of  immense  advantages  in  the  perfection  of  her  canals,  which  are 
the  finest  and  most  numerous  in  the  world ;  in  the  large  tonnage  of  her 
shipping;  in  her  access  by  the  Rhine  to  the  heart  of  Germany;  and  in  the  com- 
mand of  the  German  trade,  which  was  brought  to  her  ships  at  Amsterdam  and 
Rotterdam.  The  Dutch  relied  on  these  advantages  and  neglected  railways.  The 
consequence  was  tliat  by  1850  they  found  themselves  rapidly  losing  the  German 
trade,  which  was  being  diverted  to  Ostend  and  Antwerp.  The  Dutch  Rhenish 
railway  was  constructed  to  remedy  this  loss,  and  was  partly  opened  in  1853,  but 
not  fully  till  1856.  It  succeeded  in  regaining  part  of  the  former  connection.  But 
now  observe  the  result.  In  1839,  the  Dutch  exports  and  imports  were  £28,500,000 
or  nearly  double  those  of  Belgium.  In  1862  they  were  £59,000,000,  when  those 
of  Belgium  were  £78,000,000.  Thus,  while  Holland  had  doubled  her  commerce, 
Belgium  had  increased  five-fold,  and  had  completely  passed  her  in  the  race. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments. 


329 


Holland  depended  upon  her   canals,  as  St.  Louis   has  upon  her   rivers ;  iroiiaud  like 

while   railways   have   wrought   their  legitimate   result  for  Chicago,  as  for 

Belgium.     Mr.  Baxter  here  reaches — 

Railways  in  the  United  Stales. — In  any  paper  on  foreign  railways  it  is  impossible  Railways  in 
to  omit  the  United  States,  a  country  where  they  have  attained  such  gigantic  proper-  ^-  ^• 
tions.     The  increase  of  United  States  lines  is  as  follows : — 


Miles  Constructed  and  Annual  Increase  from  the  Beginning. 


Mili/s  from 
182S  to  1868. 


Year. 

Miles. 

Increase, 

Year, 

Miles. 

Increase. 

Year. 

Miles. 

Increase. 

1828 

3 

1842 

8,877 

558 

1856 

19.251 

1,853 

1829 

28 

25 

1843 

4.174 

297 

1857 

22,625 

3,374 

1830* 

41 

13 

1844 

4,311 

137 

1858 

25,090 

2,465 

1831 

54 

13 

184.5* 

4,522 

211 

1859 

26,755 

1,665 

1832 

131 

77 

1846 

4,870 

348 

1860* 

28,771 

2,016 

1833 

576 

445 

1847 

5,336 

466 

1861 

30,593 

2.822 

1834 

762 

186 

1848 

5,682 

346 

1862 

■    31,769 

1,176 

1835 

918 

156 

1849 

6,350 

668 

1863 

82,471 

702 

1836 

1,102 

184 

1850* 

7,475 

1,125 

1864* 

33,860 

1,389 

1837 

1,421 

319 

1851 

8.589 

1,114 

1865 

34.442 

582 

1838 

1.843 

422 

1852 

11,027 

2,438 

1866 

35,361 

919 

1S39 

1,920 

77 

1853 

13,497 

2,470 

1867 

36,896 

1.535 

1840* 

2,197 

277 

1854 

15,672 

2,175 

1868 

38,822 

1,926 

1841 

3,319 

1,122 

1855* 

17,398 

1,726 

*  These  are  the  years  cited  by  Mr.  Baxter,  which  were  correct,  and  other  years  are  taken  from  the 
Railroad  Journal 

The  mileage  here  shown  is  something  enoi-mous  ;  four  times  that  of  France,  two  Nearly 
and  a  half  times  that  of  England,  and  nearly  as  large  as  the  total  mileage  of  the  SfiU'^'s 
United  Kingdom  and  Europe,  which  is  about  42,000  miles.  'ur  p  . 

In  so  young  a  country  inland  traffic  gives  these  lines  the  greater   part  of  their  Traffic  in- 
employment,   and  there  are  no  masses   of    expensive  manufactured  goods  as  in  ''^°'^- 
England  or  Belgium  to  swell  the  total  value  of  foreign  trade.     Foreign  commerce  Foreign  to 
is  still  in  its  infancy,  but  an  infancy  of  herculean  proportions,  as   the  following  come, 
table  shows : 

Increase  of  Exports  and  Imports.  Increase  of 

exports  and 
Total  exports  Increase        Inc.  per  cent,  imports. 

Year.  and  imports.  per  cent.         per  annum. 

1830 £  31,000,000 

I  47.60  3.40 
1844 45,759,000:^ 

\  50.00       8.33 

1850 68,758,000:^ 

I  62.60  12.52 
1855 111,791,000  < 

I  42.00  8.40 

1860 158,610,000-* 

The  advance  in  the  annual  increase  is  very  striking,  being  from  3 J  per  cent,  per  Rapid  in- 
annum  in  the  infancy  of  railways  to  8  and   12  per  cent,  when  their  extension  was  crease  of 
proceetling  rapidly.     Before  the  introduction  of  railways  America  possessed  a  very 
extensive  system  of  canals,  which  amounts  to  nearly  6,000  miles.     At  the  present  6,0f0  miles 
time  both    canals    and   railways  are    crowded  with  traffic.     The  following   table  ca^ls. 
shows  the   relation  between   the  growth  of  trade  and  the  increase  of  means   of 
communication. 

Proportion  of  Exports  and  Imports  to  Railways  and  Canals.  Proportion 

Canals  (6,000  miles)  Total  Exports        Exp'ts  and  Tinp'ts  j^g^^  '     j.^^^ 

Year.  and  railways  open.  and  Imports.  per  mile.         jj^^ 

1830 6,040  £  31,000,000  5,130 

1844 10,310  45,759,000  4,437 

1850 13,475  68,758,000  5,102 

1855 23,398  111,797,000  4,778 

1860 34,770  158,810,000  4,567 


330 


Power  of  the  Railway  to  Develope  and  Centralize. 


Equal    as  in 
France  and 
Belgium. 


15,000  miles 
now  in  pro- 
gress. 

Pacific  rail- 
ways. 


Girt-ernment 
aid. 

ff?  days  from 
Hong  Kong 
to  Europe. 

Great  future 
for  railways 
in  U.  S. 


Free  trade 
and  national 
debt. 

Kailway 
extension. 


Thus,  in  the  United  States,  as  well  as  in  England,  France  and  Belgium,  the 
exports' and  imports  bear  a  distinct  relation  to  the  miles  of  communication  open, 
but  lower  in  amount  than  in  the  European  countries,  as  was  only  likely  from  the 
thinner  population. 

Vast  as  is  the  mileage  of  American  railways,  it  is  by  no  means  near  its  highest 
point.  The  lines  in  construction,  but  not  yet  completed,  are  stated  to  be  more 
than  15,000  miles  in  length,  a  larger  number  than  the  whole  mileage  of  the  United 
Kingdom,  completed  and  uncompleted.  *  *  * 

1  must  not  omit  to  mention  the  great  Pacific  railways,  one  of  which  is  now  being 
constructed  from  the  State  of  Missouri  for  a  distance  of  2,400  miles  across  Kansas, 
Nebraska,  Utah,  and  Nevada,  to  San  Francisco,  in  California.  It  receives  from  the 
general  government  subsidies  of  £3,300,  £6,000,  or  £9,900  per  mile,  according  to 
The  ditficulty  of  the  ground,  besides  enormous  grants  of  land  on  each  side  of  the 
line.  When  this  railway  is  completed,  the  journey  from  Hong  Koug  to  England 
will  be  made  in  thirty-three  days  instead  of  the  present  time  of  six  weeks,  and  it 
is  anticipated  that  a  large  portion  of  our  Chinese  traffic  will  pass  by  this  route. 

No  one  can  study  theUnited  States  without  being  struck  by  the  great  railway 
future  which  lies  before  them,  when  their  immense  territories  are  more  thickly 
peopled,  and  their  mineral  resources  anil  manufactures  have  been  developed.  The 
distances  to  be  traversed  are  so  vast,  and  the  traffic  to  be  carried  will  be  so  enor- 
mous that  the  railways  of  the  United  States  will  far  exceed  in  extent,  and  in  the 
trade  which  will  pass  over  them,  anything  that  has  hitherto  been  known  in  the 
history  of  the  world. 

"Railways  and  Free  Trade,"  and  "Railways  and  National  Debt,"  are 
discussed,  and  we  reach, — 

Further  Railway  Extension. — England  is  undoubtedly  the  country  in  the  world 
best  provided  with  railways.  The  statistical  comparison  stood  thus  at  the  end  of 
1865: 


Railways 
compared 
with  area 
and  popula- 
tion. 


Miles  open. 
Sq.  miles  to 
railway. 
Population 
to  railway. 


Railways  compared  with  Area  and  Population. 


Country. 

Railway 
miles  open. 

Square  miles 

per  Railway 

mile. 

Population 

per  Kailway 

mile. 

England  and  Wales 

9,251 

1,350 

13,289 

778 

8,589 

24,883 
8,134 
372 
2,389 
3,735 
2,721 
419 

10,300 
2,539 
3,186 

^ 

8 

9 
19 
20 

25 

26 

29 

41 

03 

67 

87 

92 
136 
287 

2,186 

3,625 

2!  United  Kingdom 

2,206 

3.257 

8,525 

5.  Northern  United  States  (except  Kansas, 

Nebraska  and  Oregon) 

801 

6.  France 

4,607 

7.  Holland 

9,066 

8.  Italy , 

9,084 

9.  Austria 

9,375 

10.  Spain 

5,991 

11.  Portugal 

8,555 

12.  Southern  United  States 

1,025 

13.  Canada 

987 

14.  India 

42,572 

Total  of  the  14  Countries 

82,495 

Otir  deficien- 
cy. 


That  is  a  very  instructive  table.  We  have  yet  to  build  four  times  our 
present  miles  to  be  as  well  supplied  as  England  ;  and  though  in  the  eastern 
States  the  land  is  too  much  broken  and  mountainous  to  render  it  expedient, 
yet  in  the  whole  Mississippi  Valley  it  will  be  done.     We  already  exceed 


Past^    Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  331 

France,  Holland,  Italy,  Austria,   etc.     Then,   too,  observe  how  small  our 
population  per  mile.     This  Great  Interior  is  doubtless  to  be  one  of  the  most  Settlements 

...  1^  /I        *"  '^°  dense. 

densely  peopled  regions  of  the  globe,  and  if  railroads  increase  half  as  fast 

as  population,  we  shall  be  abundantly  supplied.     None  has  superior  capacity 

of  production  of  all  life's  essentials,  or  of  many  of  its  chief  luxuries;  and 

although   our   lines  are   already  abundantly  remunerative,   yet   receipts  are  Receipts  to 

small  compared  with  what  they  will  be  when  from  801  people  to  a  mile,  we 

rise  to  that  of  England  of  2,186.     That  will  be  done  rapidly,  and  then  we 

shall  go  on  to  overtake  Prussia  and  Belgium. 

Nor  are   preceding  tables   less  sisnificant.     Observe  how  small  are  our  Foreign 
exports  and  imports  per  mile  or  navigation  and  railway.     Our   navigation  smaii. 
is  only  estimated  at  6,000  miles,  yet  our  exports  and  imports  in  1860  were 
but  £4,567,  to  £17,476  in  France,   £25,985   in  England,  and  £37,818  in 
Belgium.     Observe,  also,  how  large  and  rapid  the  increase  in  those  coun- increase  less 
tries,  keeping  even  pace  with  increase  of  railways,  while  we  have  even  failed  ways, 
to  keep  them  equal,  the  former  being  actually  largest  in  1830.     This  is  to 
be  accounted   for  in  that   as  a  new  country,  we  naturally  produce  first  the  Good  reason, 
essentials  of  life ;  and  if  produced  advantageously  for  our  own  country,  we 
should  have  but  small  surplus  in  any  article  for  which  we  had  not  superior 
advantages.     Hence  cotton  has  been  our  chief  export ;  and  it  is  most  satis-  Cotton  chief 
factory  evidence  that  we  have  pursued  precisely  the  right  course,  consuming 
nearly  all  we  produce,  and   producing  nearly  all   we  consume.     But  as  we 
develope,  especially  here  in  the   Great   Interior,  we  shall  produce  of  food,  Food  to 
particularly  in  the  condensed  forms  of  pork,  beef  and  mutton,  to  feed  Europe 
cheaper  than  she  can  herself,  just  as  soon  as  we  can  have  adequate  facilities 
for  transport.     Wealth  is  to  be  more  diffused,  and  the  masses  will  be  equal 
consumers    of    luxuries    from    foreign    lands    with    the    aristocratic    of 
other  countries.     Notwithstanding    the    small   proportion  of   exports    and  strong  in 

,  .  .  commerce. 

imports,  we  are   beyond  all  question  among  the  strongest  nations  in  com- 
merce, and  but  for  the  war  would  probably  have  been  on  the  lead.     It  is  the  Rapid  in- 

,.,..„.,  ,  I  n  ,  -,  crease  of 

enormous  multiplication  of  railways  that  reduces  our  average  or  exports  and  railways 
imports;  and  the   low  rate  of  these   only  serves  to  exhibit  the  extent  of  tmffic  small 
traffic  yet  to  be  thrown  upon  our  rail  and  water  facilities.  tion.' 

Mr.  Baxter  follows  the  table  with  remarks  upon   England  and  Belgium,  iioiiand  and 

Belgium. 

showing  the  large  prospective  increase  over  them,  and  remarks  : — 

*  *  *  Deducting  the  manufacturing  districts,  which  are  crowded  Railways  15 

with  a  railway  net-work,  the  remainder  of  the  country  gives  an   average   of  about '"■^^'^  "part- 
fifteen  miles  between  each  mile  of  railway.     The  average  ought  not  to  be  more  than  10  enough, 
eight  or  ten  miles. 

The  advantage   of  a  railway  to  agriculture   may  be   estimated  by  the  following  Benefits  to  ■ 
facts:     A  new  line  would,  on   an  average,  give  fresh  accomodation  to  three   and  agricnltiu-e. 
a-half  miles  on  each  side,  being  a  total  of  seven  square  miles,   or  4,560  acres  for 
each  mile  of  railway.     It  would  be  a  very  moderate  estimate  to  supppose  that  cart- 
age would  be  saved  on  one  ton  of  produce,  manure,  or  other  articles  for  each  acre, 
and  that  the  saving  per  ton  would  be  five  miles  at  8c?  per  mile.     Hence  the  total  Saving- 
annual  saving  would  be  £768  per  mile  of  railway,  which  is  5  per   cent,  interest  on 
£15,000.     Thus  it  is  almost  impossible  to  construct  a  railway  through  a  new  district 


332  Power  of  the  Railway  to  Develope  and   Centralize. 

—whole        of  fair  agricultural  capabilities  without  saving  to  the  land  owner  and  farmer  alone 

cost.  the  whole  cost  of  the  line.     Besides  this,  there  is  the  benefit  to  the  laborer  of  cheap 

coal  and  better  access  to  the  market.     There  is  also  the   benefit  to  the  small  towns 

unvns  ^         of  being  put  into  railway  communication  with  larger  towns  and  wholesale  producers. 

And  there  is  the  possibility  of  opening  up  sources  of  mineral  wealth. 
D"  "d  nds  Somebody  ought  to  make  these  agricultural  lines,  even  though  they  may  not  pay 

noresseutial.  a  dividend  to  the  shareholder.     But  who  is  that  somebody  to  be  ?     The  great  com- 
panies will  not  take  the  main  burden,  lest  they  should  lower  their  own  dividends. 
WhotobuildThe  general  public  will  not  subscribe,  for  they  know  the  uncertainty  of  the  invest- 
branches.      ment  turnino"  out  profitable.     And  notwithstanding  tlie  able  letters  signed  "  H,"  in 
the  Times  some  months  ago,  I  cannot  advocate   the   necessarily  wasteful  system  of 
contractors'  lines,   or   believe  in  the   principle,  "  Never  mind  who  is  the  loser,  so 
that  the  public  is  benefited."     Railway  extension  is  not  promoted  in   the  long  run 
by  wasteful  financing  and  ruinous  projects.     On  the  contrary,  such  lines  injure 
railway    extension,    by  making   railways    a   bye-word    and   depreciating  railway 
property,  and  they  render  it  impossible  to  find  supporters  for  sound  and  beneficial 
schemes. 
Route-own-        The  proper  parties  to  pay  for  country  lines  are  the  proprietors  and  inhabitants 
ers  to  Imild  of  the  districts  through  which  they  pass.     They  are  benefited  even  if  the  line  does 
branches.       ^^^  ^^^  g^  dividend.     They    have  every  motive   for  economical  construction    and 
management,  and  can  make  a  line  pay  where  no  one  else  can.     But  they   will  not 
Not  direct-     subscribe  any  large  portion  of  the   capital  as  individuals.     Very  few  will  make  a 
'y~  poor  investment  of  any  magnitude  for  the  public  good,  though  all   might  be  ready 

to  take  their  part  in  a  general  rate.  Almost  every  country  but  our  own  has  recog- 
nized the  fact,  and  legislated  on  this  basis,  by  empowering  the  inhabitants  of  a 
district  which  would  be  benefited  to  tax  themselves  for  the  construction  of  a  railway. 

bnt  by       I   have  shown  that  in  France   either  the  department  or  the  commune  may  vote  a 

loansof         subvention  out  of  their  public  funds,  and  that  in  the  United  States  the  municipalities 
"'^   '■  vote  subsidies  of  municipal  bonds.     In  Spain  the  provinces  and  the  municipalities 

Examples,  have  the  power  to  take  shares  or  debentures,  or  if  they  prefer  it,  to  vote  subven- 
tions or  a  guarantee  of  interest.  In  Italy  the  municipalities  do  the  same  thing. 
Why  should  not  England  follow  their  example,  and  authorize  the  inhabitants  of 
parishes  and  boroughs  to  rate  themselves  for  a  railway  which  will  improve  their 
property,  or  empower  them  to  raise  loans  on  the  security  of  the  rates,  to  be  paid 
otF  in  a  certain  number  of  years  by  a  sinking  fund,  as  is  done  for  sanitary 
Only  way.      improvements?     I  see  no  other  way  of  raising  the  nucleus  of  funds  for  carrying 

out  many  rural  lines  which  would  be  most  beneficial  to  the  country.     *       *       * 

Future  of  I  cannot  conclude  without  saying  a  word  on  the  future  of  railways.     The  progress 

railways.       of  the  last  thirty-six  years  has   been  wonderful,   since  that  period  has  witnessea 

85,000  miles   the  construction  of  about  85,000  miles  of  railway.     The  next  thirty-six  years  are 

in  36  years,    likely  to  witness  a  still   greater  development,  and  the  construction  of  more  than 

More  next     8o,U00  miles.     We  may  look  forward  to  England  possessing  at  no  distant  date,  more 

36 years.        than  20,000  miles,  France  an  equal  number,  and  the  other  nations  of  the  continent 

increasing  their  mileage  till  it  will  bear  the  proportion  of  one  railway  mile  to  every 

ten  square  miles  of  area,   instead  of   the  very  much  less   satisfactory  proportions 

North Amer- stated  in    the  comparative   table.     We  may  expect  the   perioil  when  the  immense 

'j^ji'j'JJi^'^'^g^  continent  of  North  America  will  boast  of  100,000  miles   of  line,  clustered  in  the 

"^^  thickly  populated  eastern  States,  and  spreading  plentifully  through  the  western   to 

the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  over  to  California  and  the  Pacific.     We  may 

Russia.         anticipate  the  time  when  Russia  will   bend  her   energies  to  consolidating  her  vast 

From  Dover  empireby  an  equally  vast  railway  network.    Wemaypredict  the  day  whena  continuous 

to  China.       railroad   will  run   from   Dover  to   the   Bosphorus,  from   the   Bosphorus   down    the 

Euphrates,  across  Persia  and  Beloochistan  to  India,  and  from  India  to  China.      We 

may  look  for  the  age  when  China,  with  her  3-50,000,000  inhabitants,  will  turn  her 

intelligence  and  industry  to  railroad  communication. 

Important         But  who  shall  estimate  the  consequences  that  will  follow,  the  prodigious  increase 

results.  of  commerce,  the  activity  of  national   intercourse,  the   spread    of  civilization,   and 

that  advance  of  human  intelligence  foretold  thousands  of  years  ago  by  the  prophet 

upon  the  lonely  plains  of  Palestine,  "when  many  shall  run  to  and  fro  on  the  earth, 

and  knowledge  shall  he  increased." 

Note.— Con-       NoTE. — Since  reading  this  paper  before  the  Society,  my  attention  has  been  called 

to't'rance'by '°  '^°  article  On  French  railways  in  the  Revue  des  deux  Mondes  of  January  1st,  1866, 

M.  Lavollee'^y  ^^-  Lavollee,  which,  written  many  months  previously,  confirms  most  strikingly 

my  conclusions,  especially  those  which  relate  to  the  effect  of  railways  on  French 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  333 

commerce  and  on  the  welfare  of  the  working;  classes.    It  adds  many  eloquent  reflec- 
tions on  railways  in  relation  to  civilization  and  progress,  which  are  well  worth  perusal. 

These  facts  and  views  afford  a  safe  basis  of  jud2;nieiit  for  the   future  of  Snrhonr 

..  .,  ATI  in-  1  future  in- 

Americau  railways.     According  thereto  we  must  have  Z-t  times  more  than  crease. 

at  present,  to  equal  the  proportion  of  mileage  to  population   in   England, 

and  4:h  times  to  equal   Belgium ;  for  who   doubts  the  demand  of  go-ahead 

Americans  for  as  much  railway  as  any  other  people  can   use  ?     To  make 

mileage   equal  to  area  in   Belgium,  we  must  have   three-fold  increase;  to ^ ^^^ '^'^°^'^- 

equal  England,  four-fold.     Like  begets  like ;  and  when  we  consider  that 

only  35  years  ago  we  had  less  than  600  miles  for  the   38,800  in  actual  use  15  years  to 

double  pres- 

to-day,  who  can   doubt  that  fifteen  years  will  at  least  double  the   present  eut  lines. 
mileage  ? 

Shall  we  cease  progress  when  we    shall  have   attained  to  what  England  shaii  we 
and   Belgium   have    already   attained    unto  ?     Mr.    Baxter    argues    in    an 
unquoted  paragraph,  that  whereas   English  lines   are  now  about   15   miles 
apart,  they  should  not  be  more  than  8  or  10.     That  would  require  a  third 
to    a  half   increase.     Shall  we   be   satisfied  with   less  than   Europe  ?     M. 
Poussin,  French  Minister  to  our  Government  some  30  years  ago,  published  The  u.  s.,it>i 
a  work  in  IB-lo  entitled  "  The  United  States ;  its  Power  and  Progress,"  progress. 
and  remarks  in  the  introduction  : —  m.  Pmasin. 

But  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  a  nation  is  now  rising,  which   though  by  to  become  a 
the  same  race,  and  moved  by  the  same  ambition,  is  in  every  respect  better  adapted  chief  com. 
to  become  one  of  the  greatest   powers  among  the  commercial  nations  of  the  world.  ^'^''O"- 
Day  by  day  it  is  advancing  farther  and  farther  into  the  lists,  and   already  menaces  Riyai  toQt. 
with  disastrous  competition  the  former  queen  of  the  seas,  its  only  rival.     But  yes-^'''""°' 
terday  the  American  nation  was  a  people  of  consumers;   to-day  it  reveals  its  power 
and  its  just  pretensions  to  lavish  on  the  other   nations  of  the   world  its   immense 
natural  wealth,  and  the  marvelous    products  of  its  industry.     AVhy   should   it  not  i?e  able  to 
covet  the  rich  inheritance   of  Great  Britain,  of  which  it  will  one  day  be  able  to  jj^^Tussess 
dispossess  it? 

To  cousumate  these  ambitious  views,  it  pursues  a  course  entirely  the  opposite  of  Pursues  an 
that  which  has  so  well  served  the  interests  of  England.     The  ascending  movement  °|'Jj":'^^''' 
of  the  one  has   been  occasioned  by  the  energy  of  its   compact  aristocracy.     The 
supremacy  of  the  ocean  will  be  obtained  by  the  other  through  the  force  of  demo-  Democracy 
cratic  principles.     On  the  banner  of  the  one  is  inscribed  tlie  motto,  Dieu  et  mon^^^  ^^' 
droit;  on  that  of  the  other  will  be  inscribed   the  freedom  of  the  seas,  thus    recog- 
nizing   that    grand    and    salutary    principle,    that    ttie  flag   of  a    vessel  protects    its  Sailors 
mercfiandise.     This  sacred  principle  will  powerfullj'  contribute  to  the  reconstruction  ^'^  '*" 
of  the  social  edifice. 

In  its  defence,   the  American  nation  will  rely  not  only  on   its  navy,  but  on  its  Sovereignty 
ambition  and  its  commercial  interests.     Its  strength  lies  in  the  sovereignty  of  the  "^   peop  e. 
people.     To    this,    in    fact,    it    owes   its     origin    and    its    unexampled    prosperity. 
Founded,  principally,  on   the   love  of  liberty,  on   patriotism,  on  the  attachment  of 
the  citizen  to  the  constitution  of  his  choice,  the  Union  presents  the  imposing  spec- 
tacle of  a  compact  nation  provided  with  all  the  elements  of  strength  and  durability. 
Its  citizens,    happy  under  the   empire  of  their  institutions,   would    only  lose  by  No  change 
modifying  them ;  and   they  will  not   risk    the    experiment — for    they  would  thus    ''^"''  ' 
compromise    the    future,  of   which    their    present   prosperity    is    tlie    most    solid 
guarantee. 

M.  Poussin  describes  with  great  accuracy  our  lines  of  interior  coramu- internal 

nication,  rivers,  lakes,  canals  and  railways,  judiciously   considering  them  J^en'tsT^ 

as  a  means  of  military  defence.     He  says  of — 

Railroads. — The  distinctive  character  of  the  American  people  is  that  of  being  , 

eminently  productive.     In  this  respect,  no  country,  perhaps,  with  the  same  popula- 
tion, has  equaled   them.     But  in  no  country  has   an  equal  degree  of  activity  and 


334  Poioer  of  the  Railway  to  Develope  and   Centralize. 

constant  application  been  exhibited  with  the  object  of  procuring  means  of  exchange 
for  the  products  of  the  soil,  or  additional  facilities  for  their  transportation. 
Araerican  Jq  the  o-io-antic  application,  so  to  speak,  of  that  important  means  of  communica- 

6kill  in  their  ^.^^  ^^^  transportation,  the  railroad,  the  Americans  have  especially  manifested 
nevelop-        their  characteristic  intelligence  and  their  unerring  instinct.     The   employment  of 
nient  of  our  ^u  the  resources  which  nature  has  so  generously  distributed  throughout  their  vast 
resources.      ^^^  magnificent  territory,  for  the  development  of  commerce  and  wealth,  the  prin- 
cipal sources   of  public   happiness,  would  seem  to  have  been  the  principal  and 
almost  exclusive  objects  of  their  lives. 
Democratic        The  American  seems  to  consider  the  words  democracy,  liberalism,  and  railroads 
liberalism      g^g  synonymous  terms,  whether  because  they  all  equally  express  the  constant  object 
an  rai  roa  a  ^^  human  eifort  in  the  gradual  amelioration   of  the  social  condition   of  man,   or 
because  of  the  happy  influence  of  the  diffusion  of  knowledge  on  all  classes  of 
society. 
People  de-        When  the  question  concerning  the  construction  of  the  railroad — an  improvement 
cided about    which  was  SO  powerfully  to  second  the  active   genins  of  the  Americans — was  agi- 
'^^'t'^t^'t^'      fated,  public  opinion  was  alone  invoked.     It  was  no  business  of  the  State  to  decide 
whether  the  innovation,  such  as  it  presented  itself,  should  immediately  be  intro- 
duced into  the  country,  with  all  the  imperfections  attached   to  a  recent  discovery, 
or  whether  postponement  of  action  until  some  other  country  should  commence  the 
experiment  would  be  the  wiser  course.     I  well  remember  this  circumstance.     The 
At  once         Americans  did  not  hesitate  a  moment.     They  adopted  the  discovery  at  its  inception, 
adopted.        ^^^  immediately  applied  it  to  their  necessities,  with  due  relation  to  locality. 
Experience        This  mode  of  proceeding  was  rational,  for  it  is  difficult  to  judge  properly  of  the 
the  test.        merits  of  any  invention,  or  of  the  improvements  of  which  it  is   susceptible,  apart 
from  direct  experience.     This  course  the  Americans  have  invariably  pursueil  iu  all 
their  enterprises.     They   have  never  believed   they  could    import  anything   in   a 
Only  depend- state  of  perfection.     For  the  suggestions  of  improvements  which  experience  alone 
ence.  can   supply   in    the   varied   circumstances    peculiar   to   each    country,   they    have 

considered  experiment  the  only  safe  dependence. 
Practical  in  These  practical  views  are  exhibited  in  everything  the  Americans  undertake  ;  a 
all  things,  circumstance  which,  among  others,  must,  in  my  opinion,  place  the  United  States  at 
the  head  of  all  other  nations  in  everything  that  relates  to  the  industrial  arts.  At  all 
Steam  large-  events,  they  have  applied  steam  more  extensively,  in  every  branch  of  industry, 
ly  used.        than  any  nation  in  the  world. 

Moderate  Our  practical  ";ood  sense  has  not  only  been  shown  in  the  abundant  use  of 

cost  of   rail-  ,^  ,?,.,,.  . 

roads.  the  railway,  but  in  building  them  according  to  our  means.     We  could  better 

serve  the  public  and  mate  more  money  by  building  and  furnishing  two  miles 
Improve-  of  road  imperfectly  than  one  mile  thoroughly.  Improvements  of  road-bed, 
after.  rail  and  machinery  are  more  cheaply  made   after  a  road  is  in  full  operation. 

Most  miles    -Especially  is  this  the  case  in  the  West,     A  road  in  a  new  country  sparsely 
settled,  if  quite  inferior,  is  of  incalculable  value  for  its  developing  powers ; 
and  as  they  are  felt,  and  the  local  traffic  augments,  the   railway  can  be  and 
is  improved  to  meet  demands. 
Views 25  M.  Poussin  wrotc  his  views,  it  must  be  remembered,  in  1843,  before  the 

years  old.  West  had  begun  to  understand  the  worth  of  railways,  or  the  East  to  appre- 
ciate the  adaptation  of  this  region  to  their  use,  and  the  resulting  profits. 
222  miles  in  In  18-i2,  of  4,863  miles,  Kentucky  had  28,  Ohio  84,  and  3Iichigan  138  ; 
and  no  increase  to  1844,  except  68  miles  in  Michigan.  In  1843  the  editor 
Mr.  Poor,  of  the  Railroad  Journal^  Mr.  Poor,  exhibiting  the  difficulties  encountered 
Journal,  '43.  ^nd  chauges  in  11  years  subsequent  to  its  establishment,  remarked  : — 

Difficulties        The  editor  also  thought  it  necessary  to  refer  to  several  gentlemen  of  the  city  as 

m  startiug     guaranties  for  the  continuance  of  the  work.     Before  many  numbers  had  been  issued, 

information  from  all  quarters  poured  in,  and  a  very  lively  interest  was  felt  in  the 

undertaking.     The  demand  for  railroads  throughout  the  country  increased,    and 

popular  as  well  as  scientific  information  was  in  request. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  335 

Let  us  now  compare  the  present  state  of  affairs  with  this  humble  commencement.  Change  in  H 
There  are  now  between  four  and  five  thousand  miles  of  railroad  in  use  in  the  United  YhI^q"' 
States,  bnilt  by  the  expenditure  of  nearly  one  hundred  millions  of  dollars.     Eleven 
years  ago  there  were  but  about  one  hundred  miles  in  use.     There  are  now  probably  1*^!^  ™''?s   1° 
more  than  five  hundred  locomotive  engines  in  use,  nearly  all  of  them  made  in  tbiis  -j^g'^p    '° 
country.     Eleven  years  ago,  the  few  engines  in  use  were  imported  from  England, 
and  were  of  the  oldest  patterns.     Since  then   fifty  or  more  American  engines  have  Engines 
been  sent  abroad — some  to  Russia,  some  to  Austria,  and  several  to  England.     Had  exported. 
this    fact  been  predicted,  even  in  the  most  indirect  manner,  in  the  first  number 
of  the  Railroad  Journal,  it  would  have  sealed  its  doom. 

Eleven  years  ago,  a  dead  level  was,  by  many,   deemed  necessary  on  a  railroad.  High  grade 
and  grades  of  thirty  feet  to  the  mile  were  hardly  thought  admissable.     Now,  engines  ascended. 
are  in  daily  use  which  surmount  grades  of  sixty  and  eighty  feet  to  the  mile. 

Eleven  years  ago,  inclined  planes  with  stationary  power  were  considered  the  7ie  inclined 
plus  ultra  of  engineering  science.     Now,  they  are  discarded  as  expensive,  incon-  I'l^^n's  aban- 
venient,  and  incompatible  with  the  free  use  of  a  railroad.  '  "°'^' ' 

Eleven  years  ago,  it  was  thought  that  railroads  could  not  compete  with  canals  Compete 
in    carrying    heavy   freight;    and   even    much   more    recently  statements    to   this  "'■'^'^  canals, 
effect  have  been  put  forth  by  authority.     Now,  we  know  that  the  most  profitable  of 
the  eastern  railroads  derive  one-half  of  its  income  from  bulky  freight,  and  that 
coal  can  be  carried  more  cheaply  upon  a  railroad  than  in  canals. 

Eleven  years  ago,  the  profitableness  of  railroads  was  not  established;  and,  dis-  Areprofita- 
couraged  by  the  vast  expenditure  in  several  cases  of  experiment  in  an  untried  field,  ^^'e. 
many  predicted  that  they  would  be  unprofitable.      Now,  it  is  already  demonstrated, 
by  declared  dividends,  that  well  constructed  railroads,  when  divested  of  extraneous 
incumbrances,   are  the  most  profitable  investments    in   our  country.       The   New  j^g^^.  j^g. 
England  railroads  have  paid,  since  their  completion,  6  to  8  per  cent.  ;  several  other  land  6  to  8, 
roads,  6  and  10  per  cent.     The  Hudson  and  Mohawk  (of  fifteen  and  a-half  miles,  c'*^'^''**   ^  to 
costing  about  one  million  one  hundred  thousand  dollars)  paid,  in  1840,  7  per  cent,  profit.  ^ 
on  that  enormous  outlay.     The  Utica  and  Schenectady,   and  Syracuse  and   Utica, 
pay  10  to  12  per  cent.     The  stock  of  the  Utica  and  Schenectady  Railroad  has  never 
been  down  to  par  since  operations  were  commenced  in  1836,  and  has  maintained  its 
stand,  without  fluctuation,  at  a  higher  rate  than  any  other  species  of  stock  during 
all  our  commercial  revolutions. 

Eleven  years  ago,  there  were  but  six  miles   of  railroad  in  use  in  the  vicinity  of  Smilesji^t 
Boston.     Now,  Boston  has  direct  connection  with   a  web  of  railways  one  thousand 
two  hundred  and  three  miles  in   length  ;  all  of  which,  except  about  twenty-four  —now  1,003. 
miles,  are  actually  in  use — being  a  greater  length  of  railroad  than  there  was  in  the 
whole  world  eleven  years  ago. 

It  is  difficult  to  realize  that  one  s:eDeration  should  have  witnessed  the  ere-  Railway 

...  .  progress 

ation  of  such  a  power  as  the  railway,  so  soon  attaining  its  huge  proportions,  wonderful. 
Had  any  man  predicted  the  work,  who  would  have  given  credit?  Would 
not  the  universal  inquiry,  and  conclusive  against  even  possibility  of  accom- 
plishment, have  been — Whence  shall  the  money  come  to  do  this  ?  Yet  done 
it  is  ;  and  most  here  in  the  West,  where  the  largest  expenditure  according  to 
population  has  been  made,  though  not  of  our  own  money  by  considerable. 
Mr.  Ruggles  told  us,  p.  317,  of  the  consequent  fabulous  increase  of  property,  propem-. ''^ 
It  is  with  the  West  we  have  to  do  :  and  though  the  information  quoted  was  Knowledge 

1  11  1  •  •  1     •  1  ,       of  the   West 

necessary  to  understand  that  progess  here  is  not  exceptional,  in  order   to  be  wanted  . 
certain  of  continuance,  we  need  to  have  information  about  the  West  itself 
in  order  to  judge  accurately  concerning  the  future. 

Nor  is  this  a  departure  from  our  plan,  introducing  an  hypothetical  basis,  inveetmenta 
Unless  new  forces  are  invented  to  supplant  the  railway — and  no  section  can    "^  ^°  °°" 
employ  more  advantageously  a  superior  means  than  the  Great  Interior — the 
investments  must  go  on  indefinitely.     The  chief  lines  have  become  gigantic  corporations 
corporations  with  almost  unlimited  credit,  and   all  strong  competitors  in  ^*''°°s- 


336 


Power  of  the  Railway  to  Develope  and   Centralize. 


Atlantic 
cities  Sf^ek 
their  own 
advantage. 


Their  net- 
work. 


The   ■^7est  a 
safe  reliance. 


Trade  with 
East  in- 
crease. 


Persever- 
ance sure. 


"Western 
railways 

pay  virell. 


West  will 
build  its 
own  centres. 


Merch.  Mag, 


extendino-  trunks  and  multipyling  branches.  The  seaboard  cities,  extending 
their  railways  throughout  the  West  for  their  own  advancement,  have  Httle 
realized  that  the  eiFect  must  be  ultimately  to  build  up  greater  cities  inland  ; 
but  with  jealous  rivalry  between  themselves,  they  have  had  honorable  and 
strong  contention  as  to  which  should  grasp  most  of  this  chief  producing 
re-"-ion.  They  have  spread  a  complete  net-"Work  of  railway  over  this  entire 
Old  North-west,  expecting  to  draw  all  the  fish  to  the  seaboard.  From  the 
beginning  the  trade  of  the  West  has  been  the  coveted  prize.  This  built  the 
Erie  canal  and  the  many  great  works  which  have  more  than  fulfilled  san- 
guine anticipations  relating  to  Atlantic  cities,  and  will  indefinitely  in  the 
future  be  their  chief  and  safe  reliance.  But  it  is  one  thing  to  be  satisfied 
with  a  moderate  part;  quite  another  to  expect  the  chief  The  trade  of 
East  and  West,  however  extensive  the  home  trade  in  our  respective  sections, 
will  constantly  increase,  and  very  many  new  lines  into  the  West  will  be 
needed,  and  with  them  they  will  build  many  more  throughout  the  Great 
Interior.  The  course  has  been  so  fiir  advanced  upon,  that  ft-om  the  build- 
ing of  western  railways  no  seaboard  city  would  withdraw  if  it  could,  or  could 
if  it  would.  The  trifling  amount  of  grain  exported  is  with  them  an 
abundant  object  to  continue  railway  construction  ;  and  as  that  shall  dimin- 
ish by  direct  shipments  from  lake  ports  to  Europe,  other  business  will 
doubtless  take  its  place.  At  all  events,  western  railways  which  have  proper 
management  pay  so  abundantly,  that  capital  will  seek  out  other  good  routes 
until  lines  shall  not  be  more  than  20  to  25  miles  apart. 

But  while  the  West  will  always  be  the  main  reliance  of  the  Atlantic 
cities,  its  benefits  cannot  be  there  chiefly  bestowed.  ltd  own  chief  centres 
will  most  profit  from  its  advantages.  The  census  of  1860  developed  the 
efi'ects  of  railways  in  the  West,  which  it  is  evident  that  of  1870  will  con- 
firm. An  unknown  writer  in  the  Merchants'  Magazine  for  January,  1861, 
considered — 


City  popula-      City  Population. — The   comparative   growth    of   cities  is    always  an    interesting 
*''^"'  branch  of  statistical  research,  and  the  late  returns  of  the  census  give  many  import- 

ant facts  in  relation  to  the  leading  cities  of  the  Union.     The   enumeration  of  the 
leading  Atlantic  cities  show   the  following  result : — 


Growth  of 
chief  cities. 

;i8io. 

1820. 

1830. 

1840, 

1850. 

1860. 

1810  to  1860.  Bo<,jO^ 

33,250 

10,071 

96,373 

4,402 

43,298 

11,767 

123,706 

7,175 

6,507 

137,097 

62,738 

12,067 

13,247 

24,780 

27,176 

7,523 

61,392 
16,382 

202,589 
15,396 
10,958 

188,961 
80,625 
16,060 
18,827 
30,289 
46,310 
7,776 

93,383 
23,171 

312,710 
36,233 
17,290 

258,037 

102,313 
20,153 
23,364 
29,261 

102,193 
11,214 

136,881 
41,513 

515,547 
96,838 
38,894 

408,762 

109,054 
27,570 
40,001 
42,985 

116,375 
15,312 

177  902 

Providence 

49,914 
821  113 

New  York 

Brooklyn 

273  325 

Newark 

72  055 

Philadelphia 

Baltimore....  

Richmond.. 

111,210 

3.5,387 

9,735 

8,208 

24,711 

17,242 

5,215 

568,034 

218,612 

37  968 

Washington 

61,400 

40,195 

170,766 

16,000 

Charleston 

New  Orleans 

Savannah 

Total 

355,800 

478,075 

695,560 

1,029,322 

1,649,732 

2,518,484 

Past,  Present  and  Future  of   Chicago   Investments. 


337 


These  aggregates  show  that  the  twelve  cities  named  had  five  per  cent,  of  the 
whole  population  of  the  Union  in  1810,  and  the  proportion  rose  regularly  to  6^  per 
cent,  in  1850,  to  8|-  per  cent,  in  1860.  In  nearly  all  these  cities,  however,  the  pop- 
ulation since  the  era  of  railroads  has  flowed  over  into  the  surrounding  country, 
thus  spreading  the  dwellings  of  those  who  carry  on  the  business  for  which  the  city 
is  important.  In  the  neighborhood  of  Boston  there  are  thirteen  towns  that  are  com- 
manded by  railroads,  and  which  contain  the  dwellings  of  Boston  business  men. 
[AVe  omit  the  statement  comparing  towns  and  State.] 

Thus  Boston  may  be  said  to  contain  one-fourth  of  the  population  of  the  State.  The 
thirteen  cities  of  Massachusetts  have  a  population  of  441.987,  or  35  per  cent,  of  the 
whole  population;  in  1850  the  same  cities  had  a  population  of  324,845,  or  33J  per 
cent  of  the  whole  population.  It  is  to  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  the  towns 
around  Boston  are  those  which  concentrated  the  population  the  most  rapidl}',  and 
one-third  of  the  whole  State  population  lives  within  a  radius  of  twelve  miles  of 
Boston,  dependent  upon  its  commerce  and  manufactures. 

The  population  and  valuation  of  the  city  of  New  York  have  probably  received 
the  most  marked  development.  The  increase  of  the  population  from  1850  to  1800 
nearly  equaled  the  sum  of  the  entire  population  in  1840.  The  progress  of  the 
population  has,  however,  been  in  the  upper  part  of  the  island,  following  the  course 
of  the  railroads,  which,  since  1852,  have  so  powerfully  aided  in  the  expansion  of 
the  city  in  a  northerly  direction. 


Increase  of 
12  cities. 


Sxiimrban 
population. 


— i^tbof 

Mass. 


]/^  of  Mass. 
within  12 
miles  of 
Boston. 

New  York. 


The  growth  of  New  York,  Brooklyn,  Philadelphia,  Newark  and  Baltimore  other  east- 

,  ,  ern  cities. 

IS  noticed,  and — • 


The  Chief  Valley  Cities. 


Valley  cities. 


1810. 

1820. 

1830. 

1840. 

1850. 

I860. 

St.  Louis 

1,600 
1,357 

2,540 
4,708 

4,598 
4,012 

9,642 
7,248 

5,852 
10,341 

5,566 
24,831 
12,568 

16,469 
21,210 
6,929 
46,338 
21,115 

77,860 
43,194 
10,478 
115,430 
46,601 

160,577 
70  2''6 

Louisville 

Nashville 

28,715 

158,851 
48  804 

Cincinnati 

Pittsburgh 

Total 

10,205 

25,500 

59,158 

112,051 

298,569 

462  173 

Growth  from 
1810  to  1S60. 


The  five  leading  cities  of  the  valley  increased  in  the  decade  to  1850,  during  which 
the  canals  began  to  exert  an  intluence  on  their  trade,  about  lal,000  souls,  of  which 
the  largest  portion  was  in  Cincinnati.  In  the  last  decade,  railroad  building,  hmd 
speculation,  and  immigration,  have  all  exerted  an  influence  upon  the  tributary 
country,  driving  trade  in  upon  each  of  these  centres,  and  tlie  increase  has  been 
168,000  souls,  of  which  the  largest  proportion  is  in  St.  Louis.  But  during  the  last 
ten  years  those  cities  have  encountered  a  more  active  rivalry  in  the  growth  of  the 
lake  cities,  which  have  successfully  attracted  a  large  portion  of  the  business  of  the 
belt  of  country  bounded  by  the  lakes,  the  Ohio  river,  and  the  Mississippi  river,  by 
means  of  the  railroads  and  the  attraction  of  capital  operating  through  those  points. 


5  cities  in- 
crease in  10 
years,  181,- 
buO. 


St.  Louis 
largest. 
Rivalry  of— 


Chief  Lake  Cities. 


— lake  cities. 


1840. 

1850. 

1860. 

Buffalo 

18,213 
6.500 
6,071 
9,102 
4,479 
1,700 

42,261 
12,323 
17,034 
21,019 
28,269 
20,061 

81,541 

9,962 

Cleveland 

43,550 

Detroit 

46,834 

Chicago 

109,420 

Milwaukee 

45,326 

Total 

46,065 

140,967 

835,633 

Growth  of  C 
chief,  18-tO  to 
1860. 


22 


338 


Power  of  the  Railway  to  Develope  and  Centralize. 


Chi.  and 
Buffalo. 


Railroada 
help  Chi. 


Produce  to 
increase. 
Growth  com- 
p;ired  with 
•eastern 
cities. 


All  the  cities 
compared 
from  1840  to 
1860. 


Lake  cities 
largest  in- 
crease. 
Causes. 

St.  Louis 
benefited. 

N.  W.  sup- 
plied with 
railroads. 


Smoothing 
her  way  to 
market. 


The  increase  in  those  cities  has  been,  it  appears,  to  1850,  95,000  persons,  of  which 
increase  Chicago,  at  the  other  end  of  the  lakes,  had  as  large  a  share  as  ButFalo  at 
this  end.  In  the  last  ten  years  the  aggregate  increase  has  been  194,700  souls,  of, 
which  81,000  has  inured  to  Chicago,  while  Buffalo  has  increased  but  39,000,  or  less 
than  half  the  increase  of  Chicago.  This  great  apparent  prosperity  of  the  former 
city  has  grown  out  of  the  immense  concentration,  not  only  of  railroads  at  that 
point,  but  of  the  expenditure  for  railroad  construction  on  a  radius  of  100  miles,  all 
of  which  has  reflected  upon  Chicago  as  a  focus.  That  region  is  now  to  a  consider- 
able extent  settled,  and  every  year  must  add  to  the  immense  quantities  of  produce 
that  will  seek  Chicago  as  the  primary  point  of  shipment.  This  growth  of  lake 
cities  is  very  remarkable,  and  more  so  if  we  compare  it  with  the  population  of  the 
prominent  Internal  cities  of  the  Atlantic  States,  where  manufacturing  may  be 
assumed  as  the  chief  element  of  growth.  [  We  omit  the  table  of  the  twelve 
interior  cities.] 

The  growth  here  presented  has  been  but  62,672,  or  38  per  cent,  only  in  the  last 
ten  years.  The  whole  growth  of  all  the  cities  in  the  last  twenty  years  have  been 
as  follows  : — 

1840.  1850.  I860.  percent. 

Twelve  Atlantic  Cities 1,029,322  1,649  732  2,518,984  50 

Five  Valley 112,051  293,569  462,173  58 

Six  Lake 46,065  140,967  335,633  130 

Twelve  Interior 101,014  171,112  233,784  36 

Total  Growth 1,288,452  2,265,380  3,550,574  52 

Thus  the  lake  cities  have  shown  by  far  the  largest  proportional  increase,  and  the 
increase  of  the  valley  cities,  as  well  as  those  of  the  Atlantic  and  the  interior,  have 
been  in  a  declining  ratio.  The  large  railroad  expenditure,  migration  and  specula- 
tive movement  during  the  last  ten  years,  have  made  the  lake  country  the  focus  of 
migration,  and  St.  Louis  has  largely  benefited  by  the  same  state  of  affairs, 
since  the  aflluents  that  feed  its  trade  have  been  swollen  by  the  settlement  and  im- 
provement of  the  whole  northwest  region.  That  region  is  now  well  supplied  with 
rails,  that  will  require  a  large  production  of  grain  and  other  produce  to  pay  the 
interest  on  the  cost  of  their  construction,  and  their  competition  for  the  freights  will 
no  doubt  reduce  the  rates  of  transportation  to  a  minimum,  and  therefore  favor  the 
business  of  cities  at  their  termini.  The  value  of  the  produce  will  be  governed,  as 
a  matter  of  course,  by  the  state  of  the  markets  of  sale.  In  other  words  its  value 
must  fluctuate  with  the  crops  of  Europe.  The  resources  of  that  region  are,  how- 
ever, equal  to  any  demand,  and  it  is,  by  the  continued  smoothing  of  the  way  to 
market,  brought  daily  nearer  to  the  European  centres  of  demand. 


Why  not 
lake  cities 
grow  ? 

Mr.  Scott's 
predictions — 


— more  than 
proliable. 


Adaptation 
of  this 
region  to 
railways. 

Capacity  to 
support  them 


What  shall  stop  the  relative  progress  of  the  lake  cities,  until  even  the 
chief  Atlantic  cities  shall  have  been  passed  ?  With  results  like  these  to 
confirm  Mr.  Scott's  predictions,  obtained  eight  years  ago,  ought  not  the 
fair  and  prudent  reader  to  consider  further  confirmation  quite  probable  ? 
With  an  addition  in  the  Northwest  of  4,430  miles  in  the  last  eight  years, 
over  two-fifths  increase  notwithstanding  the  retarding  influences  of  civil  war 
unexampled  in  magnitude,  ought  not  fulfillment  of  the  predictions  to  be 
more  than  probable  ? 

It  is  a  most  important  point  in  considering  this  topic,  as  first  presented, 
that  never  was  the  railway  brought  to  bear  upon  such  a  country.  No  other 
area  exists  so  perfectly  acfapted  to  railways,  in  which  the  bed  can  be  laid  so 
cheaply,  and  so  nearly  level.  Then,  no  other  has  equal  capacity  to  support 
them.  These  influences  conjoined  are  no  doubt  the  prime'cause  of  the  unex- 
ampled increase,  and  must  operate  until  the  Old  Northwest  of  600,000 
square  miles  shall  be  spread  over  with  a  closer  net  work  of  railway  than  any 


Past,    Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  339 

100,000  square  miles  in  one  body  elsewhere  on  the  globe.     To  discuss  this  J^^^^gP^""^ 

important  point  would  be  to  write  the  book   over   again.     Let   the   reader 

run  through  the  marginal  readings  of  the  relating  topics,  and  its  application 

and  force  will  be  perceived.     In  no  other  region  have  equal  results  been  i-arge  results 

witnessed  from  railroads  :  and  as  we  shall  see,  their  centralizing  power  has  Yet  only  be- 

....       S"°' 

only  begun.  The  country  must  be  developed  before  it  is  centralized.  Still, 
in  this  respect  its  effects  in  the  West  are  already  wonderful.  To  what 
other  instrumentality  are  we  indebted  for  the  marvelous  statistics  of  pro- 
duce and  trade  increase  at  Chicago  ?  Surely  we  have  had  abundant  Testimony 
testimony  in  general  of  the  Power  of  the  Railway  to  Develope  and  Centralize,  topic. 
and  of  its  application  in  particular  to  the  Great  West  and  its  chief  empo- 
rium. Yet  still,  one  other  point  is  important  to  the  completeness  of  the 
argument — that  there  is — 


No    OTHER   Point    of   equal   Convergence   of   Rail  and   Water  convergence 

r~,  ^  here  of  rail 

Communication  on  the  Globe.  and  water 

unequaled. 

The  prime   cause  of  Chicago's   advancement   is  her    possession  of  the  Head  of 
farthest  extremity  of  the   lakes,  the  head  of  the  grandest  inland  navigation  i>oint. 
of  the  world.     The  close  confluence  of  lakes  with  the  mighty  rivers  of  the  Conjunction 

.  1  •  1  with  rivers 

West,  IS  another  powerful    cause ;  nor  has  any  other  internal  port  equal  another, 
advantages  in   regard  to  water   alone.     This,  together   with   the    peculiar 
position  of  Lake  Michigan,  stretching  with  Lake  Superior  nearly  600  miles 
north    and    south,  forcing  the  fertile  region  beyond  into  tribute,  was  no 
doubt  the  cause  of  railway  convergence. 

But  these  unequaled  water  facilities  are  altogether  subordinate  to  rail-  stiii,  rail- 
ways.    They  have  become   mere  adjuncts  to  the   latter,  their  value   lying  rioi-. 
chiefly  in  moving  the  most  bulky  articles,  as  grain,  lumber,  coal,  pig  iron, 
iron  ore,  etc.     Beyond  the  railways,  as  on  the  upper  Missouri,  they  are  still 
valuable  for  all  commerce ;  but  where  the  railway  reaches,  the  steamboat  is 
entirely  subordinate.     For  internal  commerce  the  sail   or  steam  vessel   ren-  Water  faciii- 

11-p  •  t  'iM  •  -111  •!       *'*^  valuable 

ders  chief  service  by  competition  with  railways  in  carrying   bulky  articles  in  coujunc- 
of  small  value  per   ton,  which,  if  cast  upon   the   railroad,  would  greatly  railways, 
enhance  prices  of  all  transportation.     Not,  however,  that  water  transporta- 
tion is  valueless.     It  is  worth  more  than  ever  in  itself,  and  will  go  on  to 
increase  indefinitely  with  the  growth  of  the  entire  country.     Yet  neverthe- 
less, we  have  a  means  of  inter-communication  still  more  valuable  in   the 
railway.     And    instead    of  the    latter    reducing   in  futility  the  former,  it  increased  by 
actually    increases    it.       Mr.    Edmunds,    in    the    census    report,    said   in  Mr^Ed- 
introducing  the  Influence  of  Railroads  upon  Agriculture,  quoted  p.  315  : — ™"    *' 

Although  but  slightly  connected  with  the  interests  of  agriculture,  we  may  here  increasedde- 
state   another   fact,    that   since   the   introduction  of  railroads,  the   building  and  mand  for 
employment  of  steamboats  on  our  interior  rivers  have  also  increased  largely,  so  that,  steamboats, 
even  where  railroads  have  competed  directly  with  them,  the  steamboat  interest  has 
continued  to  increase  in  value  and  importance.     This  has  not  been  always,  we 


340  No  Equal  Converging  Point  of  Rail  and   Water. 

admit,  in  direct  proportion  to  the  growth  of  the  country,  but  enough  to  show  that, 
even  where  competition  was  greatest,  this  interest  has  not  been  injuriously  affected. 

Douiikdin     More  than  double  the  number  of  steamers  were  built  ou   the  waters  of  the  interior. 

^ao^toTeo.  ^^-est  in  1861  than  were  in  1850. 

Boatin-rbasi-      But  tlie  railway  has  clianged,  and  will  change  still  more   on  the   rivers, 

.less  cbauged  ^j^g  character  of  boating  business.     As  ou  the   lakes,  for  passengers   and 

Aided  by      ligbt  freights,  boats  cannot  compete  successfully ;  but  the   railway  stiuiu- 

iiuiways.      i^iQ^  ^w  departments  to  such  an  extent  that  it  generates  more  than  it  takes 

away.     But  there  are  sections  which  railways  will    not  traverse  for  some 

years,  where  they  will  be  greatly  serviceable  to  the   water  business  itself. 

Upper  Mis-    The  upper  Missouri  is  a  case  in  point.     From  Sioux  City  about  1000  miles 

to   the   mouth,  it   is  a  difficult,  dangerous  stream.     We  saw,  p.  119,  the 

interest  Montanans  take  in  being  relieved  of  that  part  of  the  trip,  hitherto 

not  avoidable.     Numerous  other   similar  expressions  have   been  seen   since 

that  was  stereotyped  which  have  not  been  saved,  nor  are  they  wanted.     A 

A  St.  Lniiis    gt.    Louis  aro-ument,  together  with   the   spirit  inspiring,   is   better.     The 

argument.  °  .  .  .  r  07 

Mo.  Dtm.      Missouri  Democrat,  April  21st,  had  this  article  : — 

at  LoHis  and      ^^-  -^o"'*'  ^^^  Chicago. — We  do  not  object  to  a  brisk  competition  in  business,  nor 

Oliicag..  to  an  honorable  rivali-y,  either  between  individual  merchants  or  competing  cities 
The  life  of  trade  and  the  benefit  of  communities  lie  in  healthy  contests  for  business, 
as  they  develope  resources  and  stimulate  enterprise.     But  to  be  healthy  they  should 

be  lair  ^^^^  ^®  Confined  to  legitimate  efiorts,  and  be  stimulated  only  by  truthful  representations. 
Otherwise  somebody  is  deceived,  and  deception  in  matters  of  trade  is  at  best  a 
swindle.     Of  the  latter  character  is  the  following  paragraph  from  the  New  York 

List  not 'so!    Shipping  and  Commercial  List : 

Compct'tion      "^^^  competition  between  Cliicago  and  St.  Louis  for  the  Far  West  is  exceedingly  sharp,  and  it  is  difficult 

<'l'C;iii   :iiid      to  tell  which  will  ultimately  come  out  ahead.     At  present  Chicago  seems  to  have  the  inside   track,  as 

St.  L.  for  far  t'i6  "mountain  trade,"  worth  last  year  §8,000,000,  promises  to  be  diverted  to  the  l^ake  City  Irom  St. 

West' trade'     Louis.     By  the  competition  of  seventy  miles  of  railroad   from  Sioux  City  to  St.  Johns  (which  seventy 

miles,  though  running  southeastwardly,  were  subsidized  by  government  as  a   branch   Pacific  railroad), 

Chicago  has  direct  cummuuication  with  Sioux  City.     The  distance  by  rail  from  Chicago  to  Sioux  City  is 

Chi.  has  ad-    540  miles.     The  distance  from  St.  Louis  to  Sioux  City  liy  way  of  the  Missouri  river  is  about  a  thousand 

vantage.         miles,  and  the  navigation  of  which  is  difficult  and  hazardous.     As  540  miles  of  railroad  is  to  a  treacherous 

river,  so  is  Chicago.tO'St.  Louis  in  the  prospect  of  selling  annually  $8,000,000  worth  of  goods  to  Montana. 

Same  wrong  We  have  met  a  similar  statement  several  times  before,  floating'about  in  exchanges, 
in  other  pa-  but  originated  in  Chicago  for  the  purpose  of  giving  a  false  impression  both  of  its 
ptrs.  Q^^j^  facilities  for  trade  and  its  superior  enterprise,  as  well  as  for  a  reflection  upon 

St.  Louis  in  regard  to  either.  We  have  not  felt  it  worth  while  to  correct  the  state- 
Waited  for  a  meats  until  we  find  them  indorsed  by  so  respectable  a  paper  as  that  from  which  the 
respectable  paragraph  is  quoted,  and  which  ought,  from  its  pretensions,  to  be  both  candid  and 
truthful.  In  this  instance  it  is  neither.  Whatever  may  be  the  wishes  of  Chicago 
St.  L.  in  no  as  to  the  "mountain  trade,"  St.  Louis  is  in  no  danger  of  losing  it.  We  can  sell 
danger.  goods  cheaper  than  Chicago,  as  we  have  direct  water  communication  with  the  East 

and  with  foreign  markets.     Western  trailers  understand  this,  and  parties  who  have 
not  had  their  eyes  opened  in  season,  have  found  that  they  have  paid  much  liigher 
for  goods  bought  in  eastern  markets  than  they   could  have  pttrchased  for  in  St. 
trade  Louis,  besides  paying   an  unnecessary  freight.     Then,  as  to   the  actual  facts,  we 

increasing,     have  been,  ever  since  the  early  spring,  selling  largely  to  the  "mountain  trade," 
and  the  Missouri  has  been  traversed  by  a  fleet  of  steamers  all  the  season  with  goods 
for  the  far  West.     In  fact  there  has  been  an  unusual  activity  in  this  trade,  amount- 
ing to  an  increase  rather  than  a  falling  off,  as  compared  with  previous  years.     St. 
Bupedority"  ■^■''"*'^   Stands  in  no   danger  of  losing  this  business  imtil   the  advantages   of  water 
communication  cease  to  be  more  commodious  than  land  transit,  to  say  nothing  of 
N.  T.  editor  the  difference    in  freight.     A  little  inquiry   would  have  satisfied  the  New  York 
learn'^tru'th.^I'^P^^  '^^  these   facts   and   prevented  it   from   becoming  a  party   to   dishonorable 
attempts  to  build  up  one  large  city  at  the  expense  of  another,  which   is    certainly 
entitled,  in  such  matters  at  least,  to  have  the  truth  told  concerning  her. 


Pa&t,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  341 

It  is  utterly  impossible,  from  natural  causes,  that  Chicago  can  ever  become  a  Nat'iraliy 
dangerous  competitor  to  St.  Louis.     Temporary  advantages,  from  factitous  circum-  pior^to'ciiT 
stances,  have  been   giveu  to  (Jhicago,  but  they  are  only  temporary.     Cliicago  must 
always  get  her  goods  by  overland  transit  cf  nearly  a  thousand  miles,  which  inevit-  iieraclvaa- 
ably  enhances  the  costs.     Hex    lake  and  water  communication   is   closed  during   adages, 
large  portion   of  the  year,  and  from    November   to    May,  she  can   get  no  freiglit 
except  by  rail.     The  "mountain  trade"  is  all  over  by  May,  and   all   Chicago  can 
sell  to  it  is  from  last  year's  stocks,  or  from  high  cost  land  freights.     The  simple 
statements  of  that  fact  carries  more  weight  than  a  world  full  of  windy  boasting. 
With    St.   Louis,   on  the  contrary,   the  facts   are  infinitely    diiferent.      We    have  Direct  water 
direct    water    communication  with    the  whole  world,  cheap    and    reliable.     Some  commuuica- 
winters    navigation  of  the    river   below  us    is  never  closed,  and  at   the  worst  from 
only  four  to  eight  weeks,  which  is  not  an  appreciable    obstacle  to  direct  foreign 
importation  of  our  goods.     Even  this  slight  interruption  will  be  soon  remedied  by 
the  extension  of  the  Iron  Mountain  road    to  New    Madrid,    or  some  point  on    the  Iron  Mt. 
river  below  the  ice  line.     Hence,  at  no  distant  day,  St.  Louis  is  as  sure  to    become  q''J'''"'^.''- 
the  great  importing  center  forthe  entire  western  trade,  on  botli  sides  of  the  Missis- portjug  (.jty. 
sippi,  as  the  world  is  sure  to  revolve  on  its  axis,  and  in  five  years  from  this  date 
Chicago  must  come  to    St.  Louis  to    purchase   the    greatest   portion  of  her  goods,  Chi.  to  get 
because  she  can  buy  cheaper  here  than  in  New  York,  and  save  some  hundreds  of  S'J""^  there, 
miles  of  heavy  freightage.     These  are  the  results  that  nature  settles,  and  time  will 
explode  all  fallacious  pretensions  opposed  to  the  facts. 

Upon  another  topic,  however,  the  same  article  does  us  justice  in  relation  to   a  Yet  justice 
subject  upon  which  we  have  more  than  once  recently  written.     We  extract  the  doue. 
following  remarks  : 

Considerable  quantities  of  corn  from  (he  AVest  are  coming  forward  via  New  Orleans— the  time  occu-  Barge  trade, 
pied  in  the  transit  from  St.  Lonis  being  from  twenty-tive  to  thirty  days.  Facilities  for  rapid  handling 
and  drying  have  been  provided  at  St.  Louis,  and  elevators  and  warehnuses  are  in  process  of  erection  at 
New  Orleans.  When  all  the  arrangements  ^hall  have  -been  perfected,  a  new  era  in  the  transportation  A  new  era.  i 
business  will  be  inaugurated,  and  the  vexatious  delays  connected  with  the  grain  movement  will  be  to  a 
great  extentobviated.  As  fhiiw  cannot  take  onboard  full  cargoes  of  grain  at  New  Orleans,  owing  to  the 
obstructions  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississijipi,  it  is  not  imprubable  that  a  large  number  of  small,  light- 
draft  vessels  will  be  called  into  requisition  in  this  branch  of  the  coasting  trade. 

This   illustrates  the  importance  of  the  new  movement,  and  shows  that  eastern  .pj^g  gg^j 
communities  are  awake  to  the  benefits  to   result  from  St.   Louis  becoming  a  great  intere.sted  in 
grain  center.     AVe  are  pleased  to  know  that  a  lively  impulse  characterizes  this  new  S'-  ^■ 
branch  of  enterprise,  and  its  fruits  are  daily  becoming  more   and  more  apparent. 
In  every  view  our  city  is  advancing  in  prosperity  and  in  a  sure  growth  of  commer- 
cial importance.     We   do    nothing  spasmodically,    and  perhaps   are  too  cautious.  Nothing 
But  our  advance  is  healthy,  steady  and  strong,  and  as  one  great  enterprise  after  spasmodic, 
another  culminates,  we  have  every  possible  assurance  of  a  glorious  future,  in  spite  Glorious 
of  all  invidious  jealousies  that  seek  to  agrandize  rivals  be  circulating  incorrect  and  future, 
false  statements. 

The  editor  is  excusable  for  substitutiug  assertion  for  argument,  for  lie  has  Assertion 

.         „  .  ,      iiot  argu 

no  basis  for  the  latter.     Quite  a  revolution  in  the  coming  five  years  is  to  be  ment. 
effected  from  the  past  five,  it  appears ;  yet  nevertheless,  our  merchants  will 
probably  keep  on  for  a  year  or  two  in  unconscious  security  of  the  ruin  so 
inevitable.     Making  so  large   calculations  ourselves   upon  the  benefits  of  We,  too,  rely 
the  rivers,  it  is  encouraging  to   us  that  St.  Louis,  who  thoroughly  knows  rivers, 
her  advantage,  is  still  willing  to  trust  them  so  entirely,  and  we  are  happy 
to  give  St.  Louis  the  benefit  of  that  statement  without  comment.     We  also  wish  success 
cordially '  endorse  the   concluding  paragraphs,  hoping  sincerely  that   their  trade'^^ 
strongest  hopes  will  be  realized   in  the    barge  trade.     As   before   said,   if 
Chicago  prospers,  it  must  be  on  the  prosperity  of  the  farmers ;  and  we  need 
all  the  competition  possible  with  the  New  Orleans  route  to  keep  down  rates 
by  the   lakes  and  railways.     Mr.  J.  S.  C  Kuowlton.  of  Massachusetts,  in 


342  No  Equal  Converging  ^Foint  of  Rail  and   Wafer. 

Mr.  J.  s.  a   his  letter  to  the  Ship-Canal  Conveution,  1863,  expressed  Chicago  sentiments 

KnowUon. 

perfectly : — 

We  hear  much  said,  and  we  talk  much  ourselves,  of  the  great  natural  outlet  of 
fiuofjZis-the  masaificeat  Valley  of  the  West,  the  Mississippi  river,  and  its  80  to  100 
eippi—  tributaries  or  bayous — all  employed  in  promoting  a  most  healthful  commuuication 

between    the   interior   points    and    the    exterior   lines  of  this  great  and   growing 
empire,  whose  destiny,  it  is  scarcely  too   much  to  hope  or  believe,  is  the  develop- 
ment and  rounding-out,  in  their  full  proportions,  of  the  industry  of  freedom,  and 
—for  man's   the  intellectual  and  moral   elevation  and  improvement  of  the  race  as  individuals 
uiTnT^       and    in   communities;  so    that  it   shall   be   an  empire   of  men,    and  not  alone  of 

material  interests. 
Monopolies  Monopolies  are  adverse  to  the  spirit  of  our  institutions.  None  of  us  want  to  be 
adverse  to  limited  to  one  dull  routine,  either  of  business  or  of  enjoyment.  Freedom  of  choice, 
our  genius.  ^^^  cheapest  production,  and  the  readiest  sale,  are  the  rules  of  industrial  success  ; 
and  equally  true  is  the  declaration  that  "  tivo  markets  are  better  than  one."  We  of 
Eastand  the  East  have  our  manufacturing  and  commercial  centres  ;  and  you  of  the  West 
West  have  j^^^^  ^^^^^  agricultural  and  mercantile  centres.  The  relations  of  these  centres  to 
centres  ^^^^  other  are  those  of  mutuality,  and  their  action,  one  upon  another,  is  that  of 

—to  be  reciprocity.     It  is,  and  must  be  a  great  question  in  political  economy,  how  to  bring 

brought  into  tijgge   centres,  as   representatives    of  great   communities    around    them,    into  the 
harmonious   gj^gjggt  and  quickest  action,  without  any  jarring  collisions  of  interest  or  of  passion. 
Chi  a"centre.  The  city  of  Chicago,  sitting  in  queenly  majesty,  by  the  side  of  an  internal  sea,   out 
of  whose  placid  waters  the   sun  seems  to   shoot  its   morning  beams,  is  one  of  the 
most  important  of  these  great  agricultural  and  commercial  centres.     Situated,  as 
it  is,  at  the  most  southern  point  of  the  great  system  of  northern  lakes  and  rivers, 
it  must  be,  for  one-half  of  the  year,  the  common  highway  for  the  trade  and  travel 
between  the  populous  East  and  the  great  region   that  lies   beyond  Lake  ^lichigan, 
and  around  Superior ;  and  will  continue  to  be,  when  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  shall 
be  bound  together  with  bands  of  iron,  for  commerce  between  Western  Europe  and 
the  great  Eastern  Empires  of  China  and  Japan. 
Long  rail-  If  the  Mississippi  river  is  so  far  the  cheapest  and  best  communication  with  the 

ways  show     Qcean  as  to  be  regarded  as  a  monopoly,  why  is  it  that  we  see  upon  every  modern 
Miss.  '8  Q'-'t    jjj.^p  qJ-  tjjg  United  States,  long  iines  of  railway,  stretching  towards  various  points  of 
monopo  ise  .  ^^^  Upper   Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  from  the  ports  of  New  Orleans,  and  Mobile, 
Charleston  and  Savannah?     What  is  the  purpose  of  these  railways,  and  what  are 
they  reaching  after  ?     There  can  be  but  one  answer  to   the  question.     The  South 
Southa  com- wants  to  drain  the  great  Mississippi   Basin  of  its  vast  wealth   of  agricultural  and 
petitor—       mineral  products,    and    it  feels   the  necessity    of  possessing    itself  of    them    in  a 
shorter  and  more  expeditious  manner  than  by  the  slow  and  circuitous  route  of  the 
—with  the     Mississippi  river,  giant  as  it  is   among  rivers,  for   the  heavy  burden  it  bears.      The 
^Eaat.  East  also  has  its  railways  grappling  the  Mississippi  Valley  ;  but  it  feels  that  some- 

Water  -want- thing  more  is  wanted,  as  of  great  national,  commercial,  and  military  importance  to  the 
ed  besides      country  "     It   has    the    advantage  of    thousands   of  miles   in    the   route   from  the 
railways.       Mississippi  to  the  Ocean  and  to  Europe.     That  is  not  enough  ;  it  wants  a  cheap  as 
well  as  an  expeditious  route.     It  wants  a  water  track  as  well  as  an  iron  track, 
and  for  this  simple  reason,  that  while   the  cost  of  the  iron  track,  originally  and 
continuously,  is,  of  necessity,  an  immense  expenditure,  the  tvater  track,  when  once 
wea^routy*"*  constructed,  neve'^  wears  out.     The  ditference  in  the  expense  of  operating  the  two 

routes  is  manifestly  great. 

Railways  for      While    railways   between  the  East  and  the   West  will   always  be  preferred  for 

w^^t^'"  f        travel,    and   for   light   and   quick   freight,    a    water-communication    intermediate 

heavy  opera- het ween   the    Mississippi    and    the    St.    Lawrence  direct,    easy,    and    of    sufficient 

tions.  capacity  for  large  operations,  both  in  peace  and  in  war,  seems  to  have  been  left,  by 

Divine  Providence,  for  the   employment   of  the   inventive   genius,  the  constructive 

skill,  the  imlustrial  power  of  a  great  people,  whose  progress  is  to  be  obtained  by  a 

combined  force  of  physical,  intellectual,  and  moral  activities. 

Kast  wants        I  liave  no  means  of  juilging  of  the  feasibility  of  the  plans  of  im.provement  which 

the  shortest   a,.g  i,i  contemplation,  nor  of  their  cost,  nor   of  the   extent  to  which  such   improve- 

rauuicat'ion.  Dient  would  be  generally,  or  even  locally  useful.     I  only  know  the  general  fact,  that 

we  want,  if  we  can  have  it,  an  ample  water-communication,  over  the  shortest  route 

possible,  between  the  Mississippi  and  the  sea-ports  of  the  East. 

m^onVur  ^'^   slight   survey    of  the    great   physical   features    of  the  United    States   is    an 

object.  assurance  that  "  the  development,  prosperity,  and  unity  of  our  ivhole  country  "  should 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  343 

be  the  ambition  alike  of  East  and  West,  North  ami  South ;  since  every  consider- 
ation of  national  progres-3,  strength,  and  unity  urges  the  whole  people  as  with  an 
irresistible  logic  to  find  their  highest  prosperity  and  happiness  in  a  common 
brotherhood  of  sentiments,  of  rights,  of  duties,  and  of  obligations. 

But  tlie  want  of  the   East  even  more  than  of  the  West,  is  to  open  the  Lake  Simcoe 
roate  from  the  Georgian  Bay  through    Lake  Simcoe    into    Lake    Ontario.  lyVii!^'*""^ 
Then  New  York  can  compete  successfully  by  the  shorter  canal   route  from 
Oswego  with  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  New  England  will  have  its  best  accom- 
modation from   Ogdensburg   or  Montreal  by  rail,  and  by  the  Champlaiu 
canal  by  water.     Hon.  John  A.  Poor,  of  Maine,  who  has  well  studied   this  nm.  j.  a. 
question    as    I  happen    to    know,   said   in     his    letter    to    the    Ship-Canal 
Convention  : — 

Your  call  seems  to  limit  the  object  of  the  Convention  to  the  single  purpose  of  an  siup-Canal 
enlargement  of  the  existing  canals  between  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  convention- 
Atlantic   ocean — works  of  obvious  value,    if  not  all  of  them  of  immediate  neces- ~"?'''''"^''  *" 
sity — yet,  it  may  fairly  open  the  entire  question  of  the  internal  commerce  of  the  present 
country,  and  the  means  of  transit  between   the  grain  producing    regions   of   the  canals. 
interior  of  the  continent — the  great  Northwest — and  their  place  of  market. 

Questions  of  this  character  are  of  interest  to  all,  and  must,  for  years,  if  not  for  These 
generations  to  come,  become  the   most  engrossing  topics  of  public  concern  ;  from  important 
the  physical  configuration  of  the  North  American  continent,  the   limited  capacity  iw^stions. 
of  its  natural  channels  of  trade,    and  the  political  difficulties  in  the  way  of  all 
efi"orts  at  the  opening  of  adequate  avenues,  by  artificial  means,  to   meet  the   wants 
of  a  rapidly  increasing  business. 

Great  as  is  now  the   internal  trade  of  the  country,  it  is  a  little  only  of  what  it  Internal 
will,  in  a  few  years,  attain  to.     The  production  of  food  is  not,  at  this  time, 'equal  to  *'''"'''|  ^^^ 
one-tenth  of  the  capacity  of  the  Northwestern  States,  without  resort  to  the  artifi- 
cial stimulants  that  are  common  in  the  British  Isles.     Besides  this  one-half  of  all  Grain  con- 
the  grain  raised  in  the  United  States  is  produced  at  points  so  remote  from  market,  sumcci  in 
that  its  value  would  be  consumed  in  the  mere   cost  of  transportation   by  the   ordi-  tr-'^sport. 
nary  channels.     With    the   aid  of  all    existing   canals  and   railroads,  a  bushel  of 
wheat  in  the  Northwest  is  only  worth  one-half  its  value  in  Liverpool,  so  enormous 
is  the  cost  of  present  transportation.     The  question  is,  how  shall  this  difficulty  be  Remedy  of 
overcome  ?     And  it  is  this  question  alone,  that  will  engage  the  time  and   thoughts  *.'^'''.  *^®  "'^" 
of  the  members  of  this  Convention. 

It  has  seemed  to  me  that  (he  great  difficulty  lies  in  the  way  of  outlets  from  Chi-  Outlets  from 
cago,  ^Milwaukee,  and  other  Lake  ports,  rather  than  in  the  lack  of  means  to  bring  ^'^''  ^'^nts'^- 
produce   to    the   lake-shores.     Cheaply-built   and    economically    worked   lines    of 
sailers,  with  other   means   of  transit,   bring  into  these  great  granaries — the  lake- 
ports — more  produce  than  the  outlets  can  economically  take  away. 

What  is    wanted,  are  cheap   and  expeditious  means   of  transit,  from  the  Upper  Ample  navi- 
Lakes  to  the  open   sea.     To   secure  this  most  eflectually,  we  must  make  the    St.  gat'on  from 
Lawrence-waters  an  open  Mediterranean  Sea  ;  so  that,   from  the  head  of  Lake  ocean. 
Superior  and  from  Chicago,  ships  of  useful  size  for  navigating  the  ocean  can  pass, 
free  of  duty,  and  with  dispatch,  to  the  Atlantic   ports  and  Europe,  and  backward 
to  the  same  places,  fully  laden.     By  this  means,  you  could  diminish  by  one-half  the  Save  half 
cost   of  transit   for  the  benefit  of  the   farmers    of  the  Northwestern  States,    and  ^°pi„"jt_ 
indirectly,  for  the  advantage  of  the  entire  population  of  the  country. 

This  is  a  matter  of  easy  accomplishment,  if  undertaken  in  the  right  spirit  and  English- 
temper.     The  English-speakinj  i^eopU  of  this  continent  are,  for  all  commercial   pur-  speaking 
poses,  one  people^  holding  a  territory  twice  the  size   of  the  continent  of  Europe,  ^'"^^ 
capable  of  sustaining   as    dense   a   population   as    that   which   now  occupies  that 
favored  portion  of  the  globe.     This  territory  is  held  in  nearly  equal  shares  by  the 
people  of  the  United  States  and  of  the  British  North   American   Provinces,  lying 
mainly  on  opposite  sides  of  this  great  Mediterranean  Sea,  formed  by  the  waters  of 
the  Lakes  and  the  St.  Lawrence. 

The  laws  of  commerce  disregard  political  boundaries,  and  the  people  of  the  Commerce 
Northwest  should  have  their  choice  of  routes  to  the  open  sea.  Ships  should  load  natio?ai'^^ 
at  Chicago  for  any   port  into  which  an  Atlantic  sailor  can  enter,  and  by  so   many  boundaries. 


344  JS'o  Equal  Converging  Point  of  Rail  and    Water. 

Advance  in  routes  as  can  be  created,  from  the  St.  Lawrence,  by  the  way  of  LakeChamplain, 
one  crop  j^jq  (jje  Hudson,  by  the  Ottawa,  and  by  Lake  Ontario.  The  advance  in  the  price 
who'le  cost  of  a  single  crop  of  ivheat  would  pay  for  making  all  these  routes,  from  Chicago  to  the 
of  improve-  Atlantic  navigable  for  ocean-going  sailing-ships  and  steamers.  Montreal  harbor 
mentfrom  gQuj^  be  made  for  the  trade  of  New  York,  what  Albany  is  now;  and  that,  too, 
ucean?  "^°  while  ihe  St.  Lawrence  basin,  below  the  Victoria  bridge,  should  be  crowded,  like 
the  Thames  in  our  day,  from  London  to  the  sea,  when  this  continent  is  as  fully 
peopled  as  Europe. 
Lakenaviga-  From  Chicago  to  the  Atlantic,  for  nearly  the  whole  distance,  navigation  is  as 
tiuu  cheap°as  cheap  as  on  the  ocean.  Short  canals  and  lockage  would  not  detain  ships  more  than 
ocean.  ^j^g  average  adverse  winds  of  the  Atlantic,  so  that  the  transit  of  goods,  to  and  from 

Chicago  and  Liverpool,  would  be  nearly  as  cheap  as  to  and  from  New  York.  At 
Not  1-10  of  one-tenth  of  the  cost  of  transportation  by  railway,  such  a  line  of  navigation  would 
railway.  supply  an  outlet  to  the  trade  of  the  Northwest.  To  transport  a  ton  of  goods,  by 
ordinary  highways,  costs  on  an  average  twenty  dollars  p.er  one  hundred  miles. 
The  railroads  will  perform  this  service  for  two  dollars,  the  sailing-vessel  for  one- 
tenth  of  this,  or  twenty  cents  per  ton.  Open  a  ship-canal  by  the  way  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  to  Chicago,  and  the  cost  of  freight  will  scarcely,  if  at  all,  exceed  the  cost 
of  transit  on  the  ocean,  or  the  Lakes.  *  *  *  *  * 

If  not  yet  If,  however,  the  time  has  not  arrived  when  we  can  treat  the   English-speaking 

continental    people  of  the  Continent  as  properly  subject  to  our  commercial   law — a  result    not 
commerce—  ^^^^  ^^^.  (j^gt^nt  from  our  day — when   an   ocean-tariff  shall   extend   witii  uniform 
permission,  for  the  collection  of  duties  from  Quebec  to  the  Pdo  Grande,    and  upon 
the  Pacific  ooast,  with  unrestricted  power  of  internal  trade  ;   or,  in  other  words,  if 
—let  us  do     ^^^  British  North  American   Provinces  are  not  ready  to  adopt  with  us  an  American 
our  best.       ZoU-  Verin,  we  must  make  use  of  our  own  independent  advantages.     We  can,  more 
Miagaraca-    cheaply  than  the  Canadians  have  built  theirs,  construct  a  ship-canal  around  Niag- 
nal,  Amer.     ara  Falls,  and  from  ()swego  to  the  Hudson,  that  shall,  for  years  to  come,  take  away 
from  the  Lakes  the  surplus  produce  of  the  interior.     We   should  further,  with  the 
improveSt.   same  broad  view,  deepen  the  channel  of  the  St.  Clair,  and  extend   this  water-line, 
CUiir  river,    with  a  capacity  equal  to  the  passage  of  an  ocean  steamer,   from  Chicago   to  the 
navigable  waters  of  the  Mississippi,  so  that  produce  can  pass  by  either  route  to 
the  sea. 
Wedealwith      The  people  of  the  great  Republic  of  the  North   American  continent  have  been 
great  sub-      unexpectedly  called  upon  to  deal  with   great  enterprises,  vast  and  undefiuable  in 
•'^'^  ^'  their  extent ;    and  while  expending,  without   discontent   or  embarrassment,  large 

war^and  ^  sums-  in  suppressing  insurrection,  and  guarding  against  foreign  invasion,  they 
build  Pacifichave  found  time  to  contemplate,  as  necessary  practical  measures,  a  railway  from 
railway.  ^jig  Missouri  to  the  Pacific,  and  a  line  of  ocean-steamers  from  San  Francisco  to  the 
shore  of  the  densely  populated  continent  of  Asia.  A  further  knowledge  of  the 
Do  other  capacities  of  our  country  and  of  the  capabilities  of  its  people  will  ensure  for 
them  all  full  and  complete  success. 

Chief  grain       A  route  SO  important  to  the  eastern  States  and  to  Europe  as  that  which 

ion  market    opeus  to  them  free  access  for  large  vessels  to  the  chief  grain  and  provisioQ 

reached.       market  of  the  world,  surely  cannot  long  continue  unimproved  so  as  to  afford 

requisite  transportation.     As  Mr.  Poor  remarks,  with  ample  knowledge  and 

from'iakes    ^^^^^  judgment,  the  necessities  of  both  producers  and  consumers  are  best 

needed.        served  by  increasing  facilities  fro7n  lake  ports  to  the  East,  rather  than  to  them, 

Lake  Simcoe  froui  the  West.     Suppose  $20,0000,000,  or  even  ^30,000,000  were  requisite 

to  open  the  Lake  Simcoe  route,  though  less  than  $10,000,000  will  suffice; 

what  would  that  be  to  the  sea-board  interest  compared  with  the  saving  of 

over  400  miles  around  through  Lake  Erie,  and  avoiding  Niagara  ?     Either 

the  British  or  American  interest  could  well  afford  the  cost  for  themselves 

N.  Y.and     individually.     But   to  say    nothing    of    Canada,    neither    New    York    nor 

it,       ^^^    Boston  can   use  capital  in  any  way  equally  as   profitable  to   promote   their 

separate  interests,  as  would  the  opening  of  the  route  between  Huron  and 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of   Chicago  Investments.  345 

Ontario  promote  their  joint  interests.     To  New  York  it  not  only  saves  the 
detour    around    through    Lake    Erie,    but   nearly    one-half  of    the    canal 
transportation.     To  make  this  improvement  between  Huron  and  Ontario,  whoie  >:ea^ 
the  whole  sea-board  is  equally  interested ;  and   that  done,  the  competition  ested. 
between  Quebec,  Boston  and  New  York  would  create  all  needed   facilities. 
Nor  need  New  York  fear  because  she  would  lose  half  the  tolls  of  the  Erie  n-  y.  need 

not  fear  loss. 

canal.     Increased  traffic  would  more  than  equal  the  loss,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  immense  stimulus  to  trade  in  all  departments. 

The  advantas-es  of  the  lake  route  will  then  be  so  increased,  that  it  would  Advantages 

°  _  _  _  of  lakes  im- 

now  be  difficult  to  estimate   its  value  too  highly.     Yet,  be  it  observed,  wepi-oved. 
are  not  obliged  to  anticipate  that  to  make  good  this  caption ;  for  as  already 

1      -,  1  -1  1       -.  •  •         •  .  1    Yet  supe- 

remarked,  no  other  city  has  equal  advantages  in  water  communication  with  lior  as  they 

are. 

what  Chicago  now  has.     Because  of  superior  facilities  already  possessed, 
has  the  lake   route   drawn  from  the  rivers.     But  no   proper   view   of  the  stm,  im- 
future  of  Chicago  can  be  taken,  which  ignores  the  certain  passage  from  here  to  be  re- 
to  the  ocean  of  vessels  of  1,500  tons,  and  at  least  a  quarter    as  large  from" 
Oswego  to   New  York.     It  is  not  in  the  least  hypothetical.     Nor  are  our  western 
own  canals  to  be  overlooked.    The  Chicago  Times,  April  29th,  remarked  : — ^cht- Times 

The  American  '■^  Head  Centre.^' — The   supposition  of  some   people,  since   railways  Am.  Head 
have  become  the  great  popular  medium   of  travel  and  transportation,  that  canals  centre. 
are  "played  out,"  is  a  very  great  error. 

Notwithstanding   the    multiplication   of  railways    in  New  York,    parallel   to  the  Canals  still 
canals  of  that  State,  the  business  and  receipts  of  tlie  latter  have  steadily  increased,  valuable. 
until  any    considerable  further  increase  would  require  an    enlargement    of  their 
carrying  capacity.      Notwithstanding  the   bisection  by  numerous  railways  of  the  Traffic  of  111. 
whole  region  that  formerly  had  no  convenient  outlet  to  Chicago  but  the  Illinois  and  *  ili<;li-  ca- 
Michigan  canal,  the  business   of  that  canal  has  steadily  augmented,    every    new  "'^  ifcreas 
railway  in  its   vicinity  seeming  to  increase,  rather  than  to   diminish,  the   carrying 
trade  which  the  canal  has  been  called  in  requisition  to  do. 

A  similar  state  of  facts  will   probably  be  found  wherever  similar  conditions  of  Raihvays 
comparison  exist.     Railways,  by   atfording   the  means   of  swift  travel  and  quick  ^^®  nerves- 
exchanges  of  ideas —  whether   in  mental  or  material  forms, — supply  to  the  body 
politic  its  nervous  system,  while  water-courses  may  be  aptly  styled  the  muscular  —canals  the 
system  of  the  same    body.     It  is  only  where  the  nervous  and  the  muscular  systems  S^"*,'^'^^  °^ 
exist  together  in  full  development  that  the  highest  state   of  human  organism  is  poutic. 
found. 

The   great   importance    of  canals,  in   connection   with  railways,  is  made  more  Railways 
apparent  at  the  present  time  by  monopolizing  tendencies  which   have  made  their  monopolize, 
appearance  so  generally  in  railway  management.     Between  railways  and  canals 
there  can  be  no  such  rivalry  as  will  beget  consolidation  or  combination  upon  rate-  Consolida- 
tarifFs.     As  the  safety-valve  prevents  steam  from  overcoming  the  resisting  power  canals  im- 
of  iron,  so  a  canal,  parallel  to  an  important  line  of  railway,  will  prevent  the  latter  piacticable. 
from  overcoming,  in  its  greed  of  high  charges,  tlae  resisting  power  of  the  people. 

The  West  is  "the  land  of  railways."     The  West  also  might  be  —  and,   some  day  west  the 
or  other,  must  become — the  land  of  canals.     The  great  ship  canal  from  Chicago  to  laud  of  both, 
the  Mississippi  river,  already  partially  provided  for,  is  certain  to  be  a  reality  at  a  Its  canals, 
future  day.     So  also  is  the  more  direct  canal  from  Chicago  to  the   IMississippi  at 
Rock  Island.     Likewise,  the  projected  canal  from  Rock  river  to  Green  Bay,  which 
may  be  designated  as  the  "stern-wheel  canal." 

The    report    of  General    Wilson    on    the    survey    of    Rock   river   ( constituting  Canal  from 
executive  document  No.  15,  of  the  present  Congress,)  shows  the  practicability  of  lake  to  Rock 
that  project,  at  a  cost  of  $5,252,013  for  an  ordinary  canal ;  or  a  cost  of  $14,783,370  "^'''* 
for  a  canal  suited  to  the  navigation  of  small  "  stern- wheel"  steamboats.     For  the 
navigation    of  any   larger  craft,  the  report   sets    forth    the    fact  that  the    summit 
reservoir  (Lake  Horicon)  cannot  be  made  to  supply  enough  water.     As  the  natural 


346  No  Equal  Converging  Point  of  Rail  and   Water. 

Only  4ft.        supply  of  water  is  apt  to   dimiDish,  rather  than  increase,  as   the  country  grows 

possible.        older   the  argument  is   in  favor  of  a  canal  rather  below  the  capacity  which  any 

present  theoretical  calculation  may  show  to  be  practicable.     For  a  canal  with  the 

usual  four-feet  channel,  the  supply  of  water  would  be  unquestionably  abundant  for 

all  times. 

Chi  canal  From  all  the  surveys  for  ship  cauals  to  connect  the  navigation  of  the  northern 

only  one  for  lakes  with  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries,  the  very  significant 


large  boats. 


fact 


act  appears  that  the  Chicago  ship  canal  is  the  only  one  which  can  be  made  a  ship 
„anal  in  reality,  as  well  as  in  name.  The  "summit  reservoir"  from  which  the 
^"'^'^h^'d^'^  Chicago  canal  will  be  supplied  is  Lake  Michigan, — an  "inland  sea,"  on  which  the 
^""^^  '  navies  of  the  world  might  ride,  and  find  "ample  scope  and  verge  enough."  No 
lack  of  water  here.  The  "summit  level"  which  must  be  cut  down  to  receive  this 
Only  12  feet  supply  is  less  than  twenty  miles  long,  and  requires  to  be  sunk  less  than  a  dozen 
'^"'"  feet  to  give  a  permanent  depth  of  water  on  which  the  largest  New  Orleans  steam- 

boat may  enter  the  port  of  Chicago. 
Chi  the  can-  Chicago,  the  present  commercial  centre  of  the  Continent,  is  surely  destined  to  be 
tre  of  interior  the  central  point  on  a  system  of  interior  navigation  that  shall  stretch  from  the  Gulf 
navigation—  ^f  gj^  Lawrence  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  from  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains 
to  the  Bay  of  New  York.  The  great  railway  centre  of  the  Continent  is  destined  to 
be  the  grand  centre  of  water  navigation  also,  at  once  the  heart  and  the  brain  — 
—despite  St. the  head  (and)  centre, — where  continental  arteries  and  nerves  conjoin.  Nothing 
Louis' growl- is  more  certain  to  be  realized,  notwithstanding  that  some  of  the  present  inhabitants 
"=■  of  St.  Louis  may  not  live  to  growl  over  the  reality. 

St.  L'sseif        "Grrowlins"  scarcely  expresses  the  spite  which  some  St.  Louis  papers 

adulationbe-  ='  ,.,  i  •   n    ^       ■  ^  ■ 

cause  we      exhibit.     She  seems  to  thmk  we  ought  to  rest  satisned  with   present  attam- 

seek  further  ii-ii  i      •      •  o  ^  ••!  iii 

improve-      ments,  and   that- it  betokens  admission  oi  her  superiority  that  we  should 


ments. 


deem  it  necessary  to  seek  for  any  additional  channels  of  communication. 
Were  the  measure  of  our  ambition  merely  to  supplant  the  Queen  of  the 
Rivers,  we  could  be  satisfied  with  what  we  have,  or  much  less ;  but  as  the 
emporium  of  the  Great  Interior,  we  would  lay  plans  and  make  efforts  cor- 
respondingly.*    Chicago  characteristics  are  so  totally  different  from  those 

We  pursue         *  We  pursue  the  even  tenor  of  our  way,  endeavoring  to  show  what  ought  to  be  done,  and  rendering 


our  own 
course. 


such  aid  as  may  bo  in  our  power.    Evidently  in  resnonso  to  that  manly  article,  the  Missouri  Democrat 
Mo.Deni.       of  May  1st,  contained  the  following  characteristic  travesty : — 
Chi.  wants  a      Wanted,  a  Ditch  /—Something  must  be  the  matter.    That  great  city,  that  Babylon  of  houses  that  fall 

ditc'ii down,  lorutt'd  on  a  flat  along  the  lake  shore,  which  was  to  become  the  one  and  only  great  commercial 

city  of  this  World,  if  not  of  another  as  well,  and  the  iron  arms  of  which  were  stretched  out  in  all  direc- 
tions, reaching  after  trade  to  support  its  fast  horses,  faster  men,  falling  houses  and  fallen  women,  has  at  this 

is  unhap-     present  moment  a  very  evident  touch  of  "  the  blues."     Chicago  is  unhappy.     Neither  fast  horses  nor  .any 

py other  fast  creature  has  power  to  charm  away  the  melancholy  which  over-shadows  with  its  dark  wings 

because  St.  the  depressed  spirit  of  the  Chicago  merchant.     Because,  laugh  as  much  as  he  may,  St.  Louis  is  sending 

Louis  sends    grain  to  New  York  and  Liverpool.     W^hen  Milw.aukee  stole  the  larger  half  of  the  trade,  Chicago  people 

grain  to N.Y.  said, '-ah,  well,  the  little  town  is  only  a  suburb  of  this  city  ;  it  has  to  come  here  for  good.s."     Hut  now 

Milwaukee  itself  is  ir  h.  panic,  and  passes  resolutinns  by  the  bushel,  while  Chicago,  with  not  less   real 

Smiles,  too.    apprehension  but  with  more  pluck,  puts  on  a  smile,  sneers  at  big  and  muddy  ditclies,  and  talks  in  private 

very  anxivmsly  of  ship-canals. 
What  can  "Ship-caiiais!"     Wiiat  on  earth  can  Chicago  want  of  canals  ?     Has  she  not  that  miraculous  provision 

Chi.  M'ant  of  of  nature  in  her  behalf,  the  chain  of  lakes  and  rivers  which  make  her  a  "  port  of  entry  ?"     Of  course 
canals?  she  has.     And   has  she  not  told  us  a  thousand  times  how  utterly  useless  the  Mississippi  was  and  would 

She  decries  be — how  it  freezes  up  in  winter,  dries  up  in  summer,  and  runs  the  wrong  way  all  the  year  round;  how 
the  rivers —  impossible  it  is  for  trade  ever  to  run  north  and  south;  how  "eternal  laws"  send  all  the  grain  for  all 
future  time  straight  to  those  big  elevators  which  sometimes  make  mistakes  in  weighing  or  delivering; 
— yetwants  how  absurd  it  was  for  a  small  town  on  the  banks  of  that  muddy  ditch  to  think  of  becoming  a  commer- 
a  ship-canal  cial  town,  because  Chicago  could  and  would  build  railroads  all  around  it,  and  the  like?  Nevertheless, 
to  reach  here  is  Chicago  talking  about  the  expenditure  of  ever  so  many  millions  for  a  ship-canal  to  give  that  city 

them.  an  outlet  into  the  Mississippi  river! 

Why?  Now  can  any  une  U-W  why  these  busy  men  of  the  modern  Babylon  are  so  anxious  to  get  water  connec- 

tion with  the  Mississippi?  Is  it  because  somebody  h  iving  proved  that  grain  can  be  sent  from  St.  Louis 
Current  in  to  Liverpool  by  river  cheaper  than  from  Chicago  to  New  York,  the  b  isy  men  aforesaid  begin  to  appre- 
St.  L's  favor,  hend  that  one  day  they  may  be.  left  out  altogether,  switched  oft"  on  a  side  track  at  a  way  station.  If  the 
commerce  of  the  Mississippi  valley  will  go  by  the  Mississippi  river — in  spite  of  all  the  "  eternal  laws  of 
nature"  quoted  by  philosophers  and  poets ot  the  lake  school — possibly  it  maybe  well  to  get  access  to  the 
said  stream,  even  if  it  is  muddy  ! 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  347 

of  St.  Louis,  she  cannot  judge  us  fairly.     As  shown  in   the   article,  April  ^Jjf,,°g^""°| 


Still  relies  ou 


tiire. 


21st,  p.  340,  she  is  still  entirely  confident  that  nature  having  designed  that  S'' 
she  should   have  the  mountain  trade,  it  must  come   to  her.     On  the  other -yy^gj^gipom. 
hand,  while  we  are  sure  Hercules  is  moving  our  wheel  of  commerce,  yet  we  °"'^''  ^'^^' 
realize  the  necessity  of  Ufting  ourselves  to  have  the  full  strength   of  Her- 
cules.    One  would  suppose  she  would  profit  by  her  experience  in  the  loss  of  As  we  drew 

■^'^  ^  ^  "^  '■  Miss,  trade— 

the  upper   Mississippi  trade,  which  was  not  in   consequence  of  the  war,  as 

she  now  misrepresents,  but  as  she  herself  showed  in  1861  (pp.  111-113),  the 

railways  and  canal  had  wrought  their  legitimate   effect,  drawing  away  her 

very  life's  blood.     The  same  appliances  to  the   Missouri  will   produce  the— so  the  Mo. 

same  result ;  and   the  more  effectually  because  of  the  dangerous  navigation  Navigation 

of  the  lower  Missouri.     The  St.  Josepli  (Mo.)  Register^  of  May  22d,  gxYing  si.  Jo.  Regis- 

a  list  of  the  boats  en  route  for  the  mountains  adds : — 

As  far  as  reported,  but  two  of   tliese  mountain  boats   have   as  yet  met  with  a  2  boats  lost, 
disaster.     The  Carrie  was  snagged  near  Sioux  City,  and  the  Arabian  sunk  and  lost 
near  Atchison. 


St.  Louisians  imagine  that  because  they  are  sending  not  only  as   many,  st.  l.  has 
but    more  boats   to    the   mountains,    they    are    having  the  bulk    of   the  tain  trade, 
trade.     Doubtless  the  trade  this  year  is  more   than   doubled.     Where  has 
the  increase   gone    to?      Our    merchants    are    well    satisfied    with    their ^^'; '^j'"^'''^'^ 

"  Willi  hers. 

beginnings.     The  hold  St.  Louis  has  had  is  not  at  once  to  be  shaken  off;  but 

that  trade  is  to  be  done  mainly  by  railroads,  and  by  so  much  as  Chicago  To  be  don 

bv  r^il, 

excels  iti  these  facilities,  will  she  excel  in  the  mining  traffic.  St.  Louis  will 
doubtless  have  a  good  deal,  if  she  prove  more  energetic  in  her  railway 
building ;  but  Chicago  must  have  a  good  deal  moi'e. 

We  do  not,  however,  expect  railways  to  do  all  for  us.     Though  the  days  Rivers  also 
of  boating  expensive  goods   up  stream  below  Omaha  and  Sioux  City  are 
about  ended,  still  the  great  rivers  of  the  Interior  are  to  be  used  more  and  pownfreight 

'  o  by  barges. 

more  for  down  freighting  by  barges.     To  enable  these  to  reach  the   lakes 

•1  n  ^      •  p      ^        -r^^•        •  -x    -\if    ^   •  /-ii  Canals  Wiint- 

witliout  transier,  we  seek  improvement  or  tlie  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  ed  for  these 
and  River,  and  also  the  cutting  of  the  canal  from  La  Salle  to  Rock  Island,  lakes. 
These  works  will  surely  be  constructed   on  a  scale  commensurate  with  the 
joining  of  the  grandest  lake  navigation,  with  the   largest  river  navigation 
of  the  world. 

The  different  characteristics  of  the  two  cities  seem  to  be  well  apprehended  piference 

•*■  ^  between  St. 

by    parties    who   at   all  events   ought  to  know   St.  Louis.     The  Atchison  ^^■'^}"^'^^^^- 

■^      ^  o  Atchison 

(Kansas)  Free  Press,  says  of —  Free  Press. 

Chicago  and  St.  Louis. — There  are  two   great  business   centres  in  the   West — Chi.  and  St. 
Chicago  and  St.  Louis.     Each  of  them  is  extending  its  arms  to  draw  to  its  bosom  ^-  *^°  gr^a* 
the  trade  which  otherwise  will  fall  to  its  rival.     There  was   a  time  when  St.  Louis 

Beware,  0  Chica-geese !    That  river  dries  up  in  summer.    It  freezes  up  in  winter,  especially  above  this  Chica-geese 
point.    Your  caml  will  be  of  ni  sort  of  use  to  you,  for  it  will  only  send  all  your  dealers  to  St.  Louis  to  bewarel 
buy  iron  and  goods  of  foreign  manufacture,  imported  directly  by  river.     It  is  a  frightfully  dangerous 
experiment.     "But,"  mutters  Chicago,  "something  mast  be  done.     Business  is  dull :  not  enough  produce  Especially 
moving   to   employ    the   loanable   money  of   the  banks."     Ah  !     Those  houses   of  yours   ai'e  built  of  of  your 
remarkably  slender  splinters,  0  philosophers  of  the  lake  school.  houses. 


348 


iVo  Eq^iial  Converging  Point  of  Rail  and   Water. 


St.  L.  had  all. 


Cin.  a  ham- 
let. 


Fur  traJe. 


Morchants 
staid,  sub- 
it  tantial. 
No  \  antees. 


So  it  is  to- 
da3'. 

Chi.  not  be- 
gun- 
Active 
merchants 
buy  grain  by 
wagon  load. 
Then  rail- 
roads begin. 


Chi.  cuts  off 
St.  L.  to  the 
east,  the 
north,  now 
west. 


Nebraska 
trade  se- 
cured. 
Provision 
trade. 


Exchange 
operations. 


Activity  of 

Chicago 

merciiants. 


Facilities  of 
transport. 
Streams 
bridged. 

St.  L.  works, 
but  slow. 

Wants  Chi. 
enterprise. 


■was  the  centre  of  all  the  trade  of  the  West; — that  was  when  nearly  everything 
depended  upon  the  trade  in  furs,  and  the  French  were  the  only  white  inhabitants 
of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  and  the  region  of  the  upper  lakes.  When  Cincinnati  was 
but  a  hamlet,  gathered  around  Fort  AVashington,  and  but  a  few  pioneers  from 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  had  begun  to  penetrate  the  forests  of  southern  Ohio 
and  Indiana,  the  French  had  already  an  occupancy  of  all  the  tributaries  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  St.  Louis  was  the  focus  of  all  their  traffic.  Merchandise  found  its 
way  up  that  stream  from  New  Orleans,  and  was  at  St.  Louis  exchanged  for  furs 
and  peltries,  which  the  voyaijeurs  brought  in  from  every  valley  of  the  West.  Long 
after  the  West  was  transferred  from  the  French  to  the  Government  of  the  United 
States,  and  emigration  had  poured  its  myriads  from  the  eastern  States  into  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  St.  Louis  continued  to  retain  the  character  it  had  early  formed. 
Its  merchants  were-  staid,  substantial  men.  The  current  of  their  business  flowed 
on  as  smoothly  as  the  placid  waters  upon  which  all  their  commerce  floated.  The 
nervous,  far-sighted,  often  reckless  Yankee,  was  not  there,  or  if  he  came  he  could 
not  unloose  the  purse-strings  of  those  whose  wealth  was  necessary  to  extend 
speedily  from  that  point,  the  arms  of  railroad  system  over  the  West.  And  so  it  is, 
in  a  great  measure,  to  this  day. 

Chicago  had  not  begun  to  spring  up  till  long  after  St.  Louis  had  become  opulent 
in  her  quiet  wealth  and  ease.  But  at  length  shrewd  and  active  merchants  set  their 
stakes  at  Chicago.  At  first  they  bought  grain  by  the  wagon-load,  and  sent  it  all  by 
schooners  down  the  lakes.  Then  they  commenced  the  construction  of  railroads. 
In  all  directions  they  caused  them  to  push  their  way  out  over  the  prairies  to  bring 
in  the  productions  of  the  ten  thousand  farms,  opened  upon  the  exhaustless  soil  of 
all  the  States  over  which  the  ordinance  of  1787  had  spread  its  aigis  of  freedom. 
St.  Louis  merchants  clung  to  the  fogyism  and  the  faith  of  their  correspondents 
away  down  the  Mississippi.  Chicago  merchants  comprehended  the  most  progress- 
ive ideas  of  modern  commerce  ;  and  they  sent  out  their  iron  rails,  and  erected 
their  towering  castles  for  the  reception  of  all  the  grain  of  the  Northwest.  Chicago 
railroads  cut  St.  Louis  off  on  the  east,  away  down  to  Cairo,  long  ago  ;  cut  across 
the  State  of  Missouri  to  the  Missouri  river,  long  ago,  and  penetrated  to  the  heart 
of  Iowa,  and  cut  across  Wisconsin  to  Minnesota.  Now  they  reach  across  Kansas 
by  two  lines  —  one  by  the  way  of  Cameron,  Kansas  City,  and  the  Eastern  division, 
Pacific;  the  other  by  the  Central  branch  Pacific,  from  Atchison.  They  cross 
Nebraska  by  the  Pacific  Trunk  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  They  reach  the  Territory 
of  Dacotah  at  Sioux  City.  And  everywhere  these  iron  arms  are  being  rapidly 
lengthened  out. 

Chicago  merchants  bought  Nebraska  grain  two  years  ago,  and  paid  more  for  it 
than  would  St.  Louis  merchants,  though  the  latter  could  bring  it  to  their  own  mills 
without  change  of  bulk.  And  it  is  not  only  grain  but  the  beef  and  the  pork  of  the 
Northwest  that  the  Chicago  merchants  monopolize  by  their  superior  enterprise. 
AVe  published  the  other  day  the  statistics  of  Chicago  beef  and  pork-packing.  ,St. 
Louis  can  make  no  such  showing. 

While  Chicago  has  gathered  up  the  produce  of  the  West  and  marketed  it  in  every 
eastern  city  and  in  Europe,  she  has  kept  her  exchange  accounts  even.  The  grain 
merchant  does  not  from  his  sales  bring  currency  to  buy  more  grain  with.  He  gets 
a  bill  of  exchange.  This  is  transferred  to  the  Chicago  dry  goods  and  grocery 
merchant. 

To  every  point  from  whence  comes  grain  to  the  Chicago  market,  Chicago  dry 
goods  and  grocery  merchants  sent  bills  of  goods.  Every  northwestern  town  is 
visited  by  the  Chicago  merchant,  and  orders  solicited.  Every  newspaper  in  the 
Northwest  teems  with  inducements  oflered  by  Chicago  merchants  to  retail  dealers. 
These  inducements  are  real  and  they  are  accepted.  The  Chicago  merchant  has 
his  arrangements  for  shipping  complete.  His  transfers,  if  any,  are  made  with  the 
utmost  facility.  Every  stream  is  bridged  or  being  bridged.  Not  many  months 
hence  Chicago  will  reach  the  furthermost  confines  of  every  northwestern  State 
without  breaking  bulk. 

Modern  St.  Louis  men  are  working  out  a  railroad  system, — but  at  a  slow  pace.  St. 
Louis  merchants,  at  the  spring  rise  in  the  river,  manifest  much  spasmodic  life  ;  and 
then  they  sell  considerable  bills  of  goods.  But  the  unceasing  enterprise,  the 
unfailing  energy  of  the  Chicago  merchant  is  wanting  among  the  merchants  of 
St.  Louis. 


Past,  Present  and  Fvture  of  Chicago  Investments.  349 

This  gives  over-credit  on  one  important  point.     Chicago  merchants  have  ^^n']';'"^^''* 
not  at  all  built  our  railroads.     Many  of  them  could   be   named  who    are  *J'»">;     , 

•'  niercliants 

among  our  wealthiest  men,  who  from  the  first  opposed  them  as  an  injury  to  ';|'}?°^|^'|, 
the  City.     They  could  appreciate  the  benefits  of  1,000  to   1,500  "prairie 
schooners  "  making  advent  daily  to   the  City,  and  with   nervous  energy, 
inspired  by  the  loss  of  dollars — the  only  lode-stone  to  move   their  sensibili- 
ties— they  would   declare   that   "  grass  will   grow  iu  the  streets  when   the 
railroads  stop  the  teams."     But  most  of  our  merchants  and  active  business  Most  not  of 
men  have  not  been  of  that  miserable  set,  or  Chicago  would  not  be  here. 
Still,  they   have    not  built  the   railroads.     They   have  had  no  money  for  Nomoneyfor 
them ;  and  nothing  but  the  strongest  public  spirit  led  to  the  initiation  of 
the   eiforts  which   in  only  about  20  years  from  the  very  beginning,  have 
made  Chicas^o  the  greatest  railroad  centre  of  the   world.     In  the  ^^  Y\x%iM  npp.oai. 
annual  report  of  the  Gralena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad  Company,"  dated 
5th  April,  1848,  Mr.  W.  B.  Ogden,  the  President,  said  : —  Mr.  Ogden. 

The  MicLigan  Central  Railroad  Company,  decided  to  terminate  their  road  at  New  Mich.Cen.at 
Buffalo  in  .July  last,  and  steps  were  taken  preparing  the  way  for  an  extension  of  N«^^  Buffalo, 
their  road  to  Chicago  about  the  same  time.     Upon  this,  your  Directors   proceeded  (5^^,^,,^^  j^ 
at  once,  to  announce  their  intention  of  opening  books  of  subscription  to  stock,  for  connect, 
the    extension    of    this    continuous   line    of    railroad   from   Chicago    westward    to 
Galena. 

Books    were    accordingly    opened    at    Chicago    and    Galena,    and    at    the    towns  ?250.000 
intermediate,  on   the   10th  day  of  August  last,  and  about  $250,000  of  stock  were  ^tock  taken, 
then  subscribed. 

The  first  expectation  of  the  Board  was  to  obtain  a  general  subscription  from  the  Suiisrnp- 
citizens  of  Northern  Illinois  and  Southern  Wisconsin,  residing  along  the  line  of  the  *''^"s  in  the 
contemplated  road,  and  in  its  vicinity,  as  indicative  of  their  faith  in  the  profitable  gj^"^.  ^o^g. 
character  of  the  road  when  constructed,  and  of  the  general  interest  of  the  people  dence— 
in  its  construction;  and,  with   the  aid  of  this  subscription,  to  open  negotiations  ~*°°l''''''" 
with,  and  solicit  other  subscriptions  or  loans  from  eastern  capitalists,  sufficient  in  Itlfi.*^'^"   '^*^" 
amount  to  justify  the  commencement  of  the  work. 

The  amount  subscribed,  however,  on  the  opening  of  the  books,  was  so  liberal,  Subscrip- 
and  the  feeling  manifested  along  the  line,  so  ardent,  and  so  universal,  that  it  was  tions  suffice 
quite  apparent  the  country  and  the  people  immediately  interested  in  the  construe-  b'eci"toEVgin" 
tion  of  the  road,  were  able  to,  and  would  increase  their  subscriptions  to  an  amount 
sufBcient,  in  connection  with  the  credits   on   irou  and   engines   then  offered  us,  to 
build  the  road  from  Chicago  to  Elgin  at  once,  and  own  it  themselves. 

Experienced  parties  at  the  East,  largely  interested  in  Eailroad  stock,  and  decid-  Eastern  cap- 
edly  friendly  to  the   success  of  the  Galena  and  Chicago  road,  were   consulted,  and  itaiists con- 
made  acquainted  with  the  particulars  of  our  position  at  this  juncture,  and  with  the  suited, 
proposed  plan  for  obtaining  the  additional  means  at  the  East,  necessary  to  secure 
the  completion  of  the  road  to  Fox  river. 

They  were  clearly  and  decidedly  of  the  opinion,  that  the  wisest  and  surest  way  Advise  the 
to  accomplish  the  speedy  extension  and  completion  of  the  entire  route  to   Galena,  v^-^v^^  to 
was,  for  the  inhabitants  along  the  line  of  the  road,  to  raise  the  means  themselves,  ni'iics  them- 
for  its  commencement  and  completion  to  the   Fox  river  and  Elgin,  41    miles,  when  selves. 
there  was  every  thing  to  assure  us  that  the  comparatively  small  cost  of  construc- 
tion and  extreme  productiveness  of  the  country  tributary  to  the  road,  would  secure  vrould 
such  large  returns  as  would   enable  us   to  command  capital  from  any  quarter  or  spcureexten- 
loans  or  increased  subscriptions  to  stock  for   the   extension  of  the  road  to  Rock  ^'""• 
River,  and  to  Galena,  without  delay. 

This  course  was  adopted,  the  object  explained  and  approved  by   subscribers,  and  «g6n,noo sui)- 
further  subscriptions  solicited  and  obtained  on  this  basis  of  operation,  to  an  extent  scribed, 
exceeding  altogether,  the  sum  of  $350,000   (about  $10,000   of  stock  subscriptions 
have  since  been  added,)  and  the  work  was  commenced  in  earnest. 

A  Corps  of  Engineers  was  then  (September  last)  immediately  employed  to  survey  Route  snr- 
and  locate  the  line  from  Chicago  to  the  Fox  River,  and  prepare  it  for  letting.     The  ^''-''^''' 


350  -tVo  Equal  Converging  Point  of  Rail  and    Water. 

time  occupied  in  doing  so,  has  somewhat  exceeded  what  was  at  first  supposed  to  be 

necessary,  and  the  road,  except  the  first  seven  miles,  was  not  prepared  for  letting 
31  miles  con- until  the  first  of  March  last,  when  the  grading  and  bridging  of  the  first  31  miles 
traded.         (inclusive  of  the   seven   miles  let  last  fall',)  was  put  under  contract,  and  on  very 

favorable  terms,  as  will  appear  by  reference  to  the  report  of  the   Chief  Engineer 

herewith  submitted. 
Timber  ami       By  reference  to  that  report,  it  will  also  be  seen,  that  all  the  timber  and  ties  neces- 
tiesforil      sary  for  the  entire  superstructure  to  Elgin,  41  miles,  have  been  contracted  for   on 
miles.  favorable  terms. 

A  thorough  I"-  ^^^  always  been  the  desire  and  intention  of  the  Directors,  to  commence  the 
road  with  T  road  in  a  thorough  and  substantial  manner,  and  if  possible,  with  our  means,  to 
rail—  finish  it  with  an  edge  rail,  which  all  experience  seems  to   have  approved,  as  being 

greatly  preferable,  and  in  the  end  more  economical, 
—if  ossible       ^  superstructure — cross  ties — suited  to  such  a  rail  has  accordingly  been  adopted, 
^°^^        and  an  edge  rail  will  be  procured  if  the  means  of  the  Company  shall  prove  sufficient 

to  obtain  it.  *  *  * 

Flat  rail  at  I^  is  also  proper  to  remark,  that  many  considerations  suggestive  of  the  propri- 
first.  ety  of  adopting  a  flat  or  plate  rail,  in  the  first  instance,  as  far  as  Fox  River,  have 

presented  themselves. 
Economy  in-      In  a  country  where  money  is  worth  as  much  as  it  is  here,  and  where  the  means 
dispensable,  ^f  g^  company  are  as  limited  as  ours  are,  and  the  necessity  for  the  immediate  con- 
struction of  a  railroad  is  so  great,  in  consequence  of  the  very  bad  character  of  our 

common  roads,  and  of  the  great  amount  of  produce  to  be  transported  over  them  ; 

there  are  reasons  favoring  a  commencement  with  a  plate  rail,  which  would  not  be 

entitled  to  consideration  under  better  circumstances. 
Trail  can  be      Should  the  future  Board  find  themselves  at  any  time  hereafter,  relieved  from  the 
substituted    necessity  of  adopting  a  flat  rail,  in  consequence  of  the  fall  of  iron,  or  of  increased 
°^   '"^'         funds  or  credit  suited  to  their  circumstances,  they  will,  no  doubt,  avail  themselves 

of  a  rail  of  greater  weight  and  more  improved  form. 
Extension  Upon  the  extension  of  the  road  beyond  Elgin,  a  greater  necessity  will  exist  for  a 

will  make  it  heavier  rail,  from  the  increased  business  that  will  result  from  such  extension  ;  and 
necessary,     ^j^g  ^,^^  j.^jj  ^^^  ^^^  timber  upon  which  it  is  placed  between  Chicago  and  Elgin,  if 

used  there,  can  then  be  taken  up  and  relaid  on  a  branch  road  to  Beloit  or  to  other 

points  to  which  there  will  be  occasion  for  branches. 

Our  railways      With  these  moderate  plans  the  first  Chicago  railroad  was  begun.     Yet 
moderately-  the  report  of  the  preliminary  survey  the  previous  year  by  Col.  II.  P.  Mor- 
gan exhibits  ample  conception  of  the  magnitude  of  the  undertaking  and 
—yet  the  fu- ultimate  benefits  to  the   public  and  to  shareholders.     After    speaking    of 
anticipated,  eastern   works   and   the    pressure    of  trarel    and    freight,   the    route    was 
described,  an  estimate  made  of  cost  and  receipts,  and  a  comparison  insti- 
tuted between  this  and  the  Western  Railroad  of  Massachusetts,  concluding 
with  the  connexion  at  New  Buffalo  with  the  Michigan  Central.     Extracts 
Mr.Ogdm.    would   be  interesting.     Upon  this  connexion    with  the  Michigan   Central 
Mr.  Ogden  said  in  his  report  of  1848  : — 

Connexion  It  cannot  have  escaped  the  observation  of  all  acquainted  with  the  region  of 
with  Mich,  country  to  be  affected  by  the  construction  of  this  important  work,  that  if  cou- 
^^^-  structed  now  and  extended  east  from  Chicago,  around  the  head   of  Lake   Michigan 

till  it  meets  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad,  as  it  soon  will  be,  it  secures  to  the 
The  N.  W.     country  through  which  it  passes,  the  great  Northwestern  Railroad  thoroughfare,  for 

fHrTccftein.   «"  '^'"^^  ^°  <^<"««- 

No  possible       No  other  continuous  route  of  railroad  will  ever  be  made  to  that  great  and  rapidly 

cjmpetiUon.  improving  country  lying  west  and  northwest  of  Lake  Michigan,  to  the  north  of  the 

southern  end  of  that  lake,  if  this  road  is  established  there  first.     No  line  to  the 

south  of  it,  near  enough  to  compete  with  it,  will  be  at  all  likely  to  be  built  while 

the  business  of  the  country  can  be  prosecuted  upon  the  road  in  which  we  are 

now  engaged.     Indeed  no  other  line  to  the  south  of  it  can  compete  with  it,  for  the 

trade  and  travel  of  more  than  half  a  million  of  people  now  at  the  north  and    west 

41  miles  to    of  it,  and  tributary  to  it;  and  the  only  struggle  we  have  to  secure  all  the  great 

Elgin  makes  considerations  and  ends  we  have  in  view,  lies  in  the  completion  of  the  road  to 
all  eure.  '  ^ 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of   Chicago   Investments.  351 

Elgin.  Once  finished  to  that  point,  it  will  promptly  demonstrate  its  profitable 
character  and  usefulness  and  command  the  confidence  of  all,  and  the  means 
necessary  to  ensure  its  immediate  extension  to  its  termination  at  Galena. 

That  italicized  declaratioa  of  Mr.  Ogden's  he  has  emphatically  repudiated.  Mr.  Ogden 
The  location  of  another  truer  Northwestern,  both  in  name  and  location,  of  his  deciara- 
which  he  has  been  chief  patron,  has   not  only  been  built,  but  has  actually  Built  a  true 
absorbed  and  wiped  out  of  existence  even  the  pioneer  Galena.     How  much 
is   due    to    public    considerations,  how    much   to    personal    retaliation    for 
opposing  his  enlarged   plans,  and  removing  him   from   the    Presidency,  he 
knows,  and  I  do  not.     But  the  change  as  yet  seems  to  have  been  beneficial  ciwnse  a 
to   the  public,  and  especially   to   Chicago.       Notwithstanding   stockholders ''"^ '^^°°  ' 
grumble  for  want  of  dividends,  if  necessary  to  have  withheld  them  to  make  Dividends 
connection  with   the  Pacific  road  from   Omaha,  what  reasonable  man  can 
doubt  the  wisdom?     In  this   land  of   great  enterprises,   developing  withoidmea- 
railroad  speed,  plans  and  means  adapted  to  former  measures  of  progress,  are  not  answer, 
wholly  misplaced,   injurious    to   the  public,    unwise   to   stockholders.      To 
forego  dividends  of  10  or  20  per  cent,  such  as  the  old  Galena  paid,  may  be 
quite  unpleasant,  yet  it  may  be  very  wise.     The  Chicago  Tribune,  February  c%j.  rntMne. 
18th,  had  a  full  account  of  railroads  from  which  we  quote  largely.     It  thus 
spoke  of  the  Galena  — 

Our  First  Railroad. — The  organization  of  the  first  line  of  our  present  magnifi- OM  Galena 
cent   railway  system  dates    back  thirty-oue  years,   to   1836,  when  the    Galena  &  railroad. 
Chicago  Union  Railroad — the  pioneer  road  of  Illinois  —  was  incorporated  by  the 
Legislature.     At  that  time  there   were  only  about   1,000  miles   of  railroad  in  the  InlS36 
United  States.     The  time  proved  a  disastrous  one  for  public  undertakings,  as  the  ^''^'.1?  ^mXes 
financial  crash  came  in  the  year  following,  making  it  impossible  to  go  on  with  the 
work.  It  lay  dormant  for  ten  years,  when,  in  18i7,  the  first  rail  of  strap  iron  was  laid 
on  the  present  line  to  Freeport.     In  1850  it  had  reached  Elgin,  forty-two  miles  from  1S50  at  EI- 
Chicago,  and  from  there  it  was  soon  built  to  Freeport,  where  it  connects  with  the  S'Q> -t-miles. 
Illinois  Central  Road  for  Dunlieth  and   Dubuque.     About  this  time  the  Company 
purchased  the  Mississippi  &  Rock  River  Junction  Railroad  and  completed  it  as  the  Dixon  Air 
Dixon  Air  Line  Road,  to  the  Mississippi  at  Fulton,  in  1855.  ''''^<-''  1855. 

.    In  1864  this  parent  road  was  purchased  by  its  young  and  ambitious  son,  the  l^s-'-''^- 
Chicago  &  Northwestern,  and  absorbed  in  it,  losing  its  old  and  honored  name.  n.'^W.    ^ 

Although  the  road  was  projected  from  a  little  trading  town  back  upon  the  almost  its  develop- 
unsettled  prairie,  its  coming  caused  villages  and  farm  houses  to  rise  along  the  way  i°g  ^'le 
with  marvelous  rapidity,  furnishing  to  it,  almost  from  the  very  first  year,  a  liberal '^'^"°  ^^' 
and  profitable  business.     In  1850  the  dividends  of  the  road  were  10  per  cent.  ;  in  Larje  divi- 
1851,  15  per  cent.  ;  in  1852,  15  percent. ;  in  1853,  20  per  cent.  ;  1854,  21  per  cent. ;  deuds. 
in  1855,  17  per  cent.  ;  in  1856,  22  per  cent. ;  and  previous  to  its  sale  to  the  North- 
western Company,  its  stock  was  in  demand  at  as  high  as   24  per  cent,  above  par. 

Thus  this   parent   road    of   Chicago,    built   as   an    experiment,   and   with    much  Its  great 
misgiving  and  doubt,  proved  to  be  very  profitable,  returning  handsome  dividends  success. 
to  the  men  who  had  the  courage  to  inaugurate  the  bold  system  of  railways  which  has 
made  Chicago  what  she   is,  and  whose  receipts  from  this  city  alone  reached,   in 
1867,  the  immense  sum  of  $11,680,938. 

The  Chicago  ^  Nortkivestern  Railroad. — In  1848  a  charter  was  procured  by  the  Chi.  &  N.  W. 
officers  of  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union   Railroad  Company  for  a  branch  of  their 
road  into  Wisconsin,  to  be  called  the  Beloit  &  Madison  Railroad.     Various  changes  Changes  and 
and  combinations  took  place,  the  Illinois  &  Wisconsin  Railroad  Company  being  tio'^s.'"*' 
incorporated    1851    and    merged   in    1855   with    the    Rock  River  Valley  Railroad 
(formerly  the  Beloit  &  Madison,)  into  the  Chicago,  St.  Paul  &  Fond  du  Lac.     In 
1857  this  road  was  consolidated  with  the  Wisconsin  &  Superior  Railroad,  which 
had  received  valuable  land  grants  for  a  line  to  the  great  iron  and  copper  regions  of 


352 


No  Equal  Converging  Faint  of  Rail  and,   Water. 


Ke-orpan- 
ized  1Sd9. 


1S61  bought 
the    Galeua. 


Dixon  Ail- 
Line,  or  Ful- 
ton branch. 


Bridge  orer 

Mississippi. 


Connects 
with  Pacific 
at  Omaha. 


Chi.  &  Mil. 
absorbed. 

Peninsula 
road. 


Steamers 
connect 
from  Green 
Bay. 

Extension 
from  Madi- 
son to  St. 
Paul. 


Officers. 


Takes  all 
points  !rom 
N.  to  W. 

A  danger- 
ous power. 


Charter 
granted 
without  ex- 
perience. 


Rival  lines 
should  not 
be  consoli- 
dated. 


Subject  can' 
not  be  dis- 
cussed. 


Lake  Superior.  In  the  revulsion  of  1857  the  Chicago,  St.  Paul  &  Fond  du  Lac 
Railroad  was  mostly  ruined.  It  survived  the  storm,  though  badly  shattered,  and 
iu  1859  was  organized  as  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  llailroad. 

In  18G4  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  achieved  a  great  step  in  obtaining  control 
of  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad,  then  one  of  the  best  paying  roads  in  the 
country. 

The  Fulton  branch,  which  was  included  in  this  consolidation,  is,  with  its 
extension  across  Iowa,  perhaps  the  most  important  branch  of  the  great  line,  on 
account  of  the  vast  westward- region  which  it  will  open  up.  It  runs  due  West  136 
miles  almost  on  an  air  line  to  the  Mississippi,  at  Fulton,  where  it  crosses  on  a 
splendid  bridge,  erected  in  a  rapid  current,  in  some  places  forty  feet  deep,  at  a  cost 
of  $400,000,  and  pushes  on  across  the  rich  fields  of  Iowa  towards  the  Missouri 
River  at  Omaha,  which  place  it-  reached  early  in  1867,  being  500  miles  west  of 
Chicago.  Here  it  connects  with  the  Great  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  which  is  already 
built  540  miles  westward,  over  the  plains  towards  the  gold  mines  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  the  rich  valleys  of  the  Pacific  coast.  When  this  great  enterprise  is 
completed,  which  will  be  probably  by  1871,  the  whole  immense  territory  from  Lake 
Michigan  to  San  Francisco  will  be  bound  by  a  continuous  line  of  rail. 

In  18G5  the  Chicago  &  Milwaukee  became  a  permanent  part  of  the  great  Chicago 
&  Northwestern  system  by  virtue  of  a  perpetual  lease.  In  1862  the  Peninsula 
Railroad  was  chartered  by  the  Legislature  of  Michigan,  to  run  from  Escanaba,  or 
Green  Bay,  to  the  great  iron  region  at  Negaunee,  sixty-two  miles,  and  thirteen 
miles  south  of  Marquette,  and  in  1864  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Company 
obtained  control  of  this  also.  The  remaining  link  to  Marquette  on  Lake  Superior 
is  supplied  by  the  Michigan  &  Bay  de  Noquet  Railroad.  This  line,  in  connection 
with  the  fine  steamers  which  run  from  Escanaba  and  Green  Bay,  one  hundred 
miles,  where  the  main  line  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  terminates, 
forms  a  delightful  route  for  summer  travel,  and  opens  up  the  great  lumber  and 
mining  regions  of  Wisconsin  and  Michigan. 

An  enterprise  of  scarcely  less  importance  than  any  of  those  already  mentioned, 
is  now  on  foot  to  extend  the  Madison  Division  of  the  great  Northwestern  system  to 
Winona,  and  thence  up  the  Mississippi  to  St.  Paul,  tapping  the  immense  fur  and 
other  business  of  the  Northwest.  The  distance  from  Madison  to  Winona  is  about 
130  miles,  and  from  thence  to  St.  Paul  about  90  more — making  220  to  be  built. 
Negotiations  are  now  pending  in  regard  to  the  construction  of  this  important  line, 
which,  it  is  hoped,  will  be  successful. 

The  principal  officers  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway  are :  President, 
Wm.  B.  Ogdeu.  Vice  President,  Perry  H.  Smith.  Secretary,  James  R.  Young. 
Treasurer,  Albert  L.  Pritchard.     General  Superintendent,  George  L.  Dunlap. 

Truly  northwestern  is  that,  for  it  runs  to  all  points  from  due  north  to 
due  west.  No  such  corporation  ought  to  have  existence,  for  it  is  too  dan- 
gerous a  power  to  entrust  to  any  one  directory.  Still  it  exists,  and  exists 
according  to  law,  and  until  it  unduly  encroaches  upon  public  rights  and 
interests,  it  must  and  will  be  continued  to  the  end  of  its  charter.  This 
charter  was  granted  before  any  experience  with  railways,  and  my  letters  to 
the  Boston  Courier  in  1847  (p.  21)  urged  as  an  inducement  to  invest  in  the 
Galena  Company,  that  they  could  build  a  branch  down  Fox  River,  connect- 
ing with  Alton  and  St.  Louis.  But  experience  teaches  us  the  dangers  of 
consolidating  what  should  be  separate  if  not  rival  lines  to  protect  public 
interests.  The  risk  of  excessive  competition  to  the  injury  of  stockholders 
is  very  slight ;  at  all  events  can  never  countervail  for  the  danger  of  exorbi- 
.  tant  rates  where  companies  have  no  competition.  But  although  it  was  my 
design  to  discuss  this  question  here,  and  exhibit  the  propriety  of  consoli- 
dating longitudinal  lines,  not  parallel,  it  is   not  essential  to  the  present 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  353 

purpose  and  must  be  passed  over.*  Yet  even  this  gigantic  scheme,  the  coa- 
summation  of  which  has  given  Mr.  Ogdea  the  cognomen  of  llailway  King, 
has  competition  from  other  powerful  corporations. 

The  Illinois  Central^  \ia.\\\\^  i\\Q  continuation  of  the  line  from   Freeport  i"'°oisCent. 
to  Dunleith,  which  is  continuing  across  Iowa,  is  a  strong  competitor  with 
the  Northwestern.     As  business  shall  increase  from  the  west,  the   Illinois  An  inde- 

nt  ^        •^^    n      -x     •  •      ^  i  it  i-        I'endent  line 

Central  will  nnd  it  necessary  to  construct  an  independent  and  direct  line  from  Jbree- 
to   Chicago   from   Freeport.     It  is  well  for  the  public,   and  especially  for 
Chicago,  that  two  such  powerful  corporations  should  be  rivals  in   the   field 
beyond  the  Mississippi,  as  well  as  this  side.     Said  the  Tribune: —  cfd. Tribune. 

The  Illinois  Central  Railroad. — This  road  had  its  origin  in   the  year   1850,  when  Origin  of 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  and  General  Shields  obtained  from  Congress  a  grant  of  alter-  ^"'  '"'^°''" 
nate  sections   of  land  on  both  sides   of  the  proposed  route,  through  the   richest  Land  grant, 
portions  of  the  Garden  State,  giving  it  an  immense  and  increasing    revenue  from 
their  sale,  without  which  encouragement  the  road  would  not  have  been  undertaken. 
In  1852  the  officers  of  the  road  applied  for  permission  to  enter  the  city  along   the  Bpgan  15 
lake  shore,   which  was  granted,  and  the  Illinois  Central,  fifteen   years   ago,  was  ^^""^^ ''^°' 
added  to  our  railroad  system. 

This  is  our  southern  line  penetrating  the  State  from  the  west  to  its   extreme  R"°^^^^ 
limit  at  the  point  formed  by  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers  at  Cairo,  363  miles  ™'|^^  '° 
from  Chicago.     After    pursuing  a  southwesterly  direction  from   this  city  the  road  jjne  from 
unites  at  Centralia,  253  miles  distant,  with  the   North   Division,    which  starts  at  Ceiitraiia  to 
Dunleith,  343  miles  away,  at  the  extreme  northern  limit  of  the  State,  and   thence  pa9^]^\  g 
runs  due  south  to  its  terminus.     The  total  length  of  this  immense  line  is  706  miles, 
and,  with  its  vast  grants  of  government  land,  which  are  gradually  being  sold   and 
settled,  it   is  one  of  the  most  wealthy  and   important  corporations   in  the  country. 
The  value  of  this  road  in  opening  up  and   developing  the  agricultural  and   mineral  Developed 
wealth  of  the  State  can  hardly  be  over-estimated.     At  Cairo  connections  are  made  "'"  State, 
with  the  trade  of  the  great  rivers  and  the  Southern  cotton  and  sugar  fields,  while  River  con- 
the  lower  portion  of  this  State,  with  their  high  temperature  and  varied  productions  "ections 
of  fruit  and   grain,  pour  in  an  unfailing  supply  of  necessaries  and  luxuries  to  our 
northern   market.      The  Illinois  Central  very  materially  facititated  the  speedy   and  Fruit  traffic, 
safe  transfer  of  fruit  from  this  garden  region  by  placing  upon  their  road  fast  fruit- 
trains  in  the  strawberry  and  peach  seasons,  bringing  these  delicious  products  fresh 
from  the  garden  and  orchard,  so  that  they  could    be  in    the   hands   of  the   dealers, 
and   perhaps  on  the  tables  of  our  citizens,  in  the  early  morning,  twelve    or  fifteen 
hours  after  they  left  the  vines  or  trees.     The  amount  of  fruit  shipped    during    tiio  ■'*''^'^'"^"*'''" 

els  lierripfi 

last  season  was  14,000  bushels  of  berries  and   389,000  baskets  of  peaches,  which,  oggg^Q  ^,3g,j_ 
with  small  lots  of  other  fruits  and  vegetables,  made  nearly  Jiine  millions  of  pounds,  ets peaches. 
Of  this  vast  aggregate  Chicago    received   12,500  bushels   of  berries   and   289,191 
boxes  of  peaches,  the  larger  part  of  which  were  consumed  in  this  city. 

The  Central  eifectetl  an  important  extension  on  Oct.  1,  1867,  by  leasing  for  twenty  Dnbnqne 
years,  for  a  rem  of  thirty-five  per  cent  of  the  gross  earnings,  the  Dubuque  &  Sioux  '"^^  Sioux 
City  Railroad,  which  is   already   completed   due   west   from   Dubuque    143  miles  to  gj^^^ 
Iowa  Falls,  with  a  branch  fifty-three  miles  long  running  southwest  from  Farley  to 
Cedar  Rapids,  on  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad.     It  also  connects  at  Cedar 


*  Yet  I  cannot  forbear  to  observe,  that  beyond  a  doubt  we  shall  find  we  have  a  sovereign  remedy  for  A  relief  from 
oppressive  monopolies,  in  the  judicious  exercise  of  State  Sovereignty;   as  in  the  rightful  annihilation  by  monopo  les 
the  Sovereignty  of  New  York,  of  the  manorial  rights.     And  only  let  U  be  well  understood  that  the  rem"  erg^o-ntv 
edy  exists,  and   its  application  will  seldom  be  necessary.     It  is  true  that  a  State  may  come  under  the 
domination  of  a  corporation,  as  New  Jersey  is  ruled  by  the  Camden  &  Amboy  monopoly.     But  as  before  Oamden       & 
observed,  when  we  come  to  apprehend  the  doctrine  of  State  Rights,  and  the  strengtii  of  covenant  obligi-  Amboy  to  be 
tions,  guaranteeing  equal  rights  and  privileges  to  all  the  citizens  of  all  these   States  ;  most  assuredly  we 
shall  find  means  without  resorting  to  Congress,  which  hasno  right  to  interfere  in  the  premises,  to  remedy 
the  outrage.    Would  the  two  great  States  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  submit  to  the  discrimination 
against  them  which  New  .Jersey  authorizes,  if  they  apprehended  the  principles  of  National  Union  based 
upon  State  Sovereignty  ?    But  it  is  equally  unjust  to  all  these  States. 

23 


354 


No  Equal  Converging  Point  of  Rail  and  Water. 


Important 

region. 


Large  ferry 
boat. 


Land  grant 
2.595,000 
acres. 
Credit  sales, 


No  forfeit- 
ures. 


Present 
sales. 


Price  $6  to 
$12. 


Land  De- 
partment 


Officers. 


Falls,  ninety-nine  miles  from  Dubuque,  with  the  Cedar  Falls  &  Mineapolis  Railroad, 
which  is  being  built  northward  through  Western  Iowa  and  Minnesota.  The  Illinois 
Central  thus  gains  a  large  and  constantly  increasing  amount  of  travel  and  trade 
from  these  two  fine  States.  The  company  is  now  perfecting  facilities  for  shipping 
freight  across  the  Mississippi,  between  Dubuque  and  Dunleith,  without  breaking 
bulk  and  is  building  for  this  purpose  barges  capable  of  carrying  five  loaded  cars 
each.  The  company  has  also  contracted  for  a  new  first-class  ferry-steamer,  to  be 
delivered  at  the  opening  of  navigation  next  spring.  It  is  their  intention  to  have 
facilities  for  transferring,  both  ways,  two  hundred  and  twenty  freight  cars  a  day, 
if  necessary. 

The  original  grant  of  land  to  this  company  was  for  2,595,000  acres.  These  lands 
have  been  in  the  market  for  twelve  years,  during  which  time  1,885,000  acres  have 
been  disposed  of.  In  the  early  days  the  sales  were  made  upon  long  time  and  at 
a  low  rate  of  interest,  to  induce  settlers  of  small  means  to  start  and  bring  the  lands 
into  immediate  cultivation  and  production.  For  the  last  three  years  the  terms  of 
payment  have  been  either  cash  or  upon  short  credit.  No  actual  settler  has  ever 
been  deprived  of  his  home  through  harsh  measures  of  the  company,  and  up  to 
January  1  last,  full  title  papers  have  been  passed  for  907,365  acres.  The  number 
of  deeds  and  contracts  for  farm  lands  issued  to  the  same  time  has  been  37,14-1,  for 
an  aggregate  of  over  twenty  millions  of  dollars.  The  business  of  the  last  year  has 
been  203,834  acres,  sold  to  2,633  settlers,  at  an  average  of  10.67  per  acre.  One 
hundred  and  thirty-five  thousand  acres  of  these  lands  sold  in  1867  lie  on  the  Chicago 
Branch,  in  the  great  corn,  cattle,  hog  and  fruit  producing  districts  directly  tributary 
in  business  to  the  city  of  Chicago. 

The  lands  are  sold  in  tracts  of  forty  acres  and  upwards,  at  from  $6  to  $12  per 
acre,  and  are  being  taken  up  by  a  thrifty  class  of  settlers  who  soon  cover  the  wild 
prairie  with  waving  cornfields  and  blossoming  orchards.  The  road  is  thus  devel- 
oping the  country,  which  will  in  turn  support  the  road. 

The  Land  Department  in  itself  furnishes  an  immense  business,  as  the  foregoing 
figures  show,  though  its^nerations  make  but  little  noise.  It  has  a  handsome  stone 
building  on  Michigan  avenue,  built  by  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  for 
its  use,  at  a  cost  of  $8C,J00,  and  employs  some  twenty-five  persons  in  the  Chicago 
offices.  The  Land  Commissioner  is  John  B.  Calhoun,  and  the  Salesman,  C.  P 
Holden. 

The  chief  officers  of  the  Illinois  Central  are :  President,  John  M.  Douglas.  Gen- 
eral Superintendent,  M.  P.  Hughitt.  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  M.  K.  Ackerman. 
General  Passenger  Agent,  W.  P.  Johnson. 


Mich.  Cent. 

DifBcuUies 
witii  la, 
and  111.  to 
reach  Chi. 


Union  with 
Ills.  Cent,  in 
depots. 


Chi.  Tribune. 


The  Michigan  Central  was  obliged  to  come  in  upon  the  Illinois  Central 
line.  It  is  difficult  to  account  for  the  opposition  which  that  important  road 
had,  both  from  Indiana  and  Illinois.  Indiana  refusing  a  charter,  the  New 
Albany  &  Salem  charter  for  a  railroad  35  miles  long  from  the  Ohio  river  was 
obtained,  and  an  amendment  procured  from  the  Legislature,  with  the  right 
of  indefinite  extension.  The  Michigan  Central  supplied  funds  to  extend 
it  255  miles  to  Michigan  City,  thence  to  the  Illinois  line.  To  make  the 
three  miles  connexion  with  the  Illinois  Central,  a  blind  charter  for  a  Union 
Railroad  had  been  obtained  from  the  Illinois  Legislature.  Jointly  the 
Michigan  and  Illinois  Centrals  have  constructed  the  breakwater,  shielding 
the  shore  from  abrasion  by  the  lake,  and  at  an  immense  expense  have  raised 
out  of  the  water  the  extensive  depot  grounds,  affording  the  very  best  facilities 
by  lake  and  canal,  and  rail.  This  is  one  of  the  railroads  which  is  in  the 
hands  chiefly  of  the  original  stockholders,  and  has  paid  regular  dividends. 
Says  the  Tribune  : — 


Progress  of      It  was   projected  in   1842  and  built   in   that  year,  from   Detroit   eastward   to 

Mich.  Cenf  Ypsilanti,  but  did  not  reach  Chicago  until  May  21st,  1852,  previous  to  which  time 

passengers   between    Chicago   and   Buffalo   crossed   the   lake   to   St.   Joseph,  and 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  355 

travelled  by  stage  until  they  readied   its  terminus.     For  more   tlian  twenty  years  20  years  of 
this  road  has  gone  steadily  on  in   prosperity,  with  hardly  a  change  in  its  manage-  »"<■';'-'«'*• 
ment.     Its  total  length  is  284  miles.     Four  through  trains  are  run  daily,  besides  a 
local  between  Detroit  and  Dexter,  and  the  Cincinnati  express,  between  Michigan 
City  and  Chicago. 

In  December  last  a  party  of  business   men  from  this  city,  and  from  places  along  Line  to  Sag- 
the   line   of  the    excursion,    celebrated    the    opening   of    the  Jackson,    Lansing  &  '""w. 
Saginaw   Railroad,  which   now  constitutes  an  important  branch   of  the  Michigan 
Central,  and  brings  a  large  amount  of  business   to  this  city.     It  runs  from  Jackson,  Route, 
on  the  latter  road,    and  1!0'2  miles  from  Chicago,   nearly  north,  through  Lansing, 
the  capital  of  Michigan,  Owasso,  on   the  Detroit  &  Milwaukee  Railroad,  and  other 
growing  towns,  to  8aginaw  City  and  Bay  City,  near  Saginaw  Day,  tapping  the  great 
lumber    and    salt    regions   of   the   Saginaw  Valley,    which    already    contains  many 
populous  towns  and  cities,  and   looks  to  Chicago  as  its  most  advantageous  market  Looks  to 
for  the  sale  of  products  and  the  purchase  of  supplies.     The  new  road  is  100  miles  ^\"w 
long. 

The  Michigan  Central  is,  with  many,  the  favorite  route  to  the  East,  being  always  Favorite 
splendidly  managed,  and  connecting,  as  it  does  at  Detroit,  with  the  Great  Western  route  for 
Railroad,  through  a  fine  portion  of  Canada,  and  at  Niagara,  vrhere  the  traveller  •'■'^^''''• 
has  an  opportunity  to  view  the  watery  wonder  of  the   world,  with  the  New  York 
Central  railroad  for  the  metropolis.      Pullman's  celebrated  hotel  and  sleeping  cars 
take  the  passenger  from  Chicago  to  Rochester  without  a  single  change,  and  it  is 
intended  soon  to  run  them  through  to  New  York  direct. 

The  principal  officers  of  the  road  are  :  President — James  F.  Joy.  General  Superin-  Officers, 
tendent  —  H.  E.  Sargent.     Assistant  General   Superintendent — W.  K.  Muir.     The 
Passenger  Agent  at  Chicago  is  H.  C.  Wentworth. 

One  of  the  strongest  points  of  this   argument  in   favor   of  the   certain  An  import- 

f     t  -^  ..,,.  i.-i^    ant  point    is 

continuation  or  the  railway  system  as  now  instituted,  and  its  spread  indefi- the  interest 
nitely  into  the  Great  Interior,  is   the   direct  interest-which  capitalists  of  jtaiists  have 
eastern  roads,  mainly  residents  in  New  York  and  New  ISngland,  have  in  the  roads.' 
construction  of  extending  lines  with  ramifying  branches.     An  off-shoot  of 
the  Michigan  Central,  running  into  its  depot,  a  large  part  of  the  stock  held 
by  the  same  parties,  with  the  same  capable  President  over  both,  is — 

The   Chicago,  Burlington  &   Quincy.     Said  the  Tribune  : —  Tribune. 

This  road  justly  claims  to  be  one  of  the  best  managed  and  most  profitable  roads  Chi ,  Bnr- 
in  the  West,  and  is  one  of  the  very  few  railroads  in  the  West  which  is  in  the  hands  J^"?**"!* 
of  the  original  stockholders,  who,  in  this  case,  are  receiving  handsome  dividends 
on  their  investments.     Its  friends  are  in  the  habit  of  saying  that  its  initials,  "C.  "C.,B.  &  Q. " 
B.     &    Q.,"    properly    indicate    its    characteristics    as    the    ''Cheapest,    Best   and 
Quickest."     The  line  runs  southwest,  through  some  of  the  finest  and  best  developed  Ko«te. 
agricultural  regions  of  the  State,   to  Burlington,  210  miles  from   Chicago,  with  a 
branch  of  100  miles,  from  Galesburg  to  Quincy,  a  branch  from  Galeshurg  to  Peoria, 
54  miles,  and  a  branch  from    Yates    City  to   Rushville,  62  miles,   making   entire 
length  426  miles. 

The  part  of  what  is  now  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  which  was  Beginning 
first  operated  was  the  Aurora  Branch  Railroad,   which  in   the  fall  of  1852   was  J^ilp^^^  ^^ 
completed  thirteen  miles,  from  Aurora  to  the  Junction,  on  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Aurora. 
Union  road.     In  the  fall  of  1853  it  was  completed  southwest  to  Mendota,  forty-five 
miles  from  Aurora.     About  1856,  the  Chicago  &  Aurora  road  was  consolidated  with  Conaolida- 
the    Central   Military  Tract  Railroad,  from   Mendota  to  Galesburg,  and  with  the  other!." 
Peoria  &  Oquawka  Railroad,  the  western  part  of  which   was  between  Galesburg 
and    Burlington.     About   the  same    time    a   consolidation    was  eli'ected    with    the 
Northern  Cross    Railroad,   from  Galesburg    to    Burlington,    thus  completing    the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad.     Until  1863,  the  trains  of  this  road  ran  J^^' !'"'"' 
into  the  city  over  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Railroad  track,  from  the  Junction,  thirty  c!^.  "*  ** 
miles  ont,  but  in  that  year  the  Company  completed  its  own  track,  entering  the  city 
along  Sixteenth  street. 


356 


No   Equal   Converging  Point  of  Rail  and    Water. 


Iowa  ex  ten 
8ion. 

liiirlington 
&   Mo.   road, 

Hannibal  k 

St.  Joe. 

Atchison 

and  Kansas 

City. 

3  bridges. 


Mo.  Valley 
railroad. 


Connects 
with   Pacific 
at    Omaha. 

Officers. 


Old  Aurora 
road. 


A'lvantage 
of  diagonal 
line. 


Atchison 
road. 


Kansas 
Pacific. 


Lawrence 
and  Galvest- 


Chi.  R.  I.  &. 
Pacitic. 


Prophecy 
fulfilled. 


Mr.  Farnum. 


Mr.Sheffield. 

Charter  ob- 
tained. 
Road  built. 


The  road  is  now  virtually  extended  into  Iowa  by  a  contract  made  with  the 
Burlington  &  Missouri  Railroad,  which  is  already  built  156  miles  west  of  Burling- 
ton forming  a  very  important  connection,  as  it  taps  the  richest  portion  of  Iowa, 
and  is  rapidly  extending  toward  the  Missouri,  at  or  near  Omaha.  The  Hannibal  & 
St.  Joseph  Railroad,  which  runs  across  the  great  State  of  Missouri,  from  opposite 
Quincy,  is  also  a  very  important  feeder,  connecting  with  Atchison,  Kansas,  and 
thence  with  the  Central  Branch  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad.  Costly  and  exten- 
sive iron  bridges  at  Burlington,  Quincy  and  Kansas  City,  each  about  2,000  feet 
long,  are  now  being  erected  across  the  Mississippi,  and  their  completion  will 
greatly  facilitate  the  business  of  the  road. 

The  Council  Bluffs  &  St.  Joseph  Railroad,  which  runs  parallel  to  the  Missouri, 
between  these  two  cities,  is  being  rapidly  pushed  from  both  ends,  fifty-five  miles 
being  already  in  operation  from  Council  Bluffs.  The  entire  road  will  probably  be 
completed  during  the  coming  summer,  and  will  then  prove  a  valuable  feeder  to  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  through  its  immediate  connection  with  the 
Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  Railroad,  and  will  undoubtedly  attract  a  considerable  share 
of  business  from  the  Union  Pacific  Road  at  Omaha. 

The  officers  of  the  road  are  as  follows:  President,  James  F.  Joy.  Secretary  and 
Treasurer,  Amos  T.  Hall.  Superintendent,  Robert  Harris.  Assistant  Superinten- 
dents, A.  N.  Towue,  H.  Hitchcock  and  S.  S.  Greeley.  General  Freight  Agent,  E. 
R.  Wadsworth.     General  Ticket  Agent,  Samuel  Powell. 

When  it  was  determined  some  two  years  ago  by  Mr.  Stephen  F.  Gale 
and  a  few  others,  that  the  Aurora  road  should  be  continued  on  to  Quincy,  it 
required  no  great  foresight  to  perceive  the  advantages  which  a  southwest 
road  through  such  a  region  as  the  Military  Tract,  must  have.  Its  diagonal 
course  gives  it  great  advantage  over  a  direct  line  west,  and  it  is  already  fed 
by  the  important  lines,  the  Burlington  &  Missouri,  which  will  connect  with 
the  Pacific  at  Omaha,  and  with  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph,  which  is  also 
fed  by  the  Atchison,  a  road  already  in  use  about  100  miles,  and  also  with 
the  Kansas  Pacific.  With  the  latter  road,  too,  it  has  another  connection, 
by  the  Cameron  road  and  a  bridge  now  building  at  Kansas  City.  And  at 
Lawrence  it  connects  with  the  Galveston  road,  now  in  use  30  miles,  which 
is  to  be  finished  through  to  the  State  line  this  autumn.* 

The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad. — This  is  one  of  the  roads 
urged  upon  Boston  capitalists  in  1847,  (see  p.  22,)  the  completion  of  which 
to  Council  Bluff's  I  predicted  "within  20  years."  Though  wrong  as  to  the 
road,  yet  the  prophecy  held  good.  The  Rock  Island  is  only  a  little  behind, 
and  will  be  there  within  a  year,  unless  stock-jobbers  prevent. 

In  1850  Mr.  Henry  Farnum  came  out  at  Mr.  Ogden's  invitation  to  look 
at  the  Galena  road,  with  reference  to  engaging  in  its  construction.  Not 
arranging  to  his  satisfaction,  he  considered  the  Kock  Island  route,  and  pro- 
posed to  his  friend,  Mr.  Joseph  E.  Sheffield  of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  to  come 
out  and  examine  it.  The  result  was  they  obtained  a  charter  and  built  the 
road.  They  had  a  very  few  subscriptions  along  the  route,  but  most  of  the 
funds  they  raised  themselves,  Mr.  Sheffield  being  a  large  capitalist  and  able 
to    control    funds    for  any    enterprise  he    would  undertake.      Mr.    Farnum 


0«age  In-  *  The  Chicago  Times  has  advices  from  Kansas,  May  30,  that  a  treaty  has  just  been  concluded  with  the 

snld^'n^  „   Osage  Indians,  who  cede  to  the  United  States  8,000,000  acres  of  land  through  which  the  Galveston  road 
■  is  to  pa8B.    .  It  is  a  very  beneficial  transaction  to  this  road. 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  357 

carefully  superintcudcd  the  construction.      It  has  almost   uuifbrnily  paid 
dividends.     The  Tribune  observed  :—  <^'"-  ^'•'''""« 

This  road  bears  off  in  a  southwesterly  direction  to  Hock  Island,  on   the  Missis- Commenced 
sippi,  at  the  mouth  of  Piock  River,  82  miles  from   Chicago.      It  was  commenced  in  |stH'(i'i8'='4 
April,  1852,  and  completed  in  February,  1854,  being  only  one  year  and  ten  months,  i  year  10  ' 
Here  it  crosses  the   river  on  a  tine  and  costly  bridge,  and  joins  whui  was  formerly  wunths. 
the  Mississippi  &  Missouri  Railroad,  with  which  the  Chicago  &  Rock   Island    Road 
was  consolidated  August  20,  1865,  the    name  being  changed   to  the  present  one. 
The  great  consolidated  line,  therefore,  will  eventually  reach   from  Chicago  to  the  Kxtonsion  to 
Mississippi,  and  thence  directly  across   the   broad  and  fertile   State   of    Iowa  to  ^^^'^g'' 
Council   liluifs,  opposite    Omaha,  on   the   Missouri   River.     The  road   is  already  in 
operation  to  DesMoines,  the  Capital  of  Iowa,  and  is  being  rapidly  pushed  north- 
westerly to  Council  Bluffs.     Within  a  few   weeks    the   directors    of  the   road    have 
issued    additional    stock  to    the   amount  of  $4,900,000,  for  the  completion   of  this 
important  part  of  the  line,  and  a  large   portion  of  it  has  been   sold   at   nearly  par 
value,  the  road  ranking  among  the  most  prosperous  roads  in  the  West.     When  the  Shortest 
line  is  completed  it  will  be  the  shortest  route  from  Chicago  to  the  Missouri,  and  of  '"'*'■ 
course  receive  a  large  addition  to  its  business.     It  is   already  graded  about    fifty 
miles  beyond  DesMoines.     The  company  has  now  182  miles  of  main  line  in  opera-  Has  now 450 
tion  in  Illinois,  and  a  branch  of  forty-sis   miles  from  Bureau  to    Peoria,  and   by  its  °"  *"" 
consolidation  with  the  Mississippi  &  Missouri,  it  now  operates  450  miles  of  road. 

The  last  annual  report,  dated  April   1st,  18G7,  shows  the  following  facts  :     The  Cost$l5,3l3,- 
cost  of  the  road,  equipments,  land  and  all  other  property  was   $15,813,822.     This  ^-^• 
includes  the  cost  of  the  two  consolidated  lines,  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  and  the 
Mississippi  &  Missouri.     To  aid  the  latter  a  large  amount  of  land  was  granted  by  Land  grant 
the  acts  of  Congress  and  the  Legislature  of  Iowa,  of  which  there  has  been  certified 
by  the  Government  of  the  United  States  to  the  company  $481,000. 

There  has  been  a  large  amount  of  rolling  stock   placed   upon  the  line  during  the  Iniprove- 
year,  and  a  splendid  depot  in  Chicago  has  been  built  in  common  with  the  Michigan  ^f-u's- 
Southern  Railroad.      The  receipts  of  the  road  last  year  amounted   to   $3,574,033 ;  Receipts  and 
the  expenditures,  $1,995,034;  leaving  as  the  net  earnings   $1,578,999.     The  com- "^^^  earnings 
pany  have  92  engines,  4(3  passenger  coaches,  20  baggage  and  express  cars,  and  880 
other  cars.     The  amount  of  freight  transported  was  1,197,824,158  pounds. 

During  the  year  the  company  have  built,  about  two  miles  south  of  the  city  limits.  Work-shops 
a  large  round  house  and  very  extensive   car  shops,  which   will  probable   employ ''*^'^'"- 
nearly  a  thousand  men,  and  quite  a  village   has  already  begun  to   spring  up   there. 
Speculators  have  bought  up  tracts  of  land  adjoining  the  works  and   divided   them  Increased 
into  lots,  which   they  have  sold,    or    still  hold,  at  almost  city  prices,   and   when,  pr,'"g,°tv. 
as  in  due  time  no  doubt  will  be  the  case,  frequent  "dummy"  trains  are  run  to  this 
point,  stopping  at  every  street  for  passengers,  a  populous   suburb  will  grow  up 
along  the  line. 

The  principal  officers  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  Officers, 
are  as  follows:  President  and  General  Superintendent,  John  F.Tracy.     Treasurer, 
E.  W.  Dunham.     Secretary,   Francis  H.   Tows.     Assistant  General  Superintendent, 
P.  A.  Hall. 

This  mammoth  corporation,  however,  is  at  present  in  the  hands  of  stock-  stock-gam- 
gamblers.     It  would  seem   that  "a  pool"  has  been   made  up  to  "bull      the  work. 
Northwestern;  and  after  obtaining  a  majority  of  that  stock,  in  order  to  give 
it  greater   buoyancy,  they  endeavored  to   obtain   control  also   of  the  Rock  j°{""^^^g£j 
Island,  in   order  to  stop  the  road  at  Des  Moines,  giving  the  Northwestern  n.  w. 
the  advantage   of  sole  connection  with   the   Pacific  at  Omaha.     But  Mr. 
Tracy,  the  able  President  of  the  Rock  Island,  very  shrewdly  took  advantage  Mr.  Tracy 
of  this  new  demand,  and  put  49,000  shares,  $4,900,000  of  stock,  quietly  for  them, 
upon  the  market,  to   obtain  funds   to  build  the   road   from  Des  Moines  to 
Omaha.     This  being  precisely  what  the  Wall   street  sharks  did  not  want,  Courts  used 
they  have  resorted  to  the  New  York   courts  to  advance  their  schemes,  and 
Mr.  Tracy  to  the  Iowa  courts  and  Legislature  to  protect  public  interests  and 


35S  ^0  Equal  Converging  Point  of  Rail  and   Water. 

Iowa  Legis-  secure  the  completioa  of  the  road.     The  Legislature  legalized  the  sale  of 
lature.         gtock,  which  was  a  fair  and   legitimate  operation,   and  also   required  the 

immediate  construction  of  the  road  through  to  Omaha. 

N.  r.Sun.        The  New  York  Sun  of  29th  May,  had  this  sensible  view:  — 

Objects  of  The    Approaching    Annual    Meeting  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  Sf    Pacific. — The 

Wall  street    approaching    Rock    Island    meeting,    called    on   the   3d    prox.,   is    assuming  great 

Bharks.         importance.     The  promised  success  of  the  disaffected  is  supposed  by  some  to  have 

run  the  stock  up  to  98j  to-day ;  but  others  believe  that  the  market  was  made  active 

for  the  purpose   of  unloading  the  stock,  not  having  confidence  in   a  satisfactory 

To  prevent    result  from  the  meeting.     Disguise  it  as  we  may,  it  is   known  by  all  interested  in 

continuation  Wall  street,  that  the   parties   initiating  this   call   were   induced  to   make  their  pur- 

ot  K.  I.  to     gjjf^ggg  ^f  Rock  Island  under  the  belief  that  they  could  pi^vent  the  extension  of  the 

road  to  Council  Bluffs,  which  would  afford  a   more  direct  communication   with  the 

Pacific  road  than  that  already  built  in  connection  with  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 

road;   but  being  defeated  by  the   issue   of  49,000  shares,  they  were  foiled  in  their 

purpose,  and  now  are  attempting  to  gain  an  advantage  for  their  investment  in   the 

N  W  can      Chicago   &  Northwestern  pool.     The  Chicago  &   Northwestern  railroad,  with  its 

afford  to  let   large  earnings,  showing  an  increase  of  two  and  one-half   millions  over  the  previous 

it  be  built,     year,  and  earning  more  net  income  than  the  New  York   Central,  its  managers  can 

well  afford    to    allow  the  Rock  Island   extension,  without  attempting  to  swallow  a 

competing  corporation,  by  a  system  of  devices  which,  although  admirable  in  AVall 

street,  cannot  be  commended  in  other  walks  of  life. 

Purchasers        If  legitimate  purchasers  of  Rock  Island  stock,  why  desire  to  prevent  the 

niimicaito    i^yji^JQ^  (jf  ^\^Q  most  important  part  of  the  line,  through  to  Omaha,  giving 

it  the  large  share  of  that   immense   traffic    to  which    it  is   entitled  as   the 

direct  road  ?     Is  it  not  evident  that  ulterior,  unnatural  purposes  controlled 

New  inter-    thesc  new  purchases  ?     Nor  was  it  the  present  directory  of  the  Northwest- 

estsinN.  w.  gj.jj^  Or  the  shareholders  which  elected  them,  who  are  these  buyers.     An 

entire  change  in   the   Directory  of  the   Northwestern  is  to  be  effected  that 

stock.         these  stock-gamblers  may  create  a  factitious  demand  for  the  Northwestern. 

gam    ng.     j^  .^  doubtless  for  that  purpose  that  the  operation  has  been  made,  and  not, 

as  the  SiinsAjs,  that  having  been  foiled  in  regard  to  the  Rock  Island,  they 

"now  are  attempting  to  gain  an  advantage  in  the  Northwestern  pool." 

Meresur-         This,   of  coursc,   is  mere  surmise,   which    events    only  can  determine.  * 

^^^^'  Another   solution  is   made,    in   that  the  holders   in   Milwaukee  roads  are 

endeavoring    to   obtain    the    control    of  the   Northwestern,  to   prevent  the 

construction    of  the    line  from   Madison  to  St.  Paul,   and   other  diversions 

Public  inter- adverse  to  Milwaukee.     It  is  one  of  the   evils   of  these   railways,  that  the 

nmde'sub-^    Corporations   can   thus  be    used    for    private    schemes,    adverse    to    public 

Yet^wm        interests.     But   these  general  interests  will   eventually  rule,  and  the  capital 

nj^te'iy.'"       ^^^^  ^^  employed  to  construct  all  lines  which  are  important  to  the  traffic  of 

the  country ;  and  if  there  be  a  natural   converging  point,  as   the   existing 

system  so  plainly  indicates,  it  will  become  so  more  and  more  as  the  present 

lines  are  extended  and  new  ones  created. 


StockhoM-         *  Since  that  was  in  type,  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Northwestern  Company  has   been  held  4tli  June. 

*{•%' w'''"^  ^°'^°'''"*'^*"*"8  is  acknowledged  with  pleasure,  in  saying  there  was  to  be  an  entire  change  in  the  Directors. 

Chaiigu   of     Mr.  Ogden  with  usual   grace,   withdraws   from  the  Presidency;  but   Messrs.  Smith,  Dunlap,  Turner  and 

Directors.  Ferry  are  elected  Directors,  and  very  likely  may  be  continued  in  their  oflHces.  Should  there  be  an  oppor- 
tunity to  correct  further  anticipations  of  perversion  of  the  road  from  its  legitimate  purposes,  and  from 
public  iuttrests,  it  will  be  cheerfully  embraced.  But  it  is  foreign  to  the  purposes  of  this  effort  to  enter 
into  the  projects  of  stock-operators,  farther  than  is  necessary  to  exhibit  their  effects  upon  public 
interests. 


MICHIGAN  SOUTHERN  AND  ROCK  ISLAND  DEPOT. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of   Chicago   Investments.  359 

The  3Iichic/an  Soufhcrn  (&  Northern  Indiana  Railroad. — This    important  Mich.  Pnuth. 

1  i    i         1        /I     1  •  •  •  f  r\y  •  1  •    ^  i  ^  North. lud. 

road,  next  to  tiie  IxuJena  in  running  trams  irom  (Jnioago,  which  was  done 

20th    February,  1852,  has    had   its  ups  and  downs,  its  stock  havinc;  been  Trainn  from 

•"'  i  '  '^.  Chi.  20  Fob. 

ahnost  valueless,  though  for  several  years  approaching  par,  notwithstanding  1852. 

dividends  have  been  withheld  to  make  necessary  improveineuts  iu  the  road. 

Its  elegant  depot  is  thus  described  by  the  Tribune  : —  cin.  Tribune. 

This  compauy,  in  conjunction  with  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island   &  Pacific  Railroad  Depot. 
Company,  completed,    in   May  last,  on  Van    Buren  street,  between  -Griswold  and 
Sherman  streets,  an  immense  and  magniticent  union  passenger  depot;   the  finest,  it 
is  said  in  the  whole  country,  in  point  of  size  and  accommodations.     It  is  of  stone,  Co8tf250,000 
in  the  Italian  style,  and  cost  $2.50,0U0.     The  length  is  594  feet,  the  width  160  feet.  Description. 
The   front  section,  which  contains  the    general  offices  of  both  companies,  is  52  feet 
deep  by  IGO  feet  wide,  and  three  stories  high.     On  the  front  are   three   towers,  the 
middle  one  eighty  feet   high,  and  the  two  at  the  corners  each  74^  feet  high.     The 
Michigan  Southern  Road  has  also  built  during  the  year  an  immense  brick  freight  ^'''*  '^^Po*- 
depot,   south  of   the  passenger  depot,  on  Griswold  street,    north  of  Polk,  51   feet 
wide  and   G03   feet  long,  containing  standing  room  for  twenty   cars,  and  storage 
room  fur  two  thousand   tons.     The  front   portion  is  two  stories    high  and  contains 
the  freight  offices.     The  building  cost  $47,000. 

Its  chief  officers  are.   President,   E.  B.    Phillips,  Chicago  ;  Treasurer,  Le  Grand  Officers. 
Lockwood,   New  York;  General  Superintendent,  Charles  F.  Hatch,   Chicago;  and 
Chief  Engineer,  Chas.  Paine,  Chicago  ;  Com.  Freight  Agent,  Chas.  M.  Gray,  Chicago. 

The  Chicago  i^epwi^ica?!  of  January  22d,  1867,  gave  an  elaborate  history  ch^- ^^■ 
of  the  road  from  which  the  following  is  taken  : — 

The    Michigan  Southern  &   Northern  Indiana   Railroad  Company   was   formed  2  cnmpanies 
April  25,  1855,  by  the  consolidation  of  two  previously  existing  companies,  viz :  the  consolidated. 
Michigan    Southern    Railroad     Company   and    the    Northern    Indiana     Railroad 
Company. 

The  Michigan  Southern  Railroad  Company  was  chartered  by  the  State  of  Mich i- Mich.  South, 
gan    May  9,  1846,  in    pursuance  of  an   act   authorizing    the    sale    to    them  of  the  ^''^p'"''®'^ 
Michigan   Southern  Railroad,  and   Tecumseh  (now  Jackson)  branch,   both   owned 
and  operated  by  the  State  of  Michigan.     The  organiaztion  was  completed,  and  the 
conditions   of  the  act  complied   with,   in   December,   1846,  so   that   the    Michigan 
Southern  railroad  entered  into  possession  of  said  road  and  branch  that  year. 

The  Northern  Indiana  railroad,  as  it  stood  at  the  time  of  the  consolidation   with  Nortli.    Ind. 
the  Michigan   Southern  Railroad  Company,  in  1855,  originated  iu  a   company   first  !|l,'!J'.'''^''''i'  , 
chartered  in  Indiana,  in  1835,  as  the  "Buffalo  and  Mississippi  Railroad  Company,"  &  Miss. Co 
which,  with    a   company   chartered   in   Ohio,    March   3d,    1851,    as   the  "Northern 
Indiana  Railroad  Company,"  and  another  organized  in  Illinois,  under  the  general 
railroad    law    of   that    State,    as    the    "Northern    Indiana    and    Chicago    Railroad 
Company,"  had  become  merged  into  one,  known  as  the  Northern  Indiana  Railroad 
Company. 

The   Michigan  Southern  Railroad,  from   Monroe  westward,  was   commenced  by  Mich.  South, 
the  State  of  Michigan  about  1838,  but  was  only  finished  to  Hillsdale  at  the  time  of  ^"^^o  1838. 
the  sale  to  the  Michigan  Southern  Railroad  Company,  in   1846.     It  was   extended 
by  that  company,  in  1852,  to  the  Indiana  State  line,  near  Middlebuiy,  and  connected 
therewith   the   Northern   Indiana   railroad,  which  was  completed  to    Chicago    in  Through  to 
June,  1852.  Chi.  1S52. 

The  Tecumseh  (or  Jackson)  branch  was  extended  to  .Jackson,  from  1853  to  1856;  Mich, 
and  a  branch  was  built  from  Constantine,  the  terminus  of  the  old  Michigan  Southern  "'^"''"^s. 
railroad,  to  Three  Rivers,  in  Michigan,  in  1853.     The  Goshen  branch  (formerly  so  Goshen 
called)  forms  part  of  the  Goshen  Air  Line,  from  Toledo  to  Elkhart,  where  it  connects  branch, 
with  the  old  line  from  Monroe  to  Chicago. 

The  Erie  and   Kalamazoo  railroad,  from   Toledo  to  Adrian,  leased  from   the   Erie  -.  v^rai 
and  Kalamazoo  Railroad  Company,  is  run  and  used  as  part  of  the  old  or  main  line  roa'ls  con- 
from    Toledo  to  Chicago  ;   and    part  of  the    Detroit,  Monroe   and   Toledo   railroad,  '^'^'"^"'^•^■ 
mostly  built  by  the  Michigan  Southern  and  Northern    Indiana    Railroad   Company, 
and  exclusively  controlled  and  operated  by  them,  is  used  as  far  as  Monroe  as  part 


360 


No  Equal   Converging    Point  of  Rail  and   Water. 


TUrougli  to 
Cbi.  ii  May 
lSo2. 


Line  built  in 
20  mouths. 


Early  diffi- 
culties. 


Distrust  of 
West 


Triumph 
over  obsta- 
cles. 


Chi.  k  Alton. 


Chi. Tribune. 


Length  275 
miles. 

To  St.  Louis 
7  miles. 

Ctonnections 
there. 

Consolida- 
tion of 
roads. 


Changes  of 
Co. 


Alton  to 
Spriiigtield, 

Springfield 
to  Joliet, 
1804. 

Joliet  to 
Chi.  1857. 


Its  vlcisi- 
tudi.-g. 


Korcloguro 
1862. 


of  the  I\Iicbigaa  Southern  railroad  line  from  Detroit  to  Chicago— said'  Detroit, 
Monroe,  and  Toledo  railroad  being  also  used  as  a  line  from  Detroit  to  Toledo,  con- 
nectino- there  with  roads  to  Cincinnati,  Cleveland,  and  all  points  east,  south,  and 
southwest. 

On  the  22d  of  May,  1852,  the  entire  line  was  opened,  and  a  passenger  train  went 
through  to  Chicago.  A  large  portion  of  the  track  was  laid  in  the  very  severe 
winter  of  1851-2,  and  consequently  was  in  poor  order,  and  had  to  be  run  over  with 
care.  The  work  of  adjusting  and  ballasting  the  track,  with  the  read  in  operation, 
involved  a  heavy  expense. 

In  the  space  of  twenty  months,  embracing  two  winters  (one  particularly  severe 
for  such  work)  and  one  summer,  the  company  constructed  about  one  hundred  and 
sixty  miles  of  new  road,  and  relaid,  and  nearly  re-built,  lifty  miles  of  old  road. 
The  construction  of  a  line  of  railroad  of  this  length,  in  so  short  a  time,  was  then 
looked  upon  as  without  precedent. 

Should  this  article  meet  the  eye  of  any  of  the  old  stockholders,  they  will  recol- 
lect the  difficulty  of  procuring  subscriptions  to  the  stock.  The  Directors  had 
strong  confidence  in  the  success  of  the  undertaking,  but  the  general  feeling  of 
capitalists  was  distrust  of  Western  investments,  and  very  few  men  were  disposed 
to  hazard  any  considerable  amount  in  the  undertaking.  And,  in  addition  to  this, 
the  financial  crisis  of  1851  came  at  a  time  most  embarrassing  to  the  affairs  of  the 
companies.  During  the  whole  progress  of  the  work  they  encountered  an  active 
hostility,  which  was  directed  against  their  credit,  assailing  their  securities,  dis- 
crediting their  finances,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  impairing  the  confidence  of  those 
engaged  in  the  work.  It  is  sufficient,  at  this  time,  to  say  that  all  obstacles  were 
surmounted,  active  progress  maintained,  and  the  work  brought  into  use  with 
unprecedented  rapidity. 

The  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad. — This  is  another  of  the  important  lines 
anticipated  in  1847,  which  fell  into  the  hands  of  speculators,  but  is  now  a 
completely  equipped,  well  managed  railroad.     Says  the  Tribune : — 

This  road  strikes  the  Mississippi  at  Alton,  275  miles  from  Chicago,  where  it  con 
nects  with  the  Alton.  &  St.  Louis  Railroad,  which  is  operated  and  virtually  owned 
by  the  same  company,  (the  payments  of  $800,000  for  its  purchise  being  nearly 
completed)  and  follows  the  river  to  St.  Louis,  282  miles  from  Chicago.  Here  con- 
nections are  made  with  lines  of  steamers  up  and  down  the  Mississippi  and  up  the 
Missouri  to  the  wilds  and  gold  fields  of  the  northern  Territories,  and  with  the 
Missouri  and  Kansas  Pacific  Railroads  and  other  lines  through  the  great  State  of 
Missouri.  The  road  is  formed  by  the  consolidation  of  several  distinct  lines  of 
which  the  first  was  the  Joliet  &  Chicago,  to  which  the  right  to  enter  the  city  on 
the  Archer  road  was  given  January  5th,  1857.  The  earnings  are  reported  below 
from  the  organization  of  the  road  in  1855. 

The  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad-  proper  was  built  under  two  charters — the  first  to 
the  Alton  &  Sangamon  Railroad,  granted  February  27,  1847,  and  the  second  to  the 
Chicago  &  Mississippi  Railroad,  granted  June  19,  1852.  In  1855  the  name  of  the 
road  was  changed  to  the  Chicago,  Alton  &  St.  Louis  Railroad  ;  the  company  was 
again  reorganized  under  the  title  of  the  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Chicago  Railroad  in 
1857,  and  again,  for  the  third  time,  reorganized  in  October,  1862,  as  the  Chicago  & 
Alton  Railroad 

The  first  portion  of  the  present  line  that  was  constructed  was  the  Alton  &  San- 
gamon Railroad,  from  Alton  to  Springfield,  which  was  completed  in  1853.  The 
Chicago  &  Mississippi  Railroad,  from  Springfield  to  Joliet,  was  next  built,  in  1854, 
and  arrangements  were  made  with  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  Railroad,  from  this 
city  to  Joliet,  and  with  the  Terre  Haute,  Alton  &  St.  Louis,  between  the  two  last 
named  places,  completed  the  line  from  Chicago  to  St.  Louis.  In  1857  the  Joliet  & 
Chicago  Railroad  was  built  under  a  separate  charter,  and  the  trains  of  the  Alton 
Road  run  over  it  until  January,  1864,  when  it  was  perpetually  leased  by  the  latter, 
and  in  the  same  year  the  Alton  &  St.  Louis  Railroad  was  purchased,  completing 
the  ownership  of  the  present  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  Company  of  the  entire  road 
from  Chicago  to  St.  Louis. 

Tlio  road  has  passed  through  many  financial  vicissitudes  since  its  organization, 
wliich  seemed  for  a  time  to  have  utterly  wrecked  it.  In  December,  1859,  its  heavy 
mortgages  were  foreclosed,  and  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  a  receiver.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1862,  the  road  was  sold  at  Joliet,  under  a  decree  of  the  United  States  Court, 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  361 

Messrs.  Samuel  J.  Tiklen  and  S.  II.  Meyer  becoming  the  purchasers  for  the 
bondholders.  The  road  was  then  reorganized,  the  first  mortgage  bondholders 
receiving  new  bonds,  the  second  mortgage  bondholders  receiving  preferred  stock, 
and  the  third  mortgage  bondholders  receiving  common  stock.  A  hirge  amount  was  Pr^spnt  firm 
spent  in  repairing  and  equipping  the  road,  and  it  is  now  in  splendid  riiuriing  con-  ''""" '  "^"" 
dition,  and  is  a  first-class  road,  running  through  some  of  the  best  farming  country 
in  the  State,  most  of  which  is  thoroughly  improved,  and  connecting  the  two  prin- 
cipal cities  of  the  West,  between  which  there  is  a  large  and  increasing  amount  of 
travel  and  business. 

The  principal  event  of  the  year,  in  connection  with   the  Chicago  &  Alton  Road,  .T.icksonvillo 
has   been  tlie  opening  of  the  Chicago,   .Jacksonville   &  St.  Louis   Railroad,  which  l"''""='i- 
runs  from  Bloomington,  on  this  road,  tlirough  Jacksonville,  150  miles,  to  Monticello, 
eight  miles  above  Alton,   where  it  connects  again  with   the  main  line.     This   new 
line  was  opened  September  23d,  by  a  very  pleasant  excursion  from  this  city,  and  Taps  a  fine 
it  has  since  proved  a  very  important  feeder,  as  it  taps  a  wide  belt  of  splendid  agri-  country. 
cultural  land  wiiich  has  been  settled  and  developed  for  many  years,  but  until  tiiis 
had  no  railroad  communication.     Although  lying  much  nearer  to  St.  Louis  than   to  TmUos  traflo 
Chicago,  by  far  the   largest  part  of  its  grain  and  cattle   are   sent  to   this   market,  ^''"".""''^''J^^ 

•  LiOUlH  to  Olll 

from  which  merchandise  of  all  kinds  are  sent  in  return,  to  the  profit  of  both  seller 
and  buyer.  The  fact  that  Chicago  can  draw  trade  from  within  forty  or  fifty  miles 
of  St.  Louis,  paying  better  prices  for  products  and  selling  goods  at  lower  rates, 
shows  its  superior  advantages  as  a  market. 

The  principal  officers  now  are  :   President  and  General  Superintendent,  T.  B.  Officers. 
Blackstone ;   Secretary  and  Treasurer,   W.   M.   Larrabee ;  Chief  Engineer,  K.    F 
Booth. 

TIls  Pittshurgh,   Fort    Wayne  &    Chicago   Railroad,   coanects  with  the  i''tts-:  Ft.  w. 
Alton  &  St.  Louis  road,  aud  have  their  depots  together.     It  is  in   contem- 
plation that  these  roads  and  the  Northwestern  shall  join  in  erecting  a  depot  Ki'ie  <iepot 

...  .  ,  1        T  1  1  •  1.    z>  prospect. 

of  more  gigantic  dimensions  and  greater  splendor  than  anything  before 
conceived,  much  less  executed.     But  even  these  gigantic  corporations  are  so  iiiiiiroacis 

,,  ,  ..,,  uucertaln. 

entirely  subject  to  the  most  selfish  schemes  oi  heavy  and  unprincipled 
capitalists,  that  until  a  work  is  accomplished,  it  is  impossible  to  say  who 
may  be  favorable  and  who  inimical.     The  Tribune  says  : —  ad.  Tribune. 

This  line  is  one  of  the  longest  roads  in  the   country,  running  from  Chicago  to  Long  line, 
Pittsburgh,  468,  miles,  where  it  makes  direct  connection  with  the   Pennsylvania  ^'^^ '■"l^*- 
Central   Railroad  across   the  Alleghanies  to   Harrisburgh,  Philadelphia,   Baltimore 
and  New  York. 

The  road  was  incorporated  in  1852  as  the  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad.     The  Tnrorporated 
work  progressed  slowly,  the  company  not  being  able  to  make  a  free   sale  of  its  ^''*^''^- 
securities.     In   1856  it  was  consolidated  with   the   Pittsburgh  Division  under    its 
present  name  and  completed  November  10th  of  the  same  year.     In  1861   it  met  the  Foreclosed 
fate  of  many  Western  roads,  and  was  sold  by  a  decree  of  the  United  States  Circuit  ^"^'j'^"'** 
Court;  being  reorganized  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  Trustees  in   February,  1862. 
Since  then  it  has  been  very  prosperous,  doing  an  immense  through  as  well  as  local  Line  proa- 
business.  _  .  F^'™"*'- 

The  company  has  in  contemplation  the  erection,  in  connection  with  the  Chicago  i^,„.jjo  depot 
&  Northwestern  and  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  Companies,  a  splendid  passenger  toiie  con- 
depot,    in   the  West   Division   near  the   river,    and  somewhere  between   Lake   and  ^"'"'^'<^'^- 
Adams   streets.     The  plans,  which   are  already   made,  describe  a  massive   stone 
structure    thirteen  hundred  feet  long,   and    costing   nearly    two   millions   of   dollars,  $2,000,000. 
forming   by  far  the  finest  railroad   depot  .in  the  world.     It  was   thought  when  this 
work  was   planned  that  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  the  Michigan  Central, 
and  one  or  two  other  roads,  would  unite  in  the   project,  forming  one   grand   union 
depot,  into  which    trains   from    all    directions  should   centre,    o^viating   the   great 
inconvenience  aud  expense  of  omnibus  and  baggage  transfer.     Although  the  com-  Several  will 
bination  will  not  be  as  general  as  was  first  thought  of,   it  will  al  least  include  three  um'e. 
prominent   lines  which,  with   their  branches,  coverall   points  of  the   compass,  and 
will  prove  a  great  convenience  to  the  traveling  public,  as  our  two   principal   union 
depots  now  do.     It  may  be  some  time  before  this  immense  work  is  commenced,  but  Mnst  bo 
the  three  companies  interested  in  it  all  need  better  depot  accommodations,  and  wiil^'"^'' 
probably  not  defer  it  long. 


3{;2  Ko  Equal  Converging  Point  of  Rail  and    Water. 

Officers  The  officers  of  the  road  mainly  reside  in  Pittsburgh.     They  are:  Geo.  W  Cass, 

President;    J.   N.    McCullough,   General  Superintendent;    J.   P.    Farley,  Auditor; 
.  P.  Henderson,  Secretary.     The  passenger  agent  in  this  city  is  W.  C.  Clelland. 

Earnin-^.  The  earnings  of  tliis  road  have  been  as  follows :  1857,  $1,660,424;  1858, 

i857to°is67.g^.^.„232j    1859,   Sl,965,987;    1860,   62,335,353;    1861,    83,031,787; 

1862,  63.745,310;  1863,  §5,132.933;  1864,  §7,120,465;  1865,  $8,489,062; 

1866,  67^467,217;  and  1867,  67,242,125.* 
Pa.  Cent,  its      This  important  road  is  supported  by  the  capital  and  efforts  of  the  Penn- 
pwfa"         sylvania   Central  of  which  it  is  the  main  feeder,  and   by  the  capital  and 

business  of  Philadelphia,  as  the  previous  named  roads  are  by  the  capital  of 
Competition  New  York  and  New  England.  They  are  competitors  with  the  Pennsylvania 
Tildx.  k'    interest,  in   drawing  business   to  Chicago,  in   order   that  they  may  obtain 

their  due  share  of  traffic,  the  natural  course  of  which,  to  the  extent  that 

it  is  destined  for  the  East,  would  be  south  of  this.     And  this  road  is  a 

competitor  with  them  for  both  freight  and  passage  for  the  region  northwest 
Large  of  here.     Its  enormous  revenues  bespeak  at  once  its  importance,   and  the 

superiority  of  Chicago  as  the  gathering  point. 
Col.  cui.  &         The  Columbus,  Chicago  &  Indiana  Central  Railroad  Company. — A  close 
Baltimore  &  Competitor  with  the  Pennsylvania  Central  is  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio,  in  con- 
peti'tor.'^"™    nexion  with  the  Ohio  &  Indiana  Central  Ptoads,  which  has  had  its  connexion 

with  Chicago  by  lines  which  have  several  times  been  changed,  as  the 
Chi.  Tribune.  Tribune  describes  : — ■ 

Chi.  &  Gt.         The  Chicago  ^  Great  Eastern  Railroad. — This   is   the  most  westerly  of  the  roads 
^^''  radiating   to  the  southeast,  and  is   the  most  recent  of  the  trunk  lines  of  Chicago. 

It  was  formerly  known  as  the  Chicago  &  Cincinnati  Air  Line  Railroad,  and  entered 

the  city  over  the  Pittsburgh  &  Fort  Wayne  Railroad  from  Valparaiso,  forty  miles 
Present  distant.     It  now  has  its  own  track  the  entire  distance  from   Richmond,  Indiana,  to 

^ute,  224      Chicago,  224  miles,  running  parallel  with  and  just  west  of  the  city  limits  to  Kinzie 

street,  and  thence  using  the  track  of  the  C.  &  N.  W.  R.  R.,  to  the  depot  on  the  corner 

of  Kinzie  and  West  Water  streets.  The  company  propose,  eventually,  to  erect  a 
Richmond  fine  passenger  depot  in  Carroll  street.  At  Richmond  the  road  connects  with  the 
connections.  Cincinnati,  Eaton  &   Richmond   Railroad  for  Cincinnati,  to  which   place   it  is  the 

shortest  route  from  Chicago,  and  where  it  connects  with  main  lines  for  the  West 

and  South. 
Cous.ilidated      At    a  meeting  of  the  stockholders  on  January  15th,  it  was  voted  to  consolidate 
with  Col.  &    the  road  with  the  Columbus  &  Indiana  Central  Railroad,  which  runs  from  Columbus, 
Ind.  Cent.      Ohio,  to   Indianapolis,  Ind.,  t-^/a   Richmond,  the    terminus  of  the    Chicago    &    Great 

Eastern  Road,  and   has  a  branch  which   is  just  completed,  running   from   Union, 

Ohio,  through  Logansport  to  the  State  line  between  Indiana  and  Illinois. 
New  Co.  The  stockholders  of  the  Columbus  &  Indianapolis  Central  also  voted,  unanimously, 

on  the  17th  for  the  consolidation,  which  is   therefore  assured,  and  the  directors  of 

both   roads  will  meet  in  Columbus  on  the  12ih  of  February  to  elect  Directors  for 

the  new  company,  which  will  be  known  as  the 
l^d'c^^t'  *      ^''^   Columbus,  Chicago    ^  Indiana    Central   Railroad  Company,    the  name    of  the 

Chicago  &  Great  Eastern  Railroad  thus  passing  out  of  existence. 
Last  link  The  last  rail  in  the  Union  &  Logansport  Railroad  which  forms  a  part  of  the  new 

fSuialied.        line,  was  laid  on  the  16th  of  January,  making  the  connecting  line  for  another  and 

the  next  to  the  shortest  route  between  Chicago  and  New  York.     It  is  expected  that 

This  omitted      *  The  list  of  earnings  of  Chicago  roads,  p.  41,  did  not  contain  this  important  road,  the  reports  not  hav- 
1°,  l''^"" ''       ing  been  received.  Then,  forgetting  that  another  road  was  to  be  added,  the  page  was  stereotyped  without 
leaving  space  for  the  addition. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  3G3 

the  road  will  be  opened  for  passenger  travel  about,  the  last  of  February.     The  now  vis  miles. 
line  will   embrace   718  miles  of  track,  as  follows:  Chicago  and    Great  Eastern,  U24 
miles;  Indiana  Central,  88  miles;  I'eoria,  Logansporl  &  Burlington,   183  miles; 
Union    &    Logansport,    'J3  miles.     The    main  shops  of  the  new  company  will    be 
located  at  Logansport. 

The  officers  are:   13.    E.    Smith,  President;   W.  U.  Judson,  Assistant  President ;  Officers. 
J.  E.  Young,  Vice  President;  James  Alexander,  Treasurer;  0.  Moodie,  Secretary; 
J.  M.  Lunt,  General  Superintendenl  ;   C.  W.  Smith  General   Freight  Agent. 

It  is  the  intention  of  tlie  company  to  put  the  whole  property  in  perfect  order  at  A  through 
the  earliest    possible  moment,  and  to  largely    increase  the  equipments.     The  new ''"•-■  *°  *"*■ 
portion  of  the  line  is  being  thoroughly  ballasted,  and,  as  soon  as  completed  will  be    "'"^  ' 
open  as  a  through   line   between  Chicago  and  Pittsburgh,  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
Baltimore  and  Washington. 

The    Directors   are  now  in  the   city  for  the  purpose   of  taking  initiatory  steps  Thorough 
toward  putting  the  whole  of  their  long  line  of  road,  as  well  as  their  rolling  stock,  c'^ili''""- 
in  the  best  possible  repair.      It  is  their  intention,  also,  as  soon  as  it  is  practicable,  Depot  atChi. 
to  erect  depot  buildings  in  this  city,  of  a  character  tliat  shall  be  commensurate  with 
the  importance  of  the  line,  and  with  Chicago  as  one  of  its  terminal  points. 

This  liue  is  now  opened  through  and  sending  freight  and  passengers  inigjnfun 
large  amounts  directly  to  Pittsburgh,  and  will  be  almost  as  good  a  feeder  to  "P'^'^"*'**"- 
the  Pennsylvania  Central,  as  the  Pittsburgh  &  Ft.  Wayne. 

Although  this  Central   route  would  seem  to  belong  legitimately  to  the  Pa.  Ruper- 
Baltimore  &  Ohio,  yet  that  corporation  seems  to  have  lost  the  enterprise  for  &  ohio. 
which  it  was   formerly  distinguished,   and  the  Pennsylvania   Central  now 
eclipses  all  others  in  enterprise,  and  far-reaching  and  wide  spreading  plans. 
It  happens,  too,  that  from  Chicago  to   Pittsburgh  is   only  29  miles   further  oniy  29 
by  this  Columbus  route  than  by  Ft.  Wayne.     So  that  it  is  not  singular  that  t'opitt". 
the  energetic  Pennsylvania  corporation  should  have  secured  this   line  to  its 
interests  also.     If  Baltimore  is  to  avail  itself  of  its  advantages  and  obtain  Bait,  to  be 
its  part  of  the  trade  of  the  Great  Interior,  which  formerly  was  duly  appro- getic. 
eiated,  she  must   see  to  it   that  some  of  the  old  spirit  be  revived  in  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad. 

The  Louisville,  New  Albany  &  Chicago  Railroad,  not   having   had   the  Louis.,  New 

'  -^  .  .  .  Albany  & 

management  which  the  Michigan  Central  has  given  to  its  own  line,  nor  the  Chi. 
business  to  support  it,  is  in  trouble,  and  the  Neio  Albarii/  Commercial  says : —  :^'ew  Anany 

We  learn  that  the  plaintiffs,  Horner   et  al.,  in  the  recent  suit  against  the  Louis- Receiver 
ville,   New  Albany  &   Chicago   Railroad,  have,   in  accordance   with    the    decision  appointed, 
rendered  by  Judge  La  Rue,  nominated   as  Receiver  of  the  road,  William   Foster, 
Esq.,  the  present  Superintendent  of  the  Logansport  &  Peoria  railroad.     It  is  said 
that  Mr.  Foster's  appointment  will  not  be  opposed   by  the   defendants    in   the  suit, 
and  it  is  probable  that  he  will  be  confirmed  by  Judge  La  Rue  by  common  consent. 

It  is  understood,  we  learn,  that  in  the  eveut  of  his  appointment,  Mr.  Foster  will  Mr. Culver 
tender  the  Superintendency  of  the  road  to  A.  B.  Culver,  Esq.,  and  that  he  will  li'l't'Super- 
accept  it.  We  give  these  reports  without  vouching  for  their  truth.  We  are  inclined, 
however,  to  give  them  full  credit.  Both  Mr.  Foster  and  Mr.  Culver  formerly  occu- 
pied the  position  of  Superintendent  of  the  road;  both  are  gentlemen  of  large 
experience,  mature  judgment,  liberal  and  energetic  enterprise,  and  their  appoint- 
ment would  insure  the  inauguration  of  such  an  era  of  prosperity  to  the  road  as  it 
has  never  heretofore  enjoyed. 

This   completes   the   list  of  fifteen   trunk    lines,  enumerated  p.  36 ;  the  15  trunk 
Northwestern  having  four  of  them  besides  the  Galena,  and  the  Burlington  Jra'ted."""^* 


364 


2\^o   Equal  Converging  Point  of  Rail  and   Water. 


EArnings 
$49,816,419. 


Other roada 

estimated 

$10,183,580. 


18  ve.irs 
from  $27,418 
to  $60,000,- 
000. 


&  Quincy  two.  Adding  tlie  earnings  of  the  Pittsburgh  &  Ft.  Wayne, 
87.242.125.96  to  the  earnings  of  the  otherS,  p.  41,  makes  a  total  of  those 
which  have  their  centre  here,  $49,816,419.85.  Surely  it  is  moderate  to 
estimate  the  earnings  of  other  lines  and  branches  which  fairly  belong  to 
Chicago,  though  not  reckoned  in  our  reports,  $10,183,580,15,  making  a 
grand  total  of  $60,000,000. 

Is  it  not  more  like  magic  than  reality,  that  from  $27,418  of  earnings  in 
1849,  the  railways  should  in  1867  have  increased  over  $49,700,000  ?  in 
fact  over  $60,000,000  ?  To  exhibit  the  relative  increase  of  the  States  and 
sections  these  tables  are  prepared  : — 


Mileage  in 
different 


Railway  Mileage  in  the  several  States  from  1838  to  1868.* 


18^8  to  i8ti8.   ■ 

States  and 
Territories. 

1838 

1842 

1846 

1848 

1850 

1852 

1854 

1856 

1858 

1860 

1865 

1868 

12 

37 

64 
19 

112 

263 
92 

893 
68 

270 
1,019 

239 

981 
16 

324 

245 
465 
279 

1,035 

68 

412 

1,403 
205 
822 
39 
253 

822 

567 

471 

1,047 

68 

606 

2,249 

317 

1,113 

39 
326 

21 
954 
311 
598 
909 

21 
161 

96 
185 

359 
&43 
511 

1,144 
94 
506 

2,567 
375 

1,404 
44 
326 

429 
656 

629 
1,272 

107 

589 
2,641 

485 

1,799 

79 

326 

467 
656 
529 

107 
58;) 

2,675 
51U 

2,081 
123 
361 

472 
606 
556 

1,272 
107 
6(r3 

2,701 
559 

2,442 
136 
380 

509 
6.59 
597 

1,324 
152 
665 

2,956 
867 

3,967 
140 
487 
365 

1,379 
977 
989 

1,421 
402 
898 
867 

1,318 

38 

336 

452 

614 

8,393 
959 

2,196 

3,206 

1,045 
281 

1,001 
925 
112 
108 
307 

512 

667 

588 

Massachusetts 

Rhode  Island 

126 
50 
36 
325 
108 
562 
16 
181 

435 

50 
23S 
590 
186 
893 

16 
223 

626 
50 
238 
873 
186 
893 
16 
285 

1,400 
119 
637 

3,244 

911 

Penneylvania 

4,252 
160 

M^irylaiid  &  D.  C.  . 

626 

364 

125 

""l37 
57 

223 

87 

204 

323 

223 
87 
204 
576 

46 

806 
155 
204 
602 

23 
111 

75 

515 
248 
289 
643 
21 
132 

1,218 
534 
669 
983 

1.841 
638 
847 

1,165 

56 

454 

413 

541 

1,594 

789 
9U6 
1,297 
198 
531 
604 
887 

1,771 

889 
987 

1,40 ; 

401 
743 
872 

1,197 

88 

334 

306 

567 

2,900 
799 

2,125 

2,867 
922 

""679 
817 

1,494 
1,000 
1,007 
1,547 
639 

North  CaxoUna..... 
South   " 

Florida 

46 

46 

304 
222 
329 

850 

897 

1,326 
113 

40 

40 

40 

50 

79 

79 

198 

32 

241 

2,001 

4-14 

1,317 

788 

97 

249 
71 

267 
2,522 

600 
1,806 
2,135 

276 

""253 
144 

281 

205 

458 

2,651 

612 

1,994 

2,733 

647 

""379 
547 

333 

495 

22 

28 

84 

138 

28 
84 
238 
30 
22 

28 

274 

264 

86 

22 

78 
575 
342 
228 
110 

20 

94 

1,385 

430 

755 

412 
70 

6.34 

Ohio 

8,397 
1,462 

2  300 

Illinuis 

22 

3  224 

1,036 
419 

1,283 
984 

Miatiesota 

37 

494 

555 

Ciilitornia 

22 

22 

70 

382 
39 

3 

20 

19 

1 

Aggre^rate  inU.  8. 

1,843 

4,863 

4,828 

6,491 

8,588 

13,497 

17  ,.337 

22,fi25 

26,751 

30,592 

35,935 

38,821 

SonrceB  of         *  This  table  is  made  up  from  1838  to  1848  and  also  for  1865,  from  Appleton's  Eucyclopedia;  from  1-850 

information,  to  I860,  from  U.  S.  Census ;  and  for  1867  from  the  Railroad  Journal.     It  will  be  observed  there  is  a  differ- 

Incorrect-      enee  between  these  figures  and  those  p.  329  from  the  Railroad  Journal.    Not  only  so,  but  my  figures  are 

aos8.  carefully  quoted  from  the  U.  S.  Census  volume,  audit  will  be  seen  that  the  amounts  in  the  annual  columns, 

do  not  agree  with  the  summary  of  sections.     All  pains  possible  have  been  taken  to  quote  correctly,  but  I 

do  not  take  respoimiblllty  usually  to   correct  figures  quoted.    One  exception,  however,  is  in  the  column 

of  the  Railroad  Joitrnal  iihove  fur  1867,  which  is  footed  both  in  that  column  and  in  its  sectional  summary, 

38,821,81   miles.     But  if  the  mileage  of  the  different  States  be  correct,  the  amounts  above  are  correct, 

except  that  not  having  space  for  the  decimals,  they  are  left  off  the  columns  but  are  added    in  the 

amounta.    Corrections  corresponding  are  made  in  tables  following. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  CJiicaijo  Investments. 
Progress  of  Railioays  in  North    Interior  States,  and   in   U.  S.,  1850-1868. 


365 


North  Interior 

States. 

Mileage.* 

Cost  of  construction,  4c.* 

Per 
mile. 

1850 

1860 

1868 

1850 

1860 

1868 

575,27 

228,00 

842,00 

110,50 

20,00 

2,999,45 
2,125.90 

799  .3(1 
2,807,90 

922,61 

8,397,84 
2,300.05 

1,462,82 

3,224,19 

l,O36„')0 

419  50 

1,283,00 

98475 

494.00 

555,IK) 

$10,684,400 

3,:!80,533 

8.945,749 

1,440,507 

612,382 

$111,R96,.351 
70.295.1 18 
31,012.399 
104.944.5111 
33,555,606 

$149,540,950 
89,50(1,722 
45,04.'!. **70 
149,01  M  1.007 

44,008 

8^.838 

Michigan 

42.374 
40 -J  16 

40.if.(l  1.S2    .S9..523 

ll.'jril  1,1  Kill 
51, 191. 4.^)11 
55.754,1 0.-J 
22,500,00.1 
25,000,000 

20  S17 

679,77 
817,45 

19,494,&S3 
42,342,812 

39.9(10 

56.603 

49..595 

45.045 

Interior  States,  North 

1,275,77 

11,212,-38 

16,163,95 

$25,063,571 

$413,541,510 

$639,807,946   42,891 

Miles  and 
cost  of  rail- 
w:iys  in 
Noi  th  Inte- 
ri'ir  St.ite.<, 


Section. 

Mileage.* 

Cost   of  Construction.* 

Per. 

1850. 

1860. 

1868, 

1850. 

1860. 

1868. 

mile. 

6  New  Eng.  States.. 
6  Mid.  East.  States.. 
5  South.  At.  States.. 
4  Gulf  Stato? 

2,507,48 
2,723.90 
1,717,-37 

287,00 

78.21 

1,275,77 

3,669  39 
6,321.22 
5,454.27 
2,256.21 
1.806.35 
11,212.38 
73.85 

3,925.71 
9,5.19.73 
5,489.27 
2,.576.90 
2,074.25 
15,163.95 
432  00 

$  97,2.54,201 

130,3.50,170 

86,875,456 

5.286,209 

1,830,541 

25,063,571 

$  148,366,514 
829,528.231 
141.739,629 
64,943,746 
49.761,199 
413..541,510 
3,680,000 

$  166,435,366 
526,11.3,091 
140,453.949 
82,.363,666 
75.696,791 
639.807,940 
29,590,009 

^2.367 
55,033 
25.5S9 
38,477 

3  Int.  States,  South 
10  Int.  States,  North 

33,477 
43.336 
68,495 

Total  U.  S 

8,589.79 

30,793.67 

39,421.81 

$296,660,148 

$1,151,560,829 

$1,660,460,809 

$42,797 

Miles  and 
cost  of  rail- 
ways in  U. 
S  ,  1860,   '60. 
'68. 


*  For  1850  and  1860,  the  figures  are  taken  from  U.  S.  Census  ;  for  1868,  from  the  Railroad  Journal. 


These  fiijures  are  very  instructive  notwithstaniiing  they  may  bo  imperfect. 
No  doubt  the  war  has  much  retarded  railway  building  in  every  section,  yet 
no  where  more  than  in  the  We.st.  Oar  railroad  building  has  not  been  done 
by  us,  having  very  little  capital  therefor;  and  such  operations  on  the  part  of 
non-residents,  the  war  would  greatly  retard,  except  tho.se  needed  for  war 
purposes.  Consequently  the  seven  years  of  the  present  decade  show  an 
increase  of  expenditure  in  the  North  Interior  of  only  8226,266,436,  against 
ao  increase  of  8388,477,939  the  previous  decade ;  and  previous  to  1850  the 
total  expenditure  was  only  825,063,571.  Because  of  this  retarding  of  con- 
struction, it  must  and  will  advance  with  greater  rapidity  in  future. 

Another  favorable  feature  pertaining  to  lines  not  further  west  than 
Missouri  and  Iowa,  is  their  less  cost  of  construction.  The  above  figures  of 
cost  include  incomplete  mileage,  though  the  divisor  of  miles  is  the  com- 
pleted mileage,  and  the  Railroad  Journal  gives  another  total  allowing  for 
incompletions,  and  showing  the  cost  per  mile  in  New  York,  854,646 ;  in 
Pennsylvania,  $50,029 ;  in  Indiana,  834,954  ;  in  Illinois,  841,595;  Wis- 
consin, $37,551 ;  Minnesota,  826,817  ;  Iowa,  835,910;  Nebraska,  845,045  ; 
Missouri,  $53,773 ;  and  Kansas,  836,676.  These  are  the  States,  especially 
the  last  six,  wherein  railway  building  is  to  be  chiefly  prosecuted  for  the  next 
ten  years  ;  and  within  that  time  the  supply  will  equal  the  rest  of  the  North 
Interior.  In  Indiana  and  Illinois,  the  work  is  mainly  to  fill  in  branches  to 
existing  trunks ;  though  a  few  trunk  lines  will  be  made  as  intimated  p.  283. 


Instructive 
tables. 


Railway 
buililing  re 
tiirded  by 
war. 


More  rapid 
hereafter. 


Less  cost  of 

western 

roads. 


Cost  in  sev- 
eral State.i. 


Most  build- 
ing in  the 
West. 


Branches    in 
Ind.  and  111. 


366  Ko  Equal  Converging  Point  of  Rail  and   Water. 

Concentrate  These  branches,  as  with  the  Jacksonville  branch  of  the  Alton  and  St.  Louis 
»tcui.         road,  (see  pp.  95  and  360,)  will  aid  no  less   effectively  than  the   trunks  to 

concentrate  business  at  Chicago. 
New  trunk        \^  other  States,  however,   trunk   lines  are  to  be  supplied   which  will  be 

lines. 

done  with  more  rapidity  than  has  ever  been    witnessed  ;  and  branches  will 
multiply  along  with   them.     Not  only  shall  we   have   the   same  influences 
operating  from  the  East  in  favor  of  railway  extension,  which  have  produced 
Consoidating  the  existing  marvelous  system ;  but  the  consolidation  of   eastern  roads  into 
^3 Them?***  long  lines  will  go  on  more  and  more,  supplying  unlimited  capital  and  credit 
to  extend  and  strengthen  their   relations.     From  this  centre  at  the   head  of 
Portland  to   lake  navigation,  they  are    wide-spreading  on  the    ocean   from   Portland   to 
Baltimore,  and  soon  to  Norfolk  ;  every  one    of  the    Atlantic  cities,  as  here- 
tofore shown,  having  more  interest  in  multiplying  facilities  of  intercourse  with 
Southern      Chicago,  than  with  any  other  business  centre.     Philadelphia,  Baltimore  and 
u  directly     Norfolk,    it    is  true,    could    best   serve   their  pui-poses  by  preventing  trade 
^^  '  south  and  southwest  from  coming  to   the  lakes.     This  they  in  vain    have 

essayed  to  do,  and  find  their  best  interest  in  yielding  to  the  natural  current. 
Traffic  seeks  As  has  been  abundantly  substantiated,  the  grain  and  pork  and  cattle  trade 
has  a  natural  lake-ward  tendency,  which  will  operate  with  increasing  power, 
so  that  less  and  less  of  it  will  be  drawn  eastwardly  without  coming  to  Chi- 
Wiii  find  its  cago.     If  tliis  Grreat  Interior  has  its  natural  centre,  as  seems  to  have  been 

centre. 

pretty  well  proved,  its  traffic  will   more  and  more   there  concentrate  ;  for 

buyers  will  go  to  the  chief  market  to  purchase,   and  sellers   will   go  where 

Southern      they  Can  have  most  competition  in  buying.     So  that,  as  heretofore  shown,  even 

CI  les  o  e     ggjj|3Qj^j.(j  citics  south  of  here  are  to  derive  far  more  benefit  from  traffic  with 

Rivalry  of     Chicago  than  from  any  other  one  point.     And  this  one  obiect  to  reach  Cht- 

cities  to  ",,  ..,,  ,»,...  ,,.!•« 

r<5ach  Chi.  cago,  IS  already  creating  rivalry  between  the  Atlantic  cities  and  their  chiei 
railways  to  the  West,  in  absorbing  the  short  lines,  and  constructing  some 
links  to  make  new,  continuous  lines  hither.  Nor  has  the  West  any 
more  direct  interest  in  the  success  of  these  efforts   than   have  those    cities 

Competition  thcmselvcs.     Herein  lies  the  safety  of  the  Grreat  Interior  and  of  its   empo- 

"^  "^  *^  ^"    rium.     The  lines  of  railway  to  one  Atlantic  city  may  possibly  come   under 

one  directory,  as  attempted  by  that  wonderful  genius  of   great  enterprises, 

Cities  must  Mr.  Vandcrbilt.     But  the  rival  cities  are  not  to  be  consolidated.     Nor  can 

euiwltion."""  any  one  of  them  favor  any  such  schemes  as  Mr.  Vanderbilt's.  The  interest  of 
each  city  is  identical  with  that  of  the  West,  to  create  the  greatest  number  of 

All  must      lines  into  the  whole  producing  area.     To  the  extent  that  the  traffic  of  the 

tr&—  Great  Interior  needs  to  seek  a  centre,  with  that  centre   they  need  to  have 

the  greatest  possible  facilities  of  intercourse ;    and   for  what  can   be   taken 

—yet  trade   direct  from  the  producer   to  the   consumer,   on   the  seaboard  or  in  foreign 

to  go  by  '  ~ 

cheiipest  lands,  not  only  the  producer  and  the  Atlantic  city  want  it  to  be  carried  at 
P^'.^^perityofthe  least  possible  cost,  but  Chicago  also.  The  prosperity  of  Chicago,  then, 
upon  whole  is  closely  identified  with  and  is  based  upon  that  of  the  whole  country.     Need 

country.  v  i 

we  a  more  solid  ground-work  ? 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  367 


is  not  long  since  Baltimore  and  its  chief  corporation,  the  Balti-  Rait,  una 
hio  Railroad ;  and    Philadelphia  and   its   chief  corporation,  the  immi  to 


The  time 
more  and  Oh 

-r->  1  •      n  111  1       ■   1       II     1     •  ■    1  1  •    'l'"iiw  trade 

Fennsylvaaui  Central,  labored  with  all  tlieir  niiujht  to  counteract  the  centri- directly  eaHt. 

petal  forces   of  commerce  in  the    West,  to  draw  to  themselves  directly  the 

rich  traffic  of  the  Great    Interior;    to   control   which   created   beyond   any 

doubt  the  great  commercial  city  of  the  Atlantic.     It  was  a  prize  worthy  of  the  P"'-"  worthy 

mighty  efforts  which  those  cities  and  corporations  have  put  forth,  and  which 

have  been  the  chief  promoters  of  the  many  east  and   west  lines   stretching 

across  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois.     But  every  degree  of  longitude  west,  the  Lake-w.vd 

lake-ward  draft  increases  in  force,  so  that  in  Illinois  the  east  and  west  lines 

feed  more  into  Chicago  than  any  other  city. 

But  the  intelligent,  sagacious,  active  business  men  of  the  eastern   cities,  interior 
are  evidently  coming  to  apprehend  the  important  truth,  that  the  Great  In- us'centre. 
terior  has  and  must  have  a  centre  of  its  own  ;  and  that  Atlantic   port  which  E.ist.  rivalry 

„.,,,  ,,  „.,..  „.  -11  '"  reach  it. 

can  furnish  the  best  and  cheapest  facilities  of  intercourse  with  that  centre 

has  a  large  advantage.     As  to  Philadelphia  and  the    Pennsylvania  Central,  Pa.  Cent.  & 

no  fact  is  more  significant  of  their  views  than  the  consolidation  of  that  im- wayiiecon-' 

portant  road    with  the  Pittsburgh  and  Ft.  Wayne.     The   whole  subject  is 

fairly  presented,  at  once  motives,  means   and  results,  by  the    United    Stateif  ^-^ ,^  R-<^ 

Railroad   and    Mining   Register,  for   May  'iOth,  for   which    space  must  be 

taken  to  quote  entire  : — 

The  railroad  situation  ia  the  United  States  is  made  reassuring  to  investers  at  the  Railway 
same  time  that  it  is  made  intelligible  to  the    interlrading    public.     The   insolvency,  ^-^'*'™*°*'® 
in  one  place,  of  a  railroad  corporation  whose  line  failed  to  command  traffic  sufficient 
to  yield  profit  equal  to    interest  on    cost    of    construction,  and  the  duplication  of 
a  road  at  another  place,  at  enormous  cost,  on  a  route  parallel  to    an    existing   line  Mean.? of 
capable  of  moving  all  the  buisness  ottered,  has  had  the  wholesome  efi'ect  of  causing  correction, 
railroad  managers,  whose  works  are  necessities  to  the  public  and  sources  of  income 
to  their  owners,  to  turn  their  experience  and  judgment  to  practical  account  for  the 
security  of  their  constituents,  and  also  for  the  vindication  of  the  system    of    trans-  Great  capital 
portation  by  rail,  which  they  administer,  and  in  which  is  invested  capital  next  in 
amount  to  the  national  debt. 

Of  the  great  roads  in  America,  first  and  foremost,  among  the  Atlantic  trunk  lines,  Pa.  road 
is  the   Pennsylvania  Railroad  ;    and  first  and  foremost  among  Western  lines  is  the  ^^^^ '"  East- 
Pittsburgh,  Ft.  Wayne  and  Chicago  Railway.     The  Pennsylvania  Railroad, '854  9-10 —Pitts.  & 
miles  long,  covers  the  ground   between  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburgh,  reaching  from  ? '•  ^.^ '_'-j "® 
tidal  docks  to  the  Ohio  River.     The    PittstDurgh,    Ft.    Wayne   &    Chicago    Railwny, 
468  3-10  miles  long,  covers  the  ground  between  Pittsburgh  and  Chicago.      Together 
these  two  roads  823  2-10  miles  long,  make  the  shortest  and  best  route  between  Chicago  and^-'^  miles, 
the  seaports,  for  the  combinations  of  the   Pennsylvania  Railroad   Company  include  rJ,','Jtp7o  sca- 
the Northern  Central  Railway  of  Baltimore  and  the  Camden  &  Amboy  Railroad  to  board. 
Jersey  City. 

From  Chicago  OTa   Pittsburgh,    Harrisburgh,    West   Philadephia  and    Trenton  to  900  miles  to 
New  York,  the  distance  is  900  miles,  whereas  from    Chicago  via  Toledo,   Cleveland,  N.  Y. 
Erie  City  and  Dunkirk  to  New  York  the  distance  is  950  miles,  or  fifty  miles  more  ! 

From  Chicago  via  Harrisburgh  to  Baltimore  the  distance  is  only  four  miles  greater  To  Baltimore 
than  will  be  the  distance  over  tlie  Connellsvillc  route,  when  the  latter  shall  have  ""^^  ^i^Jj'*"* 
been  completed — a  small  item  in  mileage,  which  is  more  than  oflfsetbythe  superior  connelUville 
character  and  larger  capacity  of  the  Harrisburgh  route. 

At  Pittsburgh,  by  a  contract  with  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  the  Pitts-  Firstdasa 
burgh.  Ft.  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railway  Company  puts  itself  in  communication  with  roads  to  N. 
Philadelphia,  New  York  and  Baltimore,  over  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  the    Cam-  ^"  ^n^Balt. 
den  &  Amboy  Railroad,  and  the   Northern  Central  Railway — all  works  of  the  first 
class,  in   excellent   condition,  operated  in  unity  and  reciprocity,  with   efficiency, 
dilligence  and  success. 


3(3S  No  Equal  Converging  Point  of  Rail  and   Water 

Benefit  of  To  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  in  which  interest  ig  incladedthe  North- 
combining  ern  Central  Railway  to  Baltimore,  and  also  the  Pittsburgh,  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis 
tiiis  inii-iest  i^.j^jroad,  19-  miles  long,  from  Pittsburgh  to  Columbus,  the  alliance  with  the  Pitts- 
A  n  Wavue  burgh,  Ft.  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railway  assures  peaceful  and  profitable  communication 
with  Chicago,  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  in  fact  with  the  whole  Western  country  acces- 
Avoids  injii-sible  from  Pittsburgh,  over  diverging  roads  according  to  a  scale  and  plan  adjusted 
rious  coiiip«;-  to  o-eoo-raphical  distribution  and  the  avoidance  of  illegitimate  competition.  And 
''''"°-  considering  that  St.  Louis  is  three  degrees  fifteen  minutes  due    South  of  Chicago, 

whereas  Washington  is  only  one  degree  forty-nine  minutes   south  of    New    York — 
the  railroad  distance  from  New   York  to   Washington   being  226  miles,  whilst  from 
St.  U  and      Chicao-o  to  St.  Louis  it  is  280  miles,  54  miles  more — it  follows  that  a  direct  route  from 
Chi.  'on  dif-  Pittsburgh  to  St.  Louis  traverses  a  different  base  from   a  direct  route  from    Pitts- 
ferent  l*^'^- |jur(,{j  ^q  Chicago;  and  that,  consequently,  there  is  no  valid  reason  for  antagonism 
between  two  lines  so  divergent  westward.     Hence  the  case  is  one  which   is    recon- 
cilable, where  the  parties  are  animated  by  a  common  purpose  to  promote  joint  cor- 
poration objects  and  interests. 
Chi  termi-         Chicago  and  San  Francisco  will  be  the  practical  termini   of   the   Union   Pacific 
nus  of  Union  Railroad  ;  and  at  Chicago  rather  thauat  Omaha  the  seaports  will  compete  for  Union 
Pacific  R.  K.  Pacific  Railroad  traffic.      In    combination   with  the    Pennsylvania  Railroad  and  its 
Pitts.,  Ft.       allies,  the  Pittsburgh,  Ft.  Wayne  &  Chicago    Railway  will  be  a  power  in    Chicago, 
Wayne  &       because  from  Chicago  it  is  a  long  part  of  the  best  route  to  Philadelphia,  New  York 
Chi. a  power.        ,  n   ii- 

"  and  Baltimore. 

St  L  termi-  ^^'^  '^^  '^'-  Louis,  in  like  manner,  will  be  the  practical  eastern  terminus  of  the 
nus  of  Kau.  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad,  the  Pan  Handle  line  will  be  part  of  the  best  route  from 
Pacific.  tijg  Eastern  Division  Pacific  Railroad  to  the  same  three  seaport  cities. 

B  n  fit  of  Moreover,  with  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  and  the  Pittsburgh,  Ft.  Wayne  &  Chi- 

uuiting  Pa.  cago  Railway  made  a  unit  by  compact,  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  can  the 
Cent,  and  sooner  carry  its  plan  for  putting  the  Philadelphia  &  Erie  Road  in  connection  with 
Wayne  ^^^  Western  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  thereby  to  open  and  operate  a    cheap    freight 

railway  line  from  the  Ohio  to  the  Susquehanna  and  through  to  tidewater.     With  the 
Accommo-     Juniata  route  for  passengers,  fast  freights,  etc.,  and  the  West.  Branch  for  cheap  and 
date  wiiole     beavy  freights,  the  two  parties  to  the  combination  will  both  be  in  unrivalled  con- 
«>un  ry.        (jitjon  to  handle  traffic  and  command  travel  between  the  East  and  the  West — between 
New  York,  Philadelphia  and    Baltimore  on  one  side,    and   Chicago,   St.    Louis  and 
San  Francisco  on  the  other  side. 
N  Y.  route.      The  negotiations,  as  reported,  stipulate  that  the  through  business,  for  New  York 
account,  shall  be  carried  via  (West)   Philadelphia,    thereby    including  iu  the  pro- 
gramme the  whole  mileage  of  the  lines  in   interest;    this  route  is  only  nine  miles 
All«ntown     longer  than  the  Allentown  route — a  consideration  of  no  moment  in  a  joint  mileage 
bad  ijecause  of  909  Qjjigg — especially  when  Considered  in  oil'set  to    the  fact  that  the   Allentown 
Camden  &     route  evades  the  Camden  &  Amboy   Railroad,  88  miles,  and  also   103   miles  of  the 
Amboy !        Pennsylvania   Railroad.      This   stipulation  will    doubtless  stimulate  the    work    of 
reducing  the  curvature  and  adding  more  straight  line  to  the  old  State  road  between 
llaverford  and   Downingtown — an  improvement  long  contemplated    and    greatly 
needed. 
Terms  of  '^^^^  joint  roads  of  the  respective  parties  in  the  negotiation,  it  is  said,  are  made  a 

union.  through  route  to  the  exclusive  use  of  which,  between  certain  points  or  areas,  both 

are  bouml,  whilst,  too,  both  are  pledged  against  granting  material  aid  to  rival  lines 
or  interests,  within  limitations  set  forth ;   and  to  insure  equitable  results  to  the  con- 
tracting companies  a  commission  or  bureau  is  created,  composed  of  representatives 
appointed  by  the  respective  parties,  with  a  remedy  for  final  adjudication  in  case  of 
Alliance  of-   misunderstanding  or  dispute.     The  contract,    in   short,    as  may  be   supposed,  is  in 
fensiveand    etfect  an  alliance,  offensive  and  defensive,  entered   into  to  protect  the   investments 
0  enmve.      of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  and  the  Pittsburgh,   Ft.  Wayne   &   Chicago 
Railway  Company,  made  and  to  be  made,  and  also  to  increase    the   business  and 
income  of  the  two  roads  considered  as  one  for  through  transactions,  within  judicious 
Vjoundaries. 
One  party  The  single  consideration  that  one  party  is  owner  of  the  shortest  and  best  road  to 

liaa  PiiiB.—  Piushuri/h,  and  the  other  party  owner  of  the  shortest  and  best  route  to  Chicago, 
—the  other  makes  the  two  roads  jointly  the  shortest  between  Philadelphia  and  Chicago,  and 
Cii-  causes  a  common  interest  to  prevade  the  entire  mileage  from  end  to  end. 

A  unit  of  Looked  at  as  an  unit,  under  a  contract  grounded  in  mutual  appreciation  and  good 

g.wd  f.-eiinj;.  feel i rig,  and  founded  in  a  reciprocated  desire  and  determination  to  do  justice  and 
Iron  way  8:a  lasting  good  service  to  the  parties  to  it — what  a  magnificent  iron  way  looms  in  the 
miles.  vista,  in  direct  course  823  miles,  hence  to  Chicago  ?     Stand  at  Chicago  and  look  sea- 

ward through  Pittsburgh,  to  the  three  great  cities  on  tidewater.     Remember  that, 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of   Chicaqo   Investments.  369 

henceforward,  the  Pittsburgh,  Ft.  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railway  is  in  alliance  reaching  a  view  from 
to  three  seaports,  in  a  wny  which  will  allow  its  owners  to  expaml    its    capacity  be- '^'"'• 
tween  its  termini,  with  faces  turned    "Westward,"    whither    "tlie    course    ot  em- 
pire takes  its  way,"'  leaving  an  ally  in  the  rear,  operating  a  trunk  line    from    Pitts- 
burgh to  tidewater,  with  roots  spreading   to  and  into  three  cities,  on  three  open  and 
free  ways  to  the  sea. 

Stand  at  Philadelphia,  remembering,  meanwhile,  that  on   your  right  hand  is  the  A  Pliil.viow. 
New  York  and  the  Camden  and  Amboy  Railroad  ;  on  your  left  hami    Baltimore  and 
the  Northern  Central  Railway  ;  contemplate  Pittsburgh  as  the  technical  terminus  of  At  Pitts.    2 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  at  the  head  of   Ohio  river    navigation  and  the    starting  ^^j''^'j^i^''  ^' 
point  of  two  friendly   roads   reaching   out    West,  and    spreading  wider  and    wider 
apart— St.  Louis  the  final  goal  of  one — Cliicago  the    actual  goal  of  the  other;    im- 
magine  the  length  and  breadth  of  the    Mississippi  valley  ;  see   it    as  a   checkered 
expanse  of  populous  and  potential  States;  conceive  it  as  the  seat  of  future  empire.  Points  worth 
ruling  the  destinies  of  the  continent ;  turn  back  through    the    short   span   of  time  """■f '^o""''!- 
which  has  developed  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad;  note    the   growth  of  that  work  ;  jhey'"wii'l^'"* 
then  turn  forward  to  the  anticipation  of  events  of  years    to  come;    in  their   fore- have, 
shadowed  results  see  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  then  as  now  the  great  highway  of 
the  nation,  its  operations  expanded,  its  totals  multiplied,  its  domination  as  the  par- 
amount Atlantic  trunk  line  a  demonstration  and  confession. 

All  honor  to  railroad  ofiicials  of  comprehensive  minds  who  make   peace  for  uni-  Benefits  of 
versal  good  to  the  transportation  of  interest;   who  make  strength  for  mutual  benefit  ^;"isolidi^ 
by  wisely  joining  hands  and  influence  together.     The    general  railroad   interest  of 
the  country  is  commended  more  and  more  to  the  popular    confidence    by   compacts 
akin  to  that  which  has  welded  into  one  line  two   great    roads,  with  a  single  policy 
for  through  transactions,  between  the  seaboard  and  interior  cities  of  the  State. 

Consolidation   of  the   Pittsburgh  &   Ft.   Wayne  with   the   Pennsylvania  More  evi- 
Central,  is  not  the  only  evidence  of  appreciation  of  Chicago.     Control  of  the  pa.  aj'pi  e- 
late  Great  Eastern,  Pennsylvania  has  also  deemed  important;  though  Chi- *^'*  *^ 
cago  self-conceit  is  not  sufficiently  blinding  to    prevent  our  seeing  that  this 
point  is  less  the  aim  in  that  enterprise,  than   is  the  direct  connexion  from 
Logansport  through  to  Omaha.     Still,  we  cannot  but  accord  them  the  sin- 
cerity claimed   for  ourselves  in  the  belief  that  "at  Chicago  rather  than  atchi.  not 
Omaha  the  seaports  will  compete  for  Union  Pacific  Railroad  traffic."     But  miuution  of 
if  "St.  Louis,  in  like  manner,  will  be  the  practical  eastern  terminus  of  the 
Kansas  Pacific  Railroad ;"  Omaha  will  as  certainly  be  of  the  central  route. 
It  is  at  all  events  a  sagacious  move  of  that  energetic  corporation  to  secure 
the  two  strings  to  its  bow  ;  for  Chicago  will  either  be  the  practical  terminus  Weii  toiiave 
of  all  the  three  projected  Pacific  roads,  or  she  will  be  of  none.     One  w ould  to  one^8"buv/. 
imagine  that  far  more  than  our  own  produce,  Asiatic  trade,  especially  for 
the  Grreat  Interior  which  is  to  have  unequaled  distributing  facilities,  would  Asiatic;  tra.ie 
seek  a  centre  for  distribution.     Should  it  lack  usual  centripetal  force,  how- trate.'^""''''"' 
ever,  then  the  northern  trade  will  doubtless   concentrate  at  St.    Paul,   the  EfTect  oi 
central  at  Omaha,  and  the  New  Mexican  at  the  Rig  Bend  of  the  Missouri  or 
at  St.  Louis.     At  all  events,  this  energetic,  ambitious  corporation,  next  to 
absorbing  the  late  Great  Eastern,  never  did  a  wiser  thing  than  to  unite  its  2  wise  acts  of 
interests  indissolubly  with  a  railway  like  the   Ft.  Wayne,  the  revenues  of 
which  have  risen  from  81,600,000  in  1857,  to  88,400,000  in  1865,  for  the 
temporary  diminution  of  which  good  reasons  are  given  in  the  reports.     The 
able  President,  Mr.  Cass,  remarks  in  his  last  report : —  Mr  Cass' 

Jieprrrt. 

The  marked  characteristic  in  railway  policy  the  past  year  has  been  to  the  aggre-  TeiKieuoy  of 
gation   of   capital    and    roads,    and   this   policy  is   likely   to   continue   through    the  ^'''^^'''''M'' ''^ 
current  year.     Within  certain  limits  the  policy  is  well  enough  both  for  the  interest  tion 
24 


370  No  Equal  Converr/ing    Point  of  Rail  and   Water. 

Policy  good  of  shareholders  to  secure  permanent  income,  and  for  the  public  to  bring  the  lead- 
souietiuies.    j^g.  dyenues  under  such  a  unit  of  management  that  they  can  be  worked  with  greater 

ethciency  and  economy,  and  thereby  better  serve  the  purposes  of  the  public.  The 
Objections,     objectionable  feature  to  this  aggregation  is  the  rapidity  with  which  the  controlling 

interest  in   these   great  corporations   change   ownership,    without   consulting   the 

wishes  or  interest  of  minority  holders,  and  sometimes  without  any  considerations 
Avoided  ex-  Qf  public  policy.  Your  Board  of  Directors  have  avoided  all  such  alliances  and 
ceptouce.      combinations,  excepting  in  the  case  of  the  St.  Louis,  Alton  and  Terre  Haute  Road, 

heretofore   noticed,    and    which    cannot    be   regarded   as    of    the    character    just 

described. 
Chip  of  old      A  true  "chip  of  the  old  block,"  overflowing  with  generous  zeal  to  pro- 
'''"'■''■  tect  railroads  on  all  sides   from  the  rapacity  and  selfishness  which  these 

Disinterpst-  corporations  are  so  apt  to  manifest,  Mr.  Cass  had  already  explained   the 

disinterestedness  of  the   Pittsburgh  &   Ft.  Wayne   arrangement  with   the 

Mr.  rags'      St.  L.,  A.  &  T.  H.  road  in  the  same  report : — 

Reason  for  The  object  of  your  Board  of  Directors  in  entering  into  the  arrangement  for 
arnin^'iiig  operating  the  St.  Louis,  Alton  and  Terre  Haute  Railroad  was  to  harmonize  all 
^'dVir''"^"  interests  east  of  Indianapolis  in  the  working  of  the  single  line  of  roads  from 
road.  Indianapolis  to  St.  Louis,  in  such  a  way  as  to  give  to  the   several  roads   and  lines 

east  of  Indianapolis  their  several    fair  and   equitable  proportions   of  the  business 
east  from  St.  Louis  by  this  route,  and  at  the  same  time  remove  all  temptation  from 
the  parties  in  an  etfort,  each  for  itself,  to   get  an  exclusive  contract  of  the   single 
Oilier  roads   Railway  line  west  of  Indianapolis.     For  nearly  a  year  previous  to  the  consumma- 
selfish.  tion  of  the  arrangement  each  of  the  lines  of  road  north   and  south  of  your    road 

had  been  engaged  in  etforts  to  obtain  exclusive    control  west  of  Indianapolis,  the 
Would  cut     etfect  of  which,  if  accomplished,  would  have  been  to  cut  this  Company  off  from  all 
oiT  Pitts.,  Ft.  St.  Louis  business  excepting  by  the  way  of  Chicago.     When,  therefore,    the  plan 
g^,'J-^'"''j^         was  suggested  to  your  Board  of  Directors  to  join  with  all  the  other  interests  in  an 
for  common  arrangement  for  working  the  line  between  Indianapolis  and  St.  Louis  for  the  corn- 
benefit,         mon  benefit  on  an  equitable  basis,  it  seemed  so  eminently  to  the  interests   of  this 
Company,  as  well  as  to   all,  that  they  did  not  hesitate  to  commit  this  Company  to 
the  plan.     Unfortunately  before  the  final  signing  of  the   papers,  and  the    formal 
taking    possession  of  the  property,  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  withdrew 
from  the  arrangements  for  reasons  which  the  other  parties  were  not,  aud  have  not 
yet  been,  able  to  appreciate,  and  consequently  they  were  unwilling  to  adopt  them, 
and  thus  break  the  pledge  entered  into  by  them  with  the  St.  Louis,  Alton  and  Terre 
Haute  Railroad   Company.     It  is  hoped,  as  it   is  very  desirable,  that   the   Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad  Company  will  yet  join  in  the  arrangement,  and  thus  harmonize  all 
interests,  as  was  originally  designed. 

Pa. Cent.  Probably  the  continued  stupidity  "of  the  lines  of  road  north  and  south" 

edness  not  preventing  them  still  from  appreciating  the  disinterestedness  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Central,  is  doubtless  the  reason  why  that  paternal  road  takes  its 
worthy  off-shoot,  the  P.  &  Ft.  W.,  into  consolidated  union.  At  this  rate, 
N.T.rciiev'd  before  New  York  is  aware,  she  will  find  herself  relieved  of  all  anxiety 
o  anxie  y.  ^q^^  wcstem  railways,  for  the  Pennsylvania  Central  and  the  Ft.  Wayne 
p.i.  Cent. and  will  liave   taken  them  all   into   their  ZioZy  keeping:.     Mr.  Cass  had  frankly 

Ft.  Wavne  ....  J  if     o  J 

take  care  ofsaid  in  his  report  for  1866  : — 

aU.  .         ^ 

Jtaiirond  re-      To  provide  for  the  future  wants  of  this  very  important  line  of  road  which  you 

Bpousibility.  Q^n,  and  to  meet  the  just  demands  which  will  be  made  on  you  for  transportation, 
by  the  people  of  the  several  States  from  which  you  obtained  your  corporate  exist- 
ence, is  a  question  which  has  ever  been  pressing,  and  to-day  as  important  as  ever. 

A  private       A  private  individual  or  firm,  and  corporations  of  certain  kinds,  may,  and  often  do  set 

individimi  bounds  to  their  business  and  their  desires  for  acquisition  ;  but  a  Railway  corpora- 
can  b«  linut-,.  •  !•  i.  1  ,  '  ,  „  .  .,,  ^  ■, 
ed—             tion  owning  a  line  oi  road  such  as  you  own,  cannot  say  "thus  far  it  will  go  and 

No  limit  for  no  further."     Neither  public  policy,  public   duty   or  private  rights  and   interests 

railways.        ^yjn  permit  you  to  stand  still  so  long  as  the  world  around  you  moves.  *         * 

Why  not  In  view   of  the  results  accomplished,   and  the  large  expenditures  made,  many 

'■'"".  shareholders    may    enquire:  why    not   wait  a  period  before    embarking  any   more 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  371 

capital  in  the  road  ?     Our  reply  to  ibis  question  is  that  unless  the  capabilities  of  the  Rr.a<l  must 
road  keep  pace  with  the  trade  and  coiiinierce  of  the  country,  and   it   is  fully  satis- i^e^l'  V^o. 
fied  as  to  rates  and  manner  of  conducting  it,  the  increasing  business  will  seek  other 
channels,  and  so  deepen  and  widen  tliem  as  even  to  draw  otl'  a  portion  of  the  present 
business  of  the  road,  and  also   bring  unhealthy  competition   and  non-remunerative 
prices  for  such  as  you  will  be  able  to  retain. 

Nor  is  New  York  without  another  equal   competitor  in  Baltimore.     That  Baltimore 
city  used  to  appreciate  the  trade   of  the  West,  and  made  commensurate  ""'npl'tltor 
efforts  to  obtain   her  share.     She  seems  hardly  to  have  recovered  yet  from  *'"' ^' ^' 
the  effects  of  the  war,  and   too  many  of  her  excellent  citizens  have  fully 
believed  that  the  country  would  never  be  what  it  has  been,  and  that  efforts  x,,,  ..m.-i^nt 
to  reinstate  the  old  status  of  mutual  confidence  and  prosperity  between  the  "^  '""'"'""'y- 
sections  was  idle  and  visionary.     As  they  witness  the  power  of  the  country 
applied  in   recuperation,  with  equal  potency  as  in   destruction  ;  they  will 
once    more   put  forth  endeavors  as    of    yore    to  obtain  their  part   of  the  wiii  renew 
trade  of  the  Great  Interior,  which  of  late  has  been  nep;lected   because  of  ''^''^^''- 
other  engrossments.     Straight  avenues  to  its  chief  gateway  will  surely  and  Have  routes 
speedily  be  secured.  ^'^    "' 

In  a  volume  of  pamphlets   I  happen  to    have  the  account  of  the   laying  Lnjing  foun- 
of  the   foundation   stone   of  the   Baltimore  &   Ohio    Railroad  by  the  last  Ba'i'^  &"o. 
surviving  signer  of  the  Declaration  of   Independence,  Charles  Carroll  of  '^"'*'''  ^^'^' 
Carrollton.     The  ceremony  was  performed    before    50,000  spectators  4th 
July,  1828,  and  Mr.  John  B.  Morris  said  in  his  address  on  the  part  of  the  ^'r-  Jifn'-rW 

■r-v         •  1  IT  n      1        /-^  atldress, 

president  and  directors  oi  the  Company  : — 

Fellow  Citizens :  The    occasion   which    has    assembled  us,    is    one  of  great   and  Occasion 
momentous  interest.     We  have  met  to  celebrate  the  laying  of  the  first  stone  of  the  '"'^-''■'•'^t- 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  and  if  there  be  anything  which  could  render  the  day 
we  have  chosen  more  interesting  in  our  eyes,  than  it  already  seems,  it  is  that  we 
now  commence  the  construction  of  a  work  which  is  to  raise  our  native  ciiy  to  tliat  Work  to  ad- 
rank   which  the  advantages  of  her  situation  and  the    enterprise  of  her   citizens  ^'''"'^'-' ^'''*" 
entitle  her  to  hold.     The  result  of  our  labors  will  be  felt,  not  only  by  ourselves, 
but    also  by  posterity,  not  only  by   Baltimore,  but  also  by    Maryland  and   by  the  Bcnofit    Md. 
United  States.     We  are  about  opening  tlie   channel  through  which   tlie  commerce  "°"' ^••^• 
of  the  mighty  country  beyond  the  Alleghany  must  seek  the  ocean — we  are  about 
aflording  facilities  of  intercourse   between    the   East  and    the    West,    which    will  Unite  East 
bind  the  one  more  closely  to  the  other,   beyond  the  power  of  an  increased  popu-  ""'^  ^Ve«t. 
lation  or  sectional  difl'erences    to    disunite.      We    are    in    fact  commencing  a   new 
era    in    our   history;   for    there    are  none  present    who  even  doubt  the  great  and 
beneficial  influence  which    the   intended    road  will   have   in   promoting    the    agri- 
culture,  manufactures   and    inland  commerce    of  our  country.     It  is  but  a   few  Benefits  of 
years    since   the  introduction    of     steam-boats    eflfected    powerful    changes,    and  steambo^its. 
made   those   neighbors,    who   were  before   far   distant   from    each    other.      Of   a 
similar    and  equally  important  efl'ect   will   be   the  Baltimore   and    Ohio    Railroad.  Railway 
While  the  one  will  have  stemmed  the  torrent  of  the  Mississippi,  the  other  will  have  ^l""'- 
surmounted  and  reduced  the  lieights  of  the  Alleghany  ;  and  those  obstacles,  before 
considered  insuperable,  will  have  ceased  to  be  so,  as  the  ingenuity  and  industry  of 
man  shall  have  been  exerted  to  overcome  them.  -x-  *  *  * 

This  day  fifty-two  years  since,  two  millions  of  people,  the  population  of  the  ClianKes  of 
provinces  of  Great  Britain,  proclaimed  themselves  independent  States,  and  com- ^"  J'**™- 
menced  the  task  of  self  government.     Our  native  city  was  then  an  inconsiderable 
village,  with  few  and  difficult  means  of  communication  with  the  interior,  and  with 
a  scanty  and  slowly  increasing  commerce.     The   inhabitants   of  these   States   now  In  1^28  pop. 
number  ten  millions  !   and  Baltimore  has  increased  in  her  full   proportion  of  popu- "''''|^"  ^^'" 
lation.     Wide   avenues   now  radiate   in   every  direction  through  the    surrounding      ' 
country — she  has  risen  to  the  rank  of  the  third  city  of  tlie  Union,  and  there  are 
but  few  sections  of  the  world  where  her  commercial  enterprise  has  not  made  her 


072  i\^o  Equal   Converging  Point  of  Rail  and   Water. 

Mr  Carroll,  known.  Fifty-two  years  since,  he,  who  is  this  day  to  lay  the  first  stone  of  the 
great  road,  was  one  among  a  band  of  fearless  and  noble  spirits  who  resolved  and 
declared  that  freedom  which  has  been  transmitted  unimpaired  to  us. 

N  Y.  no  Nor  will  New  York  be  a  laggard  in  the   contest  to  maintain  her  suprem- 

siuggard.      ^  What  she    lacks    in   railway    facilities    she    more    than   makes  good 

Combinea     in  Water.     Combination  of  the  two  being  indispensable  to  great  commercial 

water"'^        attainments;  and  her  wisdom  not  only  being  more  apparent,  day  by  day  and 

year  by  year,  in  creating  the  closest  possible  connections  with  the  lakes  and 

with  Chicago,  but  in  drawing  business  from   the    South  up   to   the  lakes ; 

what  shall  prevent  her  from  pursuing  the   same  wise  policy  which  has  un- 

Past  efforts   doubtedly  been  the  prime  cause  of  her  prosperity  ?     With  the  immense  out- 

with  the       lay  of  means  and  effort  hitherto  judiciously   bestowed  to   connect   herself 

with  and  to  develope  the  Grreat  Interior  ;    will  it  be  easy  or  natural  for  her 

to  stop  endeavors  now  that  the  magnitude  of  the    prize   for   which  she  has 

struggled  begins  to  be  developed.     Realizing   as  they  may   and  should  do 

better  than  anybody  else,  the  value  of  water  communication,  how  much  longer 

.Must  see  ira-  wiH  the  able  statesmen  of  both   State  and  city  be  blinded  to  the  advantages 

lakeim-       they  could  havc  by  cutting  a  canal  around   Niagara  Falls,  and   by   opening 

pruvemeuts  i  1  •  1  ^  o  o  r\ 

the  Lake  Simcoe  route  and  making  a  large  canal  tor  steam  tugs  from  Oswego 

to  the  Hudson  ?     Will  the  fear  of  a  little  loss  of  tolls  from  Buffalo  to  Syra- 

Riihv.ay  is    gygg  much  lon";er  prevent  this   national   work  ?     The  railway   interest  has 

absorbing.  or  j 

grown  upon  them  with  such  rapidity,  and  has  yielded  such  abundant  fruits, 
that  the  silently  moving  canal  boat  is  not  perceived  among  the  rushing,  clat- 
tering locomotives.     They  can  see  the  dangers  of  railway  consolidation,  but 
N.  Y.  Cham-  fail  to  cousider  the  perfect  antidote  in  improving  water  facilities.     A  com- 
m^.ixe  lueiiio-  mittee  of  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce  prepared  an  able  report 
lature.    °    agaiust  railroad  monopolies,  and  a  memorial  to  the  New    York    Legislature 
in  which  they  said  among  other  things  : — 

X.  Y.  has  AVhile  New  York  has  made  no  progress  in  extending  its  railway  connection  with 

done  noth-     ^j^g  West  since  the  consolidation  of  the  New  York   Central  road  in  1853,  excepting 
'"■  only  the  extension  of  the  Erie  by  the  Atlantic  &  Great  Western,  to    Cincinnati  and 

St.  Louis,  the  two  great  lines  from  Philadelphia  and   Baltimore  have  been  actively 
engaged  in  perfecting  a  great  system  of  roads  designed  to  cover  and  control  the 
whole  trade  of  the  West,  and  in  this  enterprise  they  have  been  backed  by  the  whole 
Pa.  Cent,  his  strength  of  tl)c  cities  which  they  are  expected  to    benefit.     The  Pennsylvania  Cen- 
Btoleumarch  fj.^j  is  extended  to  all  portions  of  the  West,   by   two  lines  run  exclusively  in  their 
interest — the  Pittsburgh,  Ft.  Wayne  &  Chicago,  with  a  branch  to  Cleveland,  and  the 
Pan- Handle,  both  of  wliicb  roads   reach    Chicago,  and    by    roads  which  they  have 
leased,  consolidated  with,  or  otherwise  Control,  reach  St.  Louis,  and  are  now  being 
extended  to    the    Mississippi    at    Keokuk ;    they    are    also    known  to   control    the 
southern  branch  of  the  Pacific  Road,  and  their  plans,  when  perfected,  will  complete 
a  network  of  feeders  covering  the  whole  region    between    the    Ohio  and  the  lakes, 
which  is  finally  designed  to  extend  to  the  Pacific. 
Bait.  &  0.  Tlie  Baltimore  &  Ohio  have  not  been  idle,  and  within  a  few  months  have  perfected 

not  idle.        connections  with  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  which  will  enable  them  to  transport  on  their 
own  terms  from  ami  to  all    the   principal    Western  points.     Both  the    Baltimore  & 
Extension  to  Ohio  and  the  Pennsylvania  Central  are  now  agitating  an  extension  to  Toledo,  which 
loledo.  jf  ciiTieJ  oi,t,^  \viU  tap  at  that  point  the  only  railway  on  which  New  York  now  relies 

K-iiiw.iy        to  maintain  its  trade  with  Chicago.     For  several   years    after    the    opening  of  the 
wiurwHter"   f'^''0"g^i  I'^'^s  to  Chicago  and  the    Mississippi,  which  were  first  formed  by  connect- 
ing many  short  and  independent  lines,  it  was  deemed   impossible   to  compete  with 


Past^    Present  and  Future  of  Cluavjo  Investments.  373 

the  lakes,  rivers  and  canals,  particularly  ia  the  transportation  of  grain,  flour    and 

heavy  freight,  the  great  obstacle  to  such    couipelition    arising    from  dilFerence  of 

gauges  and  necessity  of  frerjuent  transfer,  which  was  expensive    and    injurious  to 

the  articles  moved — the  gauges  of  the  Ohio  roads  ditfering  from  those  east  and  west 

of  them.      This  difficulty  has   now  been  completely    removed  by  the  use  of  what  is  Frei(;lit  cdrs 

called  compromise  cars,  and  cars  are  now  run  over  the    New    Yorli  Central,   Penn-  trauuffrrod. 

sylvania  Central  and  Baltimore  &  Ohio  road   without  change  from  the  seaboard  to 

the  Mississippi,  and  when  that  river  and  the  Missouri  shall  be  bridged,  will  be  run 

as  far  as  the  railway  system  extends. 

The  Erie  Railway  has  but  one  connection  of  the  broad  gauge  and  in  transporting  Erio  road  no 
to  Chicago,  and  all  parts  excepting  those    reached  by    it,    must   necessarily    break  <='""h-ciwi» 
bulk  over — a  difficulty  which  can  only  bo  removed  by  an  extension  of  their  gauge  to 
Chicago.     The  testimony  of    experienced    railway    managers   is  unanimous  that  in 
very  long  lines  where  through  cars  are  used,  where   there  is  no  immediate  transfer  Pisiidvan- 
aud  the  only  element  of  expense  is  that  of  mere  liaulage  and  wear  of  rail,  through  '''o»- 
freights  can  be  hauled  at  very  low  rates,  hardly  exceeding  by  the  amount  of  insui'- 
ance  the  cost  of  transportation  by  water,  while  the  advantage  to  the   owner  in  time 
saved  is  very  great.     The  managers  of  the  two  Southern  lines   seem  to  have  appre-  Pa,  &  Bait, 
ciated  this  fact  much  earlier  than  those  of  our    New  York  lines,  and  have  for  some  •''''"'*• 
time  quietly  nursed  the  policy  of  securing  ail    the    business   they  could  reach  at  a 
small  profit,  while  those  of  the  New  York  roads,  relying   on  a  continuance  of   the  N.  Y.  too 
trade  which  they  once   exclusively  enjoyed,    have    practically    aided    them    by    an '^"°*^'^^"'- 
attempt  to  establish  arbitrary  prices,   so   high,   as   in    fact,  to  be  prohibitory — an 
attempt  in  which  they  have  been  warmly  seconded  by  the  Pennsylvania  Central.     As 
an  instance  of  this  it  may  be  stated  that  large  quantities  of  grain  have  laid  over  at  Grain  wait- 
Toledo  and  Bufi'alo,  its  transportation  being  stopped  by  the  excessive  charges  of  the  "''^"'■'■"''''^° 
New  York  lines;   while  at  the  same  time  grain  was  continually  being  moved  to  the 
seaboard  by  the  Southern  lines  from  the  interior   of  Indiana  and  Illinois  at  prices 
proportionately  very  much  lower  than  would  have  been   acceptable  to   Toledo    and 
Buil'alo  forwarders.     It  is  clear,  therefore,  that  New  York  can  no  longer  exclusively  N.  Y.  cannot 
rely  upon  its  river  and  canal  advantages,  but  must   in  a  great  measure  be  depend-  "  ■]'  "P°i 
ent  upon  its  rural    connections    for  its  share  of  Western  trade,  and  that  it  will  be 
benefited  or  prejudiced  as  those  roads  are  liberally  managed  or  the  reverse.     In- 
deed, it  may  almost  be  claimed  that  the  property  and  progress  of  the  city,  and  the  Injury  i)f 
material  interests  of  the  State,  are  under  the  control  of  two  corporations,  and  if  <i  s"iij;itwn 
consolidation  of  those  be  effected,  will  lie  in  tlie  hands  of  a  great  moneyed  monopoly. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  facts  also  show  that  a  full  share  of  Western  trade  can  be  Western 
retained,  or  rather  regained,  and  the   railroads  receive,   under  judicious  manage-  p,.jj„',.|i'^[,y 
ment,  an  ample  return.     Having  thus  set   forth   the  causes  of  injury  to  the  people  milways. 
of  this  State  and  city,  we  now  propose  to  lay  before  your  honorable  bodies  a  state- 
ment of  its  extent.     In  January,  18G8,  while  prices  from  New  York  were  governed  ni^criraina- 
by  a  combination  of  three  of  the  trunk  lines,  the  following  were    the   comparative  ^'^'^,*saius 
rates  from  New  York  and  from  Baltimore    to   the   principal  Western  cities.      The 
extent  of  the  discrimination  against  New  York  trade  is  also  shown. 

Comparative  rates  from  Neio   York  and  from  Baltimore  to  St.  Louis  :  Rates  from 

N.  Y.  and 
, PER   CENT. — ^  Bait,  to  St.L. 

1st  Class.  2d  Class.       3d  Class.     5th  Class. 

New  York $2  62  $2  21  $181  $115 

Baltimore 1  62  1  35  1  00  55 

Difference $1  00  86  81  59 

Contracts  have  been  made  from  Baltimore   without   regard   to  classification  as 
follows : 

Rice   and  Special  rat« 
Raisins.         Pepper.  Tea.  Flour. 

New  York $2  21  $181  $62  $114 

Baltimore 70  70  70  65 

Difference $151  $111  $192  69 


3Ti 


Ko  Equal   Converging  Point  of  Rail  and    Water. 


^  ,     -  „  Comparative  Rates  to   Cincinnati: 

Rates  from  ^      ^ 

^'Jtto'cxu  1st  Class.         2d  Class.       3d  Class.     4th  Class. 

New  York $190  $160  $130  80 

Baltimore 1   10  _90  ^  30 

Difference 80  70  60  50 

Comparative  Rates  to  Chicago : 
Rates  from 
N.  Y.  and  1st  Class.        2d  Class.       3d  Class.     4th  Class. 

Bolt,  to  Chi.  ^^^^  York $2  02  $170  $138  86 

Baltimore 140  115  75  88 

Difference 62  55  63  17 

Change  req-  If  ^^^  commercial  supremacy  of  New  York  is  to  be  maintained,  and  the  diversion 
uisite  to  of  its  trade  to  other  cities  averted,  instant  and  adequate  means  must  be  taken  to 
N.Y.  retrain  its  lost  advantages.     So  serious  did  this   question  seem    to    the   convention 

which  recently  met  to  revise  the  constitution  of  the  State  that  it  reported  as  one 
Consolidat-  of  the  proposed  amendments  to  the  same,  in  article  10,  "  On  Corporations,"  the 
ingcoinpet-  following:  "The  Legislature  shall  not  authorize  the  consolidation  of  railroad 
iui?  railroads  gQrpoj..^^JQris  owning  parallel  or  competing  lines  of  road."* 

n"'y''  Le^is-  Ii  consideration  of  the  facts  above  set  forth,  your  petitioners  earnestly  urge 
iatureiu-"  upon  your  honorable  bodies  to  take  such  early  and  efficient  measures  as  will  pre- 
Yoked  to  pre- yg^f^  tjjg  (.Quti-Ql  of  the  various  lines  which  connect  this  city  with  the  West  from 
diUou^^d'''' passing,  by  way  of  combination  or  consolidation  of  management,  into  the  hands  of 
compe'ti-  a  restrictive  monopoly,  and  to  grant  every  facility  to  existing  roads  to  improve  their 
tion.  condition,  to  extend  their  lines,  and  in  every  way  to  compete  with  the  established 

systems  above  referred  to,  and  your  petitioners  as  in  duty  bound  will  ever  pray. 

Advanta-e  ^^^  *^^^  extent  that  railways  are  relied  upon  for  trausportation,  New  York 
n^.M^'V,  1"'^is  not  even  on  a  par  with  Baltimore,  and   is  altoi^ether   at  a  disadvantage 

Fhilailelpuia  -T  70  o 

ever  N.  Y.    ^^^}^  Philadelphia.     The  shortest,  cheapest,  best  railway  routes  from   Chi- 
cago   to    New    York    are    through    Pennsylvania,    in    close   proximity    to 
N  Y.  win     Philadelphia.     Though  lying  on   her   oars  for   years,  and  having  to  labor 
Be'if!"^    ^^'    under  great  disadvantage  in  railway  transportation,  this  sluggishness  is  foreign 
to  her  nature,  and  New  York  will  soon  create  new  and  better  railways  than 
any  yet  in   use,  through   northern   Pennsylvania.     Though  she   can   never 
g^io^  gg  j^  remove  the  disadvantage  of  more  mileage,  yet  her  marketing  facilities  are  a 
market.        ^-^n  gquiyalent.     In  these  she  must  sustain  herself,  or  she  speedily  falls  in 
the  rear ;  and  to  do  this  she  must  use  more  efficaciously  the  water  routes  in 
which  she  has  decided   advantages  over  every  Atlantic  city.     The  activity 
N.  Y.  and  N. 'I'i'^  energy  of  New  York  and  New  England  have  created  avenues  to   con- 
grlatJr'ave-  ^^°*'  busiucss  from  the  entire  West  to  the  lakes,  so  that  the  amount  is  far 
}!ik?3 '^^  "'^  beyond  the   capacities    to    bear    it    eastward.     As    Mr.    Poor    judiciously 
observed  p.  343,  "  the  great  difficulty  lies  in  the  way  of  outlets  from  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  and  other  lake  ports,  rather  than  in  the  lack  of  means  to  bring 
Railways      produce  to  the  lake  shore."     The  railway  system  is  now  thoroughly  estab- 
careof  themrlished  throughout  the  Great   Interior,  and  must  grow  of  itself,   and  will 

Bclves. 


To  rpgiilate 
coiliioii'da- 
tion  difficult. 


*  The  Consolidation  of  parallel  lines  is  everywhere  to  be  discountenanced;  but  it  is  a  very  difficult 
qu-  Htion  to  govern  by  specific  rules.  Generally  it  is  considered  enough  to  control  trunk  lines,  leaving 
branches  to  the  several  roads  to  manage  at  will.  But  many  branches  in  tho  West  soon  become  trunk 
lines.  Which  ia  the  tn.nk  of  the  Burlington  &  Qiiincy,  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joe,  or  the  Burlington  & 
MisKuuri? 


Past,  Present  and  Fufure.  of  Chicago  Investments.  375 

constantly  press  its  claims,  and   offer  such  superior  investments   for  eastern 

capita),    that    its    rapid   expansion    will   require  great   activity   to   provide 

avenues  for  the  traffic  which  unchecked  would   flow  onward  to  the  seaboard. 

For  lack  of  proper  facilities,  and  only  for  their  lack,  must  much  produce  go  Traffic  to  go 

to  New  Orleans,  and  even  we  at  Chicago  must  and  will  further  this  relief 

as  far  as  in  our  power. 

Increased    facilities   are    needed    much  less  for  transportation    specially  Tmnsporta- 
adaptcd  to  railroads,  as  light  expensive  articles,  than  for  grain  in  bulk  and  imikyju-ti- 
for  barreled   provisions,  which   railways  can  least  afford   to  carry,  and  the 
withdrawal  of  which  in  the  main  would  be  a  great  relief.     Nor  are  they 
very  urgently  wanted  for  immediate  use ;  but  looking  forward  only  a  few  Future 
years  and   the  grain  and  provision   exports  will  double   and   treble;  and 
what  seaboard   city   will   afford  means  to  handle  them  ?     Certainly  more 
railways  will  then  be  needed  for   light  freight  themselves ;  but  yet  more  Railways 
must  the   increase  of  bulky  and   heavy  produce  be   provided  for,  for  which 
water  channels  are  by  far   most  advantageous.     So  that  besides  more  rail- 
ways, Now  York  and  New  England  need  much  more  to   have  a  ship-canal —yet  water 

.  .  more. 

around   Niagara,  and  an  improvement  of  the  Lake  Simcoe  route,  and  also  Kontes  to 

'^  ^  1       -11  •     I'"koOnta- 

of  Lake  Champlain.     New  York  and  Boston  must  and  will  cooperate  m  Ho. 
these  national  enterprises. 

Mr.  Edward  Crane  of  Boston,  has  given  much  attention  to  this  import-  Mr.   Crane's 
ant  subject  of  "cheapening  freights  between  the  West  and  East,"  and  last  noston. 
winter  delivered  an  address  before  the  legislature,  merchants,  etc.,  of  which 
the  Advertiser,  Feb.  19th,  presented  a  summary  of  13  points.     These  arc  13  points 
the  first  six  and  the  13th : — 

1  It  is  now  well  established  that  there  is  no  means  of  transportation  so  cheap  as  1.  Free  water 
by  vessels  on  free  navigable  waters  ;  whether  the  lakes  or  the  ocean.  cheapest. 

2.  The  point  of  competition   between  the  East  and  the  West  is  not  at  Newburg,  2.  Competi- 
the  terminus  of  the  Boston,  Hartford  &  Erie   Railroad,  nor  at  Albany  or   Troy,  the  Y'^t^ea!!  ^' 
western  terminus  of  the  Boston  &  Albany  Railroad,  nor  at  Schenectady,  the  ter-  ,,,;,j  , .flake 
minus  of  the   Eitchburg  &   Rutland  line  of  railroad,  but  since  the  completion  of  Ontario, 
the  Welland  Canal,  the  point  of  competition  is  at  the  eastern  end  of  Lake  Ontario. 

3.  The  Ogdensburg  line  of  railroad  from  Boston  through  Lowell,  Nashua,  Con-  3.  Ofiflens- 
cord,  etc.,  after  lifteen  years  of  trial,  has  failed  in   securing  the  results  for    which  !'>">;":  I^- 
it  was  created,  tor  the  reason  that  its  management  is  divided  among  seven  distinct 
corporations  without  that  unity  of  action  which  can  alone  make  it  a  successful  aid 

to  our  commerce;  but  after  the  opening  of  the  Atlantic  and  Ontario  line,  they 
would  be  forced  to  unite,  and  would  become  a  great  aid  to  the  commerce  of  New 
England. 

4.  Under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  New  York,  the  Atlantic  and  Ontario  Railroad,  f:/'^^^^ 

•   \  /*        t         1*1    J.'  iiiiOi  1"         line,  Aiifiii" 

a  new  line,  may  be  constructed  without   further  legislation   by  that  State;   making  ti^.^^  Quta- 
the  whole  distance  from   Boston  to    Lake  Ontario,  by   way  of  Fitchburg,  Vermont  rio. 
and   Massachusetts,  Troy  and  Greenfield,  and   this   new  line,  3G0  miles,  about,  the 
same  distance  as  it  is  by  the  Erie  Canal  from  Buffalo  to  Albany. 

5.  A  double  track  railroad  from  Lake  Ontario  to  Saratoga  with  the  natural  bar-  ^j.  Jp^^Pj^^'^ 
riers  to  be  overcome  by  this  route,  is  capable  of  moving  at  the  rate  of  six  miles 

per  hour,  eight  million  tons  of  freight  from  West  to  East,  which  can  be  delivered  to 
the  Boston  &  Albany,  the  Rutland  &  Burlington,  and  Fitchburg,  and  (when  com- 
pleted) to  the  Hoosac  Tunnel  lines,  as  fast  as  they  can  move  it  with  present 
increasing  and  local  business,  at  a  rate  of  cost  per  ton  per  mile,  including  interest 
and  expenses  of  maintaining  and  operating  the  road,  not  exceeding  the  Erie  canal 
charges  for  18tJ6  and  1867. 


376  No   Equal   Conven/ing  Point  of  Rail  and    Water. 

8  KeliaMe  6.  An  essential  element  for  a  prosperous  commerce  and  the  largest  development 
cransportu-  of  aTicultural  production  is  in  tlie  establishment  of  a  line  of  communication, 
lion  essential  ^j^^°g  reliable,  with  fixed  rates  for  transportation,  and  perfect  unity  of  action  in 
its  management. 
Govt  to  13-  111  consideration  of  the  foregoing  facts,  ought  not  the  government  of  the 
esaniine  State  to  forthwith  appoint  a  commission  to  officially  examine  this  route  to  Lake 
route.  Ontario,  make  the  necessary  surveys,  with  full  power  in  the  premises,  and  report 

to  the  next  legislature  ;  and  further,  that  this  commission  be  directed  to  examine 
and  report  what  legislation  is  necessary  to  enable  our  citizens   to  avail  themselves 
of  the  use  of  the  empty  cars  going  West  over  our  several  Hues  of  railroad  ?     Should 
U  S  ship      not  the  general  government  at  once  construct  a  free  ship-canal   on  American  soil, 
canal  around  connecting  the  water  of  Lake  Erie  and  Ontario,  for  the  purpose  of  the  full  devel- 
Niagara.        opment  of  the  agricultural,  commercial  and  manufacturing  interests  of  the  country, 
as  well  as  for  the  protection  of  the  mercantile  marine  of  the  lakes  in  case  of  war. 
,Mas8.BhouId  The  government  of  Massachusetts  should  lead  the  commercial  and  manufacturing 
lead."  interests  of  New  England,  and  the  agricultural  industries  of  the  West,  in  memorial- 

izing Congress  in  favor  of  speedily  constructing  a  ship-canal  uniting  Lakes  Ontario 
and  Erie,  and  requesting  our  Senators  and  Representatives  to  cooperate  to  this 
end. 

N.  Y.  and  These  views   show  that  New  York  and  Boston   perceive  the  necessity  of 

nicvi''i!g.       doing  something,  though  they  put  too   little  stress   upon   the  best  means. 

Not  only  do  the  Atlantic  States  need  to  increase  facilities  for  transportation 

in  order  to  export  advantageously,  but  to  hold   their  own   in   the  onward 

Must  have    progrcss.     The   tendency  as  we  have  seen   is  for  mouths  to  come  to   food, 

cheap  tood.   ^i^-gj^  gj^jj  Qjjiy  |jg  counteracted  by  cheap   transportation,  for  the  East  can 

never  compete  in  production.     It  is  bulky  food,  too,  that  is  to  be  carried  j 

and  though  they  must  make  the  most  of  railways,  and  create  new  lines,  yet 

far  more  efficacious,  and  a  never-failing  source  of  relief  would  it  be  to  give 

Best  relief    a  free  coursc  to  propellers  of  1,500  tons  to  reach  lakes  Ontario  and  Chaiuplain 

of  ucKTto^nsfrom  Lake  Michigan.     This  is  a  means  in  which  New  York   and   Boston 

uiidch'am-    cau  havc  no  competition  with  their  southern  rivals.     And  although  Balti- 

uait.'and      moi'c  and  Philadelphia  acquiesce   in  the   lake-ward  tendency  of  trade,  and 

draw'trade    must  make  Chicago  their  chief  objective  point,  yet  they  will  never  cease 

"^'■*'         their  efforts  to  draw  business  straight  to  them,  and  keep  all  from  the  lakes 

iHiis.  Gaz.    which  they   can.     The  Pittshurgh  Gazette  quoted  some  time  ago  from  the 

"AmeHc(m.     Philadelphia  North  American  and  remarked  as  follows  : — 

St.  L.  bridge  '■'■  Importance  of  the  Railroad  Bridge  at  St.  Louis. — The  St.  Louis  bridge  will  be,  in 
importaut.  many  respects,  the  greatest  wonder,  in  the  bridge  line,  of  the  present  day,  as  well 
by  reason  of  its  length  and  height  above  the  river  as  of  the  huge  steel  arches  and 
Connects  the  monstrous  tunnel  that  are  to  form  parts  of  it.  This  vast  structure  is  intended 
Bait,  and  ^^  connect  the  long  lines  of  railroad  reaching  lUinoistown,  from  Baltimore  and 
Pliila.  with      ,,,.,,,,.  -11        T^      ■  .  -1  o    >ir-  -111 

Pacific  road.  Philadelphia,  with   the   Pacific   railroad  of  Missouri,  and    so  make  the  connection 

with  the  Great  Union  Pacific  railroad,  now  building  across  the  wilderness  to  Cali- 
fornia. Without  the  completion  of  this  bridge  the  working  of  the  through  line  will 
be  imperfect,   as  it  is  impossible  to  tranship  across  the  river  all  the  freight  and 

Isesaential.  passenger  business  of  a  highway  such  as  this  is  destined  to  be.  It  is,  therefore, 
essential  to  the  plans  of  most  of  the  great  railroads  that  this  bridge  should  be 
built  at  once  ;   that  it    should   be  of  a  solid   and  substantial  character,  and    able  to 

Steel  arches,  bear   any   amount   of  strain   that  maybe  put  upon  it.     It  is  for  this   reason  that 

Wide  span,  the  arches  are  to  be  of  steel  ribs;  but  the  span  of  these  arches,  between  four 
hundred  and  five  hundred  feet  each,  will  be  immense."  *  *  * 

A  necesrity.  The  North  American  justly  characterizes  the  construction  of  a  bridge  over  the 
Mississippi  at  St.  Louis  a  necessity.  The  Union  Pacific  railway  of  the  Kansas, 
which  is  destined  to  be  the  great  natisjnal  highway  to  the  Pacific,  is  opening  up  a 
region  of  incalculable  resources  and  value.     By  means  of  the  bridge  now  building 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  377 

at  Quincy,  find  another  across  the  Missouri  at  Kansas  City,  Chicago  will  have  at  Chi.  con- 
once  an  uninterrupted  connection  with  that  road,  of  uniform  gauge,  and  thus  the  "'^'^^^'"' Y''^ 
entire    system    of  roads    converging   at   Chicago   will   be   united   wirh   that  road.    '" 
Trains   may  be  run  from  New  York,  or  Boston,  or  Portland,  or  Philadelphia,  or  Cjh-^ through 
Baltimore,  or  Pittsburgh,  by  way  of  Chicago,  to  the  farthest  extremity  of  that  road.  ^V',""  •^"•'"■ 
There  would  be  no  break  in  the  line  in  any  place.     Thus,  although    the   country  is 
mainly  indebted  to   the  enterprise  of  the  capitalists  of  St.    Louis   for  the  Union  Advantage 
Pacific  railway  of  the  Kansas,  that  city,  without  a  bridge,  would  be  thrown  off  the  ^''"^V"  °^ 
unbroken  line   of  its  eastern    connections.     To  it,    therefore,  that    bridge   is   an '  ' 
imperative  necessity. 

But  to  Penuslyvania,  and  its  two  principal  cities,  it  is  almost  equally  a  necessity  ;  Kqimlly  im- 
for  St.  Louis,  rather  than  Chicago,  is  on  our  natural  and   most  direct  line  of  com-  '|'>'('j'|!"',i„|i*' 
mercial  intercourse.     Give  us  a  good  bridge  at  St.  Louis,  and  it  will  be  a  virtual  B:,it. 
extension  of  our  oM'n  magnificent  Pennsylvania  Central  entirely  across  the  conti- 
nent by  the  smoothest,  the  richest  and  the  most  salubrious  route  that  exists.     As  Kansas   best 
beyond  the  Mississippi  we  believe  the  Kansas  route  will  be  the  most  popular  and ''"'''^'-'~ 
most  successful,  so  on  this  side  we  are  satisfied  that  the  Pennsylvania  route  will  be  ""'*.'' ^*- 
the  same  thing.     But  to  all  this  a  bridge  at  St.  Louis  is  essential.  tiai'.'' 

Ere  long  New  York  and  New  England  will  be  again  aroused  to  the  neces-  x.  y.  and 
sity  of  increasing  means  of  transportation,  and  will  appreciate  the  advantages  r/y^jj^^y^"  ^'" 
they  possess  by  water.     Their   interests    are   still   ours ;    and   though   we  ^,,5;^  jnter- 
rejoice  in  close  connection  with  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia,  and  that  they  e'*'^''""' 
begin  to  appreciate  the  importance  of  this  centre,  yet  our  reliance  as  hitherto 
is  mainly  upon  the  joint  interest  of  New  York  and  New  England  in  draw- 
ing business   to   the    lakes ;  and    this  depends  very  much  upon  means  of 
transport  from  the  lakes. 

Great,  then,  unequaled   as  are   our   present  facilities   by  rail   and  water  Facilities 
eastward,  they  are  small  compared  with  what  they  must  yet  be  made.     And  crease. 
what  are  our  prospects  westward  ?  ^°^^'  ^®'*' 

1.  The  conjoint  interest  of  New  York  and  New  England  with  Chicago,  1.  joint  in- 
as  we  saw,  has  been  the  basis  of  our  calculations  for  future  increase  from  y.  and  n. 
the  very  beginning.     Has  it  failed  us  ?     Have  their  reasonable  expectations    "^' 

of  profit  to  themselves  from  their  endeavors,  been  disappointed  ?     The  lakes, 

it  is  true,  have  aided  mightily,  yet  they  would  have  been  powerless  but  for  Their  capital 

11        indispensa- 

the  liberal  expenditure  of  eastern  capital.     What  has  been  done  is  a  pledge  bie. 
for  more  doing  of  the  same  sort.     Not  only  the  same  general  object  of 
securing  the  trade  of  the  West  operates,  but  the  gains  from  the  loi^g  ^^V^y'^gj^" 
avenues   owned   by  them   in  the   East  and  in   the   West  will  be  largely 
augmented  by  addition  of   other   lines;    and   far  more   influential   is  the 
immensity  of  trade  obtained  and  to  be  obtained,  which  already  surpasses  the 
wildest  expectations.     We  welcome  the  aid  which  we  have  from  the  Atlan-  ^,^}^°™j^ 
tic  regions  south,  which  will  steadily  augment  as  they  find  the  trafiic  of  the  ^^— 
Great  Interior  seeks  more  and  more  its  natural  centre ;  but  what  they  do  for 
us  is  compelled   by  what  the   region   north  of  them  has  done  and  will   do. 
Our  reliance,  therefore,  in   the   future  as  in  the   past,  is  upon  the  conjoint— rely  upon 

n       A  •!  J        nurthern. 

interest  with  Chicago  of  New  York  and  New  England  ?     Can  it  fail  us  r 

2.  Capitalists  have  invested  over  $75,000,000  per  annum  in  railways  for  2.  Railway 

1-11  rm      invcstmenta 

eighteen  years,  and   never  was  there  more  surplus  capital  than  now.     J  he  to  go  on- 
old  States  are  quite  well  supplied  already,  except  a  few  more  lines  into  the 


378  No  Equal   Converging  Point  of  Rail  and   Water. 

-must  come  West ;  and  where  sliall  capital  in  that  use  more  likely  find  investment  than 
^**''  here   in  the  Great  Interior,  so  admirably  adapted   to   railways,  and   where 

profits  are  at  least  equal  to  any  other  section  ? 
3.  Capital  of     3-  l^^st  of  the  Mississippi  the  benefits  of  railways  are   already  very  great 
creasVd""       ii  ^^^  enhanced  value  of  real  estate,  and  increase  of  agricultural  profits.     No- 
where is  Mr.  Baxter's  correct  judgment,  (see  p.  332)  upon  the  interest  of 
land  owners  in  constructing   branch  railways,  more  applicable  than  here  in 
Co.  bonds  to  the  Wcst.       Couuty  bonds  will  be  the  means  employed,  which  the  farmers 
themselves  can  take  in  large  measure.       Much  information  has  been  herein- 
before presented,   to  bear  particularly  upon  this  point.     Nowhere  else  has 
the  railway  equally  augmented  capital ',    nor  can  any  more  profitable  invest- 
ment be  found  by  the  farmers,  for  their  surplus,  than  these  branch  railways. 
Ease  of  ex-  Present  lines  afford   abundant  facilities,   by  a  small  expenditure,  to  extend 
the  benefits  to  every  neighborhood.     A  large  amount  of  favorable  testimony 
could  be  supplied,  but  space  will  only  be  taken  for  two  examples,  and  these 
2  examples,  jq  regions  hitherto  wholly  foreign  to  Chicago ;    one  in  southeastern  Illinois, 
T^erfrom  and  another  in  western  Missouri.     A  letter  was  published   in  one  of    our 
Co'm'^^     papers,  from  Mason,  Effingham  couuty.  Ills.,  May  4th^  as  follows: 

Southeastern      The  Southeastern  Illinois  Railway. — The  points  on  the  Southeastern  Illinois  Rail- 
Ill,  railroad,  yy^y  are  now  determined  and  made  permanent.      The  last  point  (Mason)  voted  dona- 
tions on  the  27th    and   28th  of  April  last,    amounting   to    $40,000.       The    several 
County  sub-   counties,  townships  and  towns  along  the  line  of  the  road  have  voted  subscriptions 
Bcriptious.      ^uj  donations  to  the  capital  stock  of  the  company,   as  follows  :     Gallatin  County, 
$100,000  stock,  and  $100,000  donation,  besides  donating  swamp  lands  to  the  amount 
of  not  less  than  $20,000;    White  County,  $100,000  stock,   and  $100,000  donation; 
Wayne  County,  $100,000  stock  and  $100,000  donation,  besides  donating  swamp  lands 
worth  now  $20,000;    Clay  County,  $100,000  stock,  and  $40,000  donation  ;    Mason 
Township,  Effingham  County,  $30,000  donation,  and  the  town  of  Mason,  Effingham 
County,  $10,000 — the  total  amount  being:     Stock,  $400,000;   donations,  including 
swamp  lands,  $430,000.     It  is  expected  that  the  four  towns  of  Shawneetown,  Fair- 
field. Flora,  and  Louisville  will  donate  $10,000  each,  which  will  make  an  aggregate 
$870,000.        of  8870,(100.     The  stock  subscriptions  amount  to  donations  virtually. 
Pointsof  The  points  determined  upon  are  :     Beginning  at  Mason,  on  the  Chicago   Branch 

line.  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad ;    thence    to   Louisville,  in  Clay  County  ;    thence  to 

Flora;    ttience  to  Fairfield,  in  Wayne  County;    thence  to  Carmi,  in  White  County; 
100  miles,      thence  to  Shawneetown,  in  Gallatin  County.     The  road  will  be  about  one  hundred 
miles  in  length,  and   will  pass  through  some  of  the  finest  and  best   wheat,   corn, 
grass,  grazing,  and  fruit  lands  in  the  West. 
Being  6ur-         Corps  of  engineers  are  now  in  the  field,  and  the  road  will  be  located  between  the 
veyed.  points  named  above  within  the  next  sixty  days;   and  it  is  expected  that  a  full  force 

of  men  will  be  at  work  upon  the  road  bed  by  the  1st  of  August  next.     The  com- 
pany start  out  with  a  good  financial  basis  from  which  to  operate,  and  it  is  intended 
to  rush  the  work  something  after  the  style  in   which  the  U.ion  Pacific  road  is  now 
BniltinlS     being  built.       The  road  will  certainly  be  built  and  in  full  working  order  from  this 
months.         place  to  Shawneetown  within  eighteen  months  from  this  date. 

Connects  From  opposite  Shawneetown  to  M.idisonville,  Ky.,  a  distance  of  about  thirty-five 

Ky.  roads— jjjjjgg^  j^  vonii  is  now  being  built  to  connect  with  the  Henderson  &  Nashville  Railroad, 
and  which  is  intended  as  a  continuation  of  the  IMason   &  Siiawncetown  Road,   both 
roads  being  owned  and  controlleit  by  the  same  company.      The  Kentucky  road  con- 
— witnall      nects  the  Shawneetown  road  with  the  whole  system  of  Southern  roads,  and  gives  us 
the  South,     rail  communication  with  the  whole  South  and  Southwest. 

Leaven-  But  of  all  prospective  branches,  none  probably  is  of  equal  importance  to 

Dea  M..iu(-s    Chicago  with  that  from  Leavenworth,  Mo.,  to  Des  Moines,  Iowa.     Not  only 

moBt  import- 1  . ,         ,        ,  ~       .  , 

ant  because  tlie    local   traffic  is  very  large;  not    merelv  because  it  affords  an 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chtcago  Investments.  379 

avenue    for  tlie  immense  business    beyond  ;    but  because  while  supplying 
these,   it    creates    healthy    competition  with  the  Quincy,  Hannibal  &  St.  Oimpi'tition 
Joe  route  for  the  business  of   the   Atchison,  the    Kansas    Pacific,  and  the  St.. loi-.^outo 
Gralveston,  and  the  other  roads  which  must   converge  at  the    Big    Bend  of 
the  Mis.souri,  do  we   esteem  this  the   most  important  branch  line  contem- 
plated.    The  following  is  inserted  in  our  papers  with  strong  commendation  : —  Co's.circuiar 

The    Leavenworth    and    Des  Moines  RaUivay    Compani/    have    deterinined    to    con- Lonv.   A  Des 
struct  and  complete  their  railroad,  witbout  delay,  from  Leavenworth  to  Man  Moines —  Moines  road 
direct.     The  located  line  is  through  the  we.althy  counties  of  Platte,  Clinton,  De  Kalh,  ^','„'.'^'  ''"'"''* 
Daviess,  and    Harrison,  in    Missouri;  and    Decatur,    Clark,    Warren,  and    Polk,  of  Route. 
Iowa — a  distance  of  168  and  8-10  miles. 

At   Leavenworth,  it   connects  with  the   Union    Pacific  railroad,  eastern  division,  Comiectg 
now  completed  over  four  hundred  miles    towards  the   west;   and  with  the    Leaven- "'".' 'J"'on 
worth,  Lawrence  and  Galveston  railroad  completed  35  miles  south  from  Lawrence,  {vf/if'^i^aw- 
and  rapidly  extending  onward    towards    the    gulf,  under  the  direction  of    Chicago  rcncc  Hnd 
capital,  energy  and  enterprise.  Gaivc-st<jn. 

At  Des  Moines — its  northern  terminus — it  will  connect  with  the   Chicago,    Rock  Omnccts 
Island  and  Pacific  railroad,  to  which  it  will  give,  and  from  which  it  will  receive,  ^*'"'  •'"ck 
the  immense  trade  between  Chicago,  southern  Kansas,  and  northern  Missouri.  Is'»"J- 

The  whole  of  the  rich  country  traversed  by  this  road  has  ever  been  tributivry  to  Sends  St. 
St.  Louis ;  but  now,  as  the  most  satisfactory    evidence  of  the  wish  of  the  people  to  ^'^:  '■"""^o  *<' 
bring  their  valuable  trade  to    Chicago,  it  may  be  stated  that  they  have  voted  bonds  ^•^"="2°- 
of  Leavenworth,  Clinton,  DeKalb,  Jo  Daviess,  and  Harrison  counties  to  the  Leaven- 
worth and  Des  Moines    Railway    Company    to   the    amount  of  $800,000 ;  while  by 
private  and  individual  subscriptions  in  land    and    money,  the  amount  is  now  above  Si.000,000 
$1,000,001),  exclusive  of  the  liberal  aid   certain  to  be    obtained  in  the  counties  of  ■'"''''^■'J- 
Decatur,  Warren,  and  Polk,  in  Iowa. 

The  work  of  construction  was  commenced  last  fall   and  has  been  actively  prose-  Workbegun. 
cuted  since  that  time,  with  the  exception    of    two    months   during  tiie  winter  ;   and 
within  30  days  the  force  now  in  the  field  will  complete  the  first  division  of  50  miles. 
Track-laying  will  then  be  immediately  commenced. 

Thus  far  the  work  has  been  carried  on  by  individual  subscriptions.     None  of  the  No  county 
county  bonds  issued  and  delivered  to  the    company   have  been  offered  for  sale,  but  bonds  sold, 
the  time  has  come  when  a  sale    of  these   securities    is    absolutely  necessary.     The 
completion  of  the  road  must  be  delayed  unless  a  market  for  them  can  be  found.      In  Sale  neces- 
their  negotiation,  and  the  consequent  completion  of  this  railroad,   the    representa-  ^'^^'^'■ 
five  men  of  Chicago  are  respectfully  asked  to    give    a   hearty    support.     It   is    not  Chi.  to  aid. 
expected  nor  desired  that  they  will    invest  large    sums  of  their  active  capital ;   but 
if  each  will  subscribe  for  ten,  five,  or   even    one   bond,   they  will  so  establish  their 
currency  in  the  market  that  a  ready  sale  of  the    balance    can  be  made  elsewhere — 
where  investments  are  eagerly  sought  at  7  per  cent,  per  annum. 

If  only  one  hundred  of  the  bonds  be  taken  in   Chicago,  tlie  directory  of  the  com- 100  iionda  to 
pany,  now  at  the    Tremont   house,  will   undertake   to    vouch    for  the  rest,  and  the  ^'' ''*'"'■'■• 
completion  of  the  road  to    Des  Moines    before  the   close  of  the  present  year.     The 
assurances  of  material  aid  from  other  strong  companies  controlling  the   great  lines  Railroads 
with    which    this  will  be  operated    in   harmony,    leave  no  doubt  that  such  a  pledge  "'"'^''^■ 
would  be  fully  redeemed. 

Besides  aiding  in  the  construction  of  a  railroad,  so    important   to  every  interest  Bonds  safe, 
of  Chicago,  the  subscriber  for  these  bonds  gets  as  good  anil  safe  paper  as  was  ever 
discounted.      He  gets  the  full  worth  of  his   money.     The  bonds  have  been  regularly 
issued  and  delivered  upon  a  vote  of  the  people,  and  in  accordance  with  the  consti- 
tution and  laws  of   the  States.      The  interest   has    been  fully   paid  for  more  than  a  I^^erest 
year,  and  there  remains  no  possible    chance  of   insolvency   or  repudiation  on  the^*"  " 
part  of  any  county. 

But,  if  every  bond  were  worthless,  this  loss  would  be  more  than  compensated  in  If  1"  t,  no 
one  year  by  the  additional  trade  that  their  road  would  bring  to  Chicago.     In  the  '"'^"®''' 
single  item  of  lumber,  it  has  been  carefully  estimated   that   the    completion  of  this  I'^T^aseof 
road  will  increase  that  department  of  business  in  Chicago  to  double  its  present    im-  '"*'"^''^* 
mense  proportions.     So  of  other  branches  of  business. 

The  cattle,  hogs  and  grain  that    this   road    will   bring   to  the  superior  market  in  Take  St.  L.'a 
Chicago,  will  almost  equal  the  entire  trade  in  that  line   left   to    St.  Louis.     Well*''"'^®- 
acquainted  with    this   fact,    that   city,  by    means    of  a  branch  road  from  the  west 


380 


No  Equal  Converging   Point  of  Rail  and   Water. 


Her  North 
Mo.  road. 


Trade  des- 
tined for 
Chi. 


branch  of  the  North  Missouri  railroad  at  Brunswick,  is  now  actively  endeavoring 
to  be  the  first  to  extend  to  this  trade  the  means  of  communication,  and  to  delay 
and  defeat  the  construction  of  this  road  to  Des  Moines.  With  great  faith  and  con- 
fidence in  the  ultimate  destiny  of  Chicago,  it  is  believed  that  ultimately,  this  trade, 
will  in  any  event,  be  secured  to  this  city  ;  but  the  history  of  railroad  communica- 
tionsjustify  the  confident  opinion  that  should  St.  Louis  beat  Chicago  into  this  dis- 
puted territory,  it  will  take  many  years  to  shake  off  her  command  of  the  trade,  so 
rightfully  the  heritage  of  Chicago. 


Tin's  an  ex- 
ample. 


petition. 


All  not  Chi 
roads. 


Benefit    of 
roads  to 
farmers. 


They  want 
to  do  as  well 
as  their 
neighbors. 


This  is  a  fair  sample  of  what  will  be  done  all  through  the  West.  No 
outline  of  a  great  plan  could  possibly  be  devised  more  perfectly  adapted  to 
filling  in  with  laterals  and  a  few  more  trunk  lines.     While  this  Des  Moines 

Creates  com- line  will  create  competition  with  the  St.  Joe.  &  Quincy  route,  it  will  have 
compctitiou  from  the  Omaha  &  Burlington  line.  So  will  it  be  all  over  the 
Great  Interior.  New  lines  are  by  no  means  to  be  altogether  in  the  interest 
of  Chicago,  but  some  will  run  directly  to  St.  Louis  and  to  various  other 
centres,  building  up  important  cities  throughout  this  entire  area. 

Because  all  around  them  farms  are  made  valuable  by  contiguity  to  a  rail- 
way, will  farmers  midway  combine  to  obtain  the  same  advantages.  To 
many  farmers  who  used  to  haul  produce  100  and  200  miles  to  Chicago, 
their  10  or  20  miles  are  more  tedious  than  the  trip  of  a  week  or  two  used  to 
be.  Then  they  were  satisfied  because  their  neighbors  could  do  no  better. 
And  any  one  who  knows  the  farmers  of  the  West  will  say,  that  with  the 
abundant  trunk  lines,  very  few  farmers  east  of  the  Mississippi,  or  500  miles 
west,  will  long  be  five  miles  from  a  railway  station.     Nor  will  Chicago  fail 

Chi.  do  her  to  do  her  part  of  the  bond-taking  to  encourage  these  enterprises  upon 
which  her  business  increase  largely  depends.  Her  bankers  and  merchants 
can  take  a  lot  and  work  them  off  to  eastern  capitalists  who  want  a  good 
investment,  and  take  another  lot. 

4.  As  the  East  must  have  several  more  trunk  lines  to  Chicago,  so  we 
must  have  the  six  or  seven  from  Chicago,  enumerated,  p.  283.  A  glance 
at  the  map  will  show  their  necessity.  The  new  lines  from  the  east  will 
furnish  requisite  aid  to  every  one  of  them  to  become  equal  competitors 
with  the  old  lines ;  and  Chicago  is  fast  accumulating  capital  which  will  be 
liberally  invested  both  in  branches  and  new  trunks. 

5.  Beyond  the  INIississippi  the  seven  Chicago  roads  already  built  are 
being  extended  with-  that  energy  which  has  distinguished  the  corporations 
this  side ;  which  are  now  more  than  ever  in  strong  competition  to  obtain 
the  lead  and  secure  the  largest  tributary  region.     They  diverge  so  rapidly, 

Only?  lines  that  from  Quincy  to  St.   Paul  is  over  300  miles  air  line,  which  our  seven 

forSOOmiles.       .,  .111  1  mi  1  •    i  1 

railways  will  not  long  accommodate.     Ihe  same  reasons  which  operated  upon 

the   East  to  construct  these  seven,  will  have   greater  power   to  construct 

intermediate  lines ;  and  more  and   more  will   the  few  cross   lines  which  St. 

More  needed  Louis  wiU  be  driven  to  build,  become  feeders  of  them  all.     More  railways, 

either  north  and  south  or  east  and  west,  must  be  built  to  accommodate  the 

East  and      Country;  and  because  the  railway  system  is  already  too  thoroughly  estab- 

preferred,     lishcd  in  the  natural  currents  of  latitudinal  trade  for  longitudinal  lines  to 


4.  More  Chi. 
lines  West. 


East  roada 
will  aid 
them. 


0.  Competi- 
tion west  of 
Miss. 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chirnrjo  Investments.  381 

have  much  power  against  them,  will  preference  be  given  to  these  intermediate 
roads;  and  because  the  country  must  have  them,  will  the  connecting 
roads  to  Chicago,  with  their  eastward  continuing  lines,  be  necessary  and 
profitable,  and  therefore  will  be  built. 

That  would  only   carry   out  the   present  system   to  its   completion,   the  cnmpiet 
intrinsic  excellence  of  which  has  not  only  been  well  tested  to  entire  satis-  system, 
faction,  but  which   has  attained  a  ponderosity  that  cannot  be  swayed,  an 
inherent  force  that  is  irresistible,  a  rapidity  of  execution  that  defies   com- 
petition.    As  before   inquired,  suppose  a  change  be  desired,  whence  shall  what  power 
come  the  power  to  work   it?     But  the  entire  country  yet  traversed  would  ur"^ "'"^*' 
have  uo  change  if  it  could ;  and  the  lines  are  approaching  precisely  right 
to  traverse  the  entire  region  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  beyond.     Nor 
does  any  region  nor  any  city  of  mark  in  such  enterprises,  desire  any  change.  n„  change 
St.  Louis  Ls  by  far  the  most  important  personage  who  seeks  to  alter  in  any  l^^xcepTiy 
essential  respect.     But  it  is  one   thing  to  seek,  quite   another  to  do  ;  and  ^''  ^' 
though  we  would  say  nothing  detracting,  may  we  not  inquire  whether  she 
be  a  city  of  mark  in  railways  ?     Nor  is  it  detracting  even  to  that  great  and  Quite  a  job 
wealthy  city  to  intimate,  that  it  is  quite  a  task  for  any  one  city  to  endeavor 
to  oppose  and  overthrow   a  system  established  by  the  combined  wisdom  and 
capital  of  the  entire  country.     This  wisdom  is  shown,  as   before  observed,  Perfection  of 
in  that  although  each  corporation  has  sought  its  own  interests  ;  yet  so  per- system! 
fectly  is  the  system  arranged   to   accommodate  the  entire  region,  that  no 
important  change  could  be  made  in  any  line  advantageously  to   the    public. 
Only  some  new  lines  are  wanted. 

6.  These  east  and  west  lines  have  an   important  advantage  over  those  e.  GoT't  old. 
north  and  south,  in   Government  aid  rendered  in   Kansas   and  Nebraska. 
No  further  grants  of  bonds  can  there  be  expected ;  but  alternate   sections  More  land 
of  land  may  undoubtedly   be  relied   upon,  which,  as  with  the  Illinois  Cen-  S'""** 
tral,  will  ultimately  pay  the  cost  of  building.     This  policy  is  too  thoroughly  policy  gxed. 
established,  and  its  benefits  too  abundantly  ascertained,  both  by  the  gov- 
ernment as  a  laud  proprietor,  and  by  the  whole  country  in  the  development 
and  settlement  of  the  Great  Interior,  for  that  policy  now  to  be  abandoned. 
These  grants  would  not  be  restricted   to  east  and  west  lines;  but  west  of  Grants  to 
Iowa  and  Missouri  north  and  south  lines  are  not  now  wanted,  except  for  west "fnes. 
branches,  as  from  Denver  to  Cheyenne,  which  will  be  built  this  year. 

A  few  niggardly  members  of  Congress  vote  against  these   projects,  for  Some  m.  Ca 
which   the  best  reason,  miserable  as  it  is,  is  that  they  help  the  West  too 
rapidly  to  power.     Very  poor  representatives  are  they  of  the  East,  that  Misrepresent 
noble  section  which  has  done  so  much  to  develope  and  improve  the  West, 
giving  us  not  only  nearly  all  the  money  requisite,  but  their  very  best  sons 
and  daughters.     Better  men  will  usually  be  sent  to  Congress,  but  should  a 
constituency  favor   the  selfish  policy,  there  is  strength  enough  already  to 
carry  every  proper  project;    and  what  is    lacking  the    West  will   surely  west  soon 
supply  after  apportionment  under  the  next  census.  it'seif!^""  ° 


383  No  Equal  Converging  Point  of  Rail  and    Water. 


2  other  Pa- 


:  oim-r  ^a-       Two  Other  Pacific  roads  one  from  St.  Paul,  the  other  from   Kansas    City, 

otfic  roads.    ^^^  ^^  doubt  to  be  built  Avith  the  same  aid  from  the  Groverument  which  has 

Northern      been  i^iven  to  that  from  Omaha.     The  northern  one  of  course  will  be  a  Chi- 

^wi^^^'       ca<^o  road  ;  and  although  St.  Louis  has  not  till  recently  supposed  there  was 

St.  L.  fears  any  doubt  that  the  Kansas  road  would  operate  in  her  favor,  she  seems  to 

^"roa^""'  have  some  fears  already.     We  are  willing  at  all  events  to  take  our  chances. 

"Whether  we  have  chief  benefits  or  not,  it  is  beyond  any    doubt  the  most 

important  of    the  three  routes   to  the  entire  country,    and  we  are  doing 

Chi.  Board  what  we  can  for  its  furtherance.     The  Board  of  Trade,  upon  motion  of  Mr. 

'■«  «•     J^J^f^.y  ]Nfelson,  adopted  these  resolutions  the  13th  May : — 

Resolution  Whereas,  The  Kansas  Pacific  Railway  has  approached  within  a  few  miles  of  the 
u-kiiis  aid  ^oint,  to  which  the  aid  granted  by  the  Government  under  existing  laws  extends, 
of  Cou;;ress    ^    ,  o  ^  o  » 

for  Kansas      and 

Pacific.  Whereas,  The  work  is    one    of   national   importance,  and  cannot  be  successfully 

Co.  needs       prosecuted  without  the  assistance  of  the  Government,  therefore  be  it 
Koadim-  Resolved,  That  we  regard  the  extension  of  this  road  through    New  Mexico,    Ari- 

poitant  to  zona  and  California  to  the  Pacific  coast,  as  a  measure  of  sound  national  policy, 
nation,  both  to  insure  military  economy  and  the  development    of   a   vast  area  of  territory 

filled  with  mineral,  pastoral  and  other  wealth,  situated  six  to  seven  degrees  south 
of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  and  is  in  no  way  tapped  or  developed    thereby ; 
Solution  of        That  it  will  lead  to  a  peaceful  solution  of  the   Indian  question,  and,  while  grad- 
Indjans.        ually  but  surely  removing  the  necessity  of  maintaining  expensive  military  forces  in 
the  region  traversed,  will   permit    the  country  to  be  settled  up,  and  vastly  increase 
Reach  Cent,  the  taxable  wealth  of  the  nation.     That  it  will  afford  an  avenue  of  approach  to  the 
Me.xico.         rich    mines    and    semi-tropical    productions    of    Northern    and    Central    Mexico, 
Important     insuring  the  trade  of  these  districts  for  our  own    Western  and  Northwestern  States, 
julvantago,     and  avoiding  the  possibility  of  future  complications  from  foreign  aggressions  in  that 
disturbed  country,  and  that  it  will  secure  a  line    of  communication  across  the  con- 
tinent, directly  accessible  by  rail   connection    with  all  parts  of  the    United    States, 
and  especially  recommended  by  the   abundance  of  timber  and  coal  along  the  route, 
and  by  the  mildness  of  its  climate. 
Only  a  loan       Therefore,  since  only  a  loan  of  the  public  credit  is  needed  to  insure  these  advanta- 
needed.         ggg^  and  the  past  history  of  the  compauy  shows  that  the  annual  saving  to  the  Gov- 
Gov't  saving,  ernnient  in  the   transportation    of  troops    and    supplies    alone    largely  exceeds  the 
interest  upon  the  aid  required  to  build  the  road,  we  respectfully  urge  our  Senators 
and  Representatives  in  Congress  to  assist,  by  their  votes  and  influence,  in  securing 
the  aid  required  from  Government  to  insure  the  immediate  extension  of  the  Kansas 
Pacific  Railroad  from  its  present  terminus  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 


Ohi.RepuUv-      The  Chicago  Republican  in  an  able  article,  the  30th  March,  exhibited  the 

importance  of  a  movement  in  behalf  of   this  road,  showing  the  benefits 

St.  L.  fears    already  resulting  from  our  Kansas  roads,  and  the    fears  of  St,  Louis  that 

Kansas  road.  ,  [^  _. 

the  Pacific  would  prove  to  be  another  "  Chicago  road";  and  on  the  7th  May, 
in  another  long  article,  said  : — 

2d  Pacific  Another  road  to  the  Pacific,  by  the  way  of  Chicago,  Quincy,   Kansas  City,    Fort 

road,  Wallace,  Santa  Fe,  and  thence  on   the  thirty-fifth  p;irallel  to  the    Pacific  shore  and 

San  Francisco,  has  been  projected  and  is  being  pushed  forward  with  characteristic 

Chi.  and  III.  Western  energy.     No  city  or  section  of  the  country  is  more  interested  in  this  new 

most  inter-    project  than  Chicago  and  the  State  of  Illinois.     This    road  to  Fort  Wallace,  a  dis- 

*"    ■  tance  of  some  nine  hundred  miles  from  this  city,  is  already  in   operation.       Over 

the  new  bridge  across  the  Mississippi  at  Quincy,  and  the    Missouri  at  Kansas  City, 

to  be  completed  in  September,  cars  loaded  with  the  cattle  and  productions  of  the 

country  far  to  the  west   and   south  of    Fort   Wallace,  without   change  or  break  of 

bulk,  will  come. 


Past,  Present  and  Fatiwe,  of   Chicago   Investments.  o83 

This  road,  the  Legislature  of  Missouri,  at  its  last  session,  and  the  people  of  St.  Mo.  L^ki^Ih- 
Louis  thr0'a{.i;h  it,  refused  to  approve,  or  endorse,  or  give    the  least    encourageinenl  *'"'''  rt-fusoJ 
to,  on  the  ground  that  it  would  be  "a  Chicago  road,"  and  would  carry  tlie  produc-  "'^'  • 
tions  of  that  vast  country  bj'    St.  Louis  into   Chicago.     No    better    evidence  of  the 
truth  that  Chicago  has  a  deep  interest  in  this  enterprise  coulil  be  had.      It,  however,  n,,,,,]  i„-,. 
does  not  need  this,  for  it  is  apparent  tliat  by  this  rou'e  Chicago  readies  the   Pacific  P'Mttnt. 
coast  and  the    commerce  of  the    Indies    over  country  unsurpassed  in  every  mineral 
and  agricultural  resource.    The  immense  prairies  and  the  valleys  crosseil  by  this  road  Kh  mivan- 
have  the  advantage    of  perpetual   suiumer,    and    for    pasturage,   cultivation  of  the  tii^jus. 
fruits,  and  production    of    cereals,    is,  perhaps,  not    equaled    by    any  other  of   our 
States  and  Territories. 

The  question  is,  will  Chicago  countenance  and  favor  this  enterprise,  which  is  to  wm  chi.  aid 
furnisli  it  with  the  productions  of  this  great  country,  and  tlie  commerce  of  tlie  fifty  ii? 
millions  of  people  who  shall  soon  populate  the  vast  and  most  attractive  region. 

The     Chicago     Times  of    the    9th    May,    had    a    pithy    article    urging  c/n.    Times. 
Congressional  aid  for  this  road,  and  on  the  14th,  the  following  : — 

The  most  prominent  fact  that  has  been  developed  by  the  opening  of  the    Pacific  2  Pacific 
Railway  to  the  Rocky  Mouatains  is,  that  two  Railways  to  the  Pacific  are  more  need-  """'"'s  needed 
ful  than  one.     In  the  nature  of  things,  a  single  road  will  be  an  oppressive,  unbearable  Ono  a  mo- 
monopoly.     The  road   from  Omaha  to  the  mountains  is  such  a  monopoly  already.  ii<'P'>ij-,  as 
The  cost  of  transportation  on  that  road   is    little,  if  any,  less  than  the  former  cost      ''^  '*' 
by    ox-team    express.     Practically,    all    that    private    enterprise  is    able  to    save 
by  its   construction  is  time.     That,  to  be  sure,   is  something  ;    but  it  is  not  all  that 
the  country  has  expected,  and  has  the  right  to  expect. 

Another  important  fact  appears  ;   that  is,  that  the  Cheyenne  road,  notwithstand-  n.is  plenty 
ing  its  enormous  charges,  finds  plenty  to  do.     It  is   not  scarcity   of  freights  that^'"   ' 
makes  high  charges  necessary  to  an   adequate   remuneration  ;  it  is  simply  because 
the  road,  haviag  no  rival,  may  get  whatever  prices  its  managers  choose  to  demand.  I^ep/'f  corn- 
There  is  no  practical  remedy  for  this  state  of  things  but  iu  the  building  of  a  second  ^"■'"  '""' 
road. 

In  the  matter  of  local  freights,  the  Kansas  Pacific  road    (Chicago  and    Santa  Fe  Kansas  Pa- 
line)    may  not   be   put  in    immediate   competition    with  the  more  northern  roads.  ^'.'''" ""' 
Such  competition  will  be    created   by    the    construction    of    lateral   branch  roads,  pptition. 
Such  branches  will  follow  the  construction    of  the    main   line    as    naturally  as  the  Uranrhes 
tree  puts  forth  its  branches ;    and    thus    while  two  main  trunks  prevent  an  oppres-  pg*',;^^^'""" 
sive  monopoly  over  the  through   trafiic    by    either,  their   respective  branches   will 
carry  the  same  beneficent  effects  to  all  important  localities    in   the    broad    belt  of 
territory  that  stretches  between  them. 

By  July  the  Kansas  road  will  be  finished  to  the    eastern   boundary  of  Colorado  ;  Kans.-g  road 
and  there,  "in  a  wild  prairie,  a  thousand  miles   from    Denver  or  any  other   place,  J^'^p^^'g"^' 
the  government  subsidy  ends." 

The  government  ought  never  to  have  granted  a    subsidy  to  a  railway  which  was  Jh^  up  nt 
to  be  chopped  off   in  the  wilderness    and    have    its    western  end  tied  up  to  the  four  ^^J^J'  ""  ° 
hundred  and  eleventh  mile-post.     If  the  present  proposition  were  to  subsidize  the 
road  in  that  shape,  it  would  be  one  of  the    projects    concerning  which  it  might  be 
righteously  said  :  "  Not  another  bond." 


To  do  no  more  is  to  throw  away  that  which  is  done.  The  proposition  is  to  make  Past.iid 
that  portion  of  the  road  already  built  of  national  value,  by  building  the  rest  of  it ;  ^^^^'^ 
to  save  the  subsidy  already  granted  and  expended, — and  which  else  might  as   well' 


have  been  thrown  away, — by    extending   to   this    Pacific  road  the  same  measure  of 
government  aid  that  was  granted  to  the  other. 

General  Sherman  has  shown  that  the  saving  to   government   by    continuing  this  Paving  to 
road  to  the  Rio  Grande   will  be    $2,500,000  per  annum  on  military    transportation,  "°^  *• 
and  $70,000  per  annum  on  mails.     Not    only    will  this  saving  cover  the  interest  on 
the  whole    amount    of  Pacific   railway    subsidies,  but,  in  less  than  a  decade,  it  will  Its  safety 
reimburse  the  government  for  the  outlay,    with  its  lien  on  the  road  as  a  surety  for  "^^'  *'• 
reimbursement  besides. 

That  the  completion  of  this  road  will  beneficially  affect  the  interests    of    Cincin-  Cin's.  reason 
nati,  may  be  a  good  reason  for  its  advocacy  by    Cincinnati  gentlemen  who    "  don't 
want  to  move  to  Chicago."     A   better  reason  is,  that  it  will  benefit  the  interests  of  ^^'/j^;. '■'^*°° 


384  J!^o  Equal  Converging  Point  of  Rail  and   Water. 

the  whole  country, — more  especially  of  the  whole  west ;  and  whatever  will  benefit 
the  west,  Chiciigo,  as  the  present  and  future  commercial  metropolis  of  the  West, 
naturally  advocates.     The  history  cf  Chicago  is  not  a  history  of  enterprises  aban- 

Chi.  exam-     doued  halfway  to  completion.     The  example    of    Chicago    is    one    that    the  nation 

P'^"  which  would  thrive  must  emulate. 

Character  of  Every  few  days  some  of  our  papers  publish  articles  of  the  sort  which 
have  not  been  preserved.  Having  had  a  son  engaged  in  the  survey  of  this 
road  about  12  months,  I  have  some  knowledge  of  the  route  ;  and  although 

Son  in  the  his  letters  are  given  more  to  description  of  the  curious  people  in  Mexico 
and  Arizona,  and  the  remarkable  scenery,  and  other  interesting  objects,  than 

Route  favor-  to  the  railway,  yet  he  writes  that  the  route  has  been  found  favorable  beyond 
expectation.  The  last  letter  is  from  near  Albuqurque  on  his  return,  dated 
24th  May,  and  he  says  : — 


Lines  practi-  All  the  distance  through  from  Kansas,  practicable  lines  have  been  obtained ; 
'^^^"^  although  through  some  sections  of  countrj'  the  work  will  require  a  large  outlay  of 

h)°h*graiics!  <'*'Pi'*^^'  ^'^'^   *^^  grades  will  attain   the   highest  rate  allowed  by  law,  which  is  116 

feet  per  mile.  Yet  most  of  the  distance  the  work  and  grades  are  very  light ;  for 
Arable  laud,  instance  where  they  follow  a  valley  or  cuneda.     Much  of  the  country  is  capable  of 

being  farmed  to  advantage  ;  and  around  the  San  Francisco  mountains  there  are 
Rich  in  min- large  forests  of  pine  and  cedar.  The  country  will  prove  rich  in  minerals.  There 
^als.  coal,     jg  plenty  of  gold  and  silver,  and  tine  beds   of   coal  have  been  found,  and  we  saw 

one  immense  bed  of  white  marble,  covering  five  miles  of  ground.     The  latter  when 

first  exposed  to  the  air  is  soft,  but  hardens  in  a  short  time,  and  will  then  receive  a 

high  polish.     I  have  a  specimen  to  take  home. 

No  opposi-        No  newspaper  opposes  the  grant  by  Government,  and  most  are  its  strenu- 

tion  to  .f...!!! 

grants.         ous   advocatcs ;    and  the  propriety  of  continuing  what   has   been   so  well 
begun  would  seem  to  preclude  any  fear  of  failure.     Sooner  or  later,  at  all 
RoaJs  will    events,  the  roads  will  in  some  way  be  built. 

London"  and  To  establish  this  topic  futher,  it  was  my  purpose  to  have  given  a  table 
railroad  of  the  railways  centering  at  London  and  Paris;  but  it  is  unnecessary. 
Eng.  and  Every  railway  of  England  and  "Wales  as  given  by  Mr.  Baxter,  p.  330, 
miles.  '"  make  a  total  of  only  9,251  miles ;  and  we  have  already  shown  (p.  37)  that 
Chi.  9,465     the  trunk  lines  and  branches  of  Chicairo  may  fairly  be  reckoned  at  9,465 

miles.  .  .  .  . 

miles,  besides  1,546  miles  paying  some  tribute.  Since  that  table  was  pre- 
pared last  February,  several  hundred  miles  have  been  added,  and  this  season 
will  add  1,500  or  2,000  miles.     London  is  much  less  a  centre  than  Paris; 

All  Franco  but  all  France  has  only  8,134  miles.  What  city  in  our  country  can  be 
named  in  comparison  with  Chicago   in  railway  facilities  already  existing  ? 

Oii.  Tribune.  The  Chicago  Tribune  gave  this  statement,  Feb.  17th,  of — 

Trains  at  Number  of  Trains  Daily. — The  following  figures   taken,  from  the  time  tables  of 

Chi.  daily,     the  difl'erent  roads   for  .January,  show  the  number  of  regular  trains  only  arriving 

and  departing  daily  over  the  different  reading  from  Chicago,  and  that,  too,  at  one 
Moreinsum-of  the  dullest  seasons  of  the  year.  In  the  summer  and  fall,  when  the  fruit  and 
'"'"^"     grain  crops  are  moving,  an  immense  number  of  extra  freight  trains  are   added, 

amounting  probably  at  some  times  to  150  or  more  additional  trains.  Then,  also. 
Double  many  of  the  trains  that  leave  our  depots  are  double,  though  drawn  by  but  one 

trains  count-  r  i  o  j 

edone. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicivjo  Investments.  3S5 

engine,  and  shoot.  ofiF  on  bi-anches  a  little  distance  out  to  their  separate  destina-  di.  trains 
tions.     It  would  be  proper  to  count  these  separately,  but  this  has  not  been  done  in  '''"'^* 
the  table. 

.Mw'^'Ti        1       TV--  Passenger.     Freight.     Total,  p.^ 

Chicago  &  N.  W. — Milwaukee  Division 12  2  14  90. 

Wisconsin  Division 6  8  14  FroiRlit  96. 

Galena  and  Iowa  Division 16  14  g^  TotHi,  186. 

Chicago  &  Kock  Island 6  8  14 

Chicago  &  Alton 6  12  18 

Chicago,   Burlington  &  Quincy 8  14  22 

Illinois  Central 6  8  14 

Chicago  &  Great  Eastern 8  6  14 

Chicago,  P.  &  Ft.  Wayne 6  8  14 

Michigan  Southern 8  8  16 

Michigan  Central 8  8  16 

Totals 90  96  186 

Adding  the  probable  average  number  of  extra  trains  the  year  round — freight,  Extra  trains 
excursion,  pay,  etc., — and  it  is  fair  to  estimate  the   number  of  trains  ariving  at  250  daily. 
and  leaving  the  depots  of  the  twelve  main  lines  of  this  city  at  250  daily. 

The  Galena  and  Iowa  Divisions  of  the  C.  &  N.  W.  Railway  are  separate  lines,  but  2  divisions,  1 
the  trains  run  a  little  way  from  the  city  on  the  same  track,  and  they  are  therefore  count, 
counted  together. 

Less  than  every  three  minutes  of  the  twenty-four  hours,  a  train  arrives  or  A  train 
departs.     Nor  do  most  of  them  come  and  go  on  short  routes,  but  on  long  utes'of  24'"' 
lines  to  Green  Bay,  La  Crosse,  St.  Paul,  Iowa  Falls,  Rocky  Mountains,  Des  '°'"'^^" 
Moines,  Chariton,   Ft.   Wallace,    St.   Louis,   Cairo,   Louisville,   Cincinnati,  Long  routes. 
Wheeling,  Pittsburgh,  Toledo,  Detroit,  and  numerous  intermediate  routes. 

As  to   water    fticilities,  there    is   no    comparison   with    any    other    city.  Water  faciu- 
Therefore,  we  need  only  to  take  existing  facts  to  establish  this  caption ;  equaled, 
though  it  is  very  evident  that  water  facilities  must  be  greatly  augmented,  to  Vie  in- 
and  that  the   mileage  of  railways  in   the    Great   Interior  will   be   doubled  Ruirways 
within  five  years,  of  which  Chicago  will  have  even  a  greater  proportion  ""^''-'''" 
than  what  she  now  has,  besides  numerous  additions  eastward.     With  the 
abundant  evidence  we  have  had  of  the   power  of  the  railway  to   dcvelopc  some  of 
and  centralize,  and  that  it  never  traversed   a  region   better  adapted   to  its  tascs  present 
use;  with  a  certainty  of  increase  of  facilities  on  all  sides,  and  a  rapidity  of  *  '^^^  *""  '''" 
development  never  witnessed ;  with  these  powers  brought  to  bear  upon  the 
best  body  of  arable  land  upon  the  globe,  and   in  the  middle  of  the  temper- 
ate zone ;  with  the  largest  and  richest  area  of  mineral  wealth,  and  of  greatest 
diversity;  with  a  railway  system  of  over  11,000  miles  already  so  located  as 
that  no  essential  change  is  possible,  converging  at  one  centre  the   traffic  of 
this  unequaled  area  of  agricultural  and  mineral  wealth,  over  a  million   five 
hundred  thousand  square  miles  in  extent,  it  must  also  be  remembered,  that — 

The  Northwest  and  West  are  hereafter  the  Great  Interior,  ''"''f.v',^'  » 

and  W  .broat 
Interior. 

Although  chief  actors  in  the  mighty  changes  the  New  World  is  making,  „, 

'^  o      ./  o  OJ  Change  of 

we  ourselves  have  not  perceived  that  we  were  converting  the  ancient  Orient  Orient  not 

"  perceived. 

mtoc^r  Occident.     The  wilderness  which  has  seemed  almost  illimitable  to 

25 


386 


Tlie  Northwest  and   West  Hereafter  the   Great  Interior. 


Pacific  rail- 
ways. 


Cbange  our 
West. 


Great  Inte-" 
rior. 


To  be  a  unit. 


National  cap- 
itiil  sbuuld 
uot  be  moved 


the  west,  has  kept  our  points  of  compass  as  brought  from  the  Old  World. 
Although  discoveries  of  gold  and  silver  gave  us  the  Pacific  States,  still 
the  vast  area  intermediate  ceased  not  to  be  to  us  the  West.  But  now,  and 
before  the  most  gigantic  of  civil  wars  is  closed,  we  begin  and  carry  forward 
with  railroad  speed  that  enterprise  which  is  acknowledged  on  all  sides  to  be 
the  grandest,  most  important  project  of  all  time,  the  Pacific  Railway; 
and  ere  one  is  finished,  another  line  commenced  as  a  branch,  is  to  be  pushed 
through  as  an  independent  trunk.  Soon  the  iron  horse  travels  on  several 
roads  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific ;  and  where  to  this  young  continental 
Nation,  has  our  West  been  placed  ?  Where  can  we  look  for  our  West,  except 
across  the  Pacific  ?  Hence  in  the  U.  S.  Census  for  1850  we  have  (p.  365,) 
the  proper  classification  of  the  Valley  States  into  North  and  South  Interior. 
These  are  all  a  unit  in  interest,  as  will  be  those  adding  to  the  westward  of 
them,  and  will  henceforth  be  known  as  the  Great  Interior. 

More  and  more  will  this  section  be  found  a  unit  as  against  the  rest,  how- 
ever we  may  difi'er  among  ourselves ;  though  there  will  be  some  important 
exceptions,  as,  for  instance,  in  the  removal  of  the  National  Capitol. 
Upon  such  a  question  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  State  jealousy,  if  no  other  and 
better  influence  operate,  may  prevent  the  injustice  of  taking  from  the  Old 
Thirteen  the  Capital,  sacred  with  the  name  and  hallowed  associations  of  the 
Father  of  his  Country.* 


Sac.  Union. 

Aspiring 

West. 

St.  L.  wants 

national 

capital. 

Clii.  claims. 


West  seat  of 
tniiiire. 
Its  charac- 
teristics. 


Cal.  and  ,111. 
alike. 


West 
national. 


Its  power.' 


8  cillfH  af  a 
million  in 
25  years. 


*  Said  tbe  Sacramento  (Cal.)  Union,  upon — 

The  Aspiring  West. — The  good  people  of  St.  Louis  appear  to  be  in  earnest  expectation  that  at  some 
day,  not  distant,  they  may  influence  Congress  to  remove  tbe  capital  of  tbe  nation  to  that  city.  They 
have  resolved,  tljruugh  their  Common  Council,  to  that  end,  and  operated  on  tbe  State  Legislature  with 
good  effect.  They  have  already  fixed  upon  the  site  of  the  new  building,  and  are  ijreparing  to  survey  the 
needful  "ten  miles  square,"  to  include  the  beautiful  location  of  Jefferson  Barracks  and  the  classic 
preciuet    of  "  Vide  Poche." 

Chicago  has  ber  pretensions  as  well  as  St.  Louis,  and  she  will  hardly  compromise  them  away.  The 
Northwest  is  outgrowing  tbe  Southwest,  and  the  Northwest  will  go  for  Chicago.  They  will  be  apt  to  find 
upon  trial  that  the  measure  cannot  carry  yet.  Sooner  or  later,  however,  the  national  capita]  must  go  to 
the  West.  That  vant  region,  bound  together  by  a  common  system  of  rivers  and  lakes,  with  a  mild  climate, 
rich  soil,  and  incomparably  enterprising  population,  made  up  from  the  contributions  of  New  England, 
the  Middle  and  Southern  States,  with  a  goodly  mixture  of  Celt,  Teuton,  and  Scandinavian  elements,  all 
fusing  into  one  pec^ple,  if  it  is  not  now,  must  in  a  few  years  become  the  seat  of  empire  of  this  continent. 
The  Ureal  West  is  as  sure  to  give  her  civilization  and  laws  to  America,  as  any  event  not  yet  decided. 
There  is  nothing  provincial  in  the  West.  When  the  young  man  from  New  England  meets  his  brother 
Americans  from  the  Southern  aud  Middle  States,  the  tirst  thing  each  party  sets  about  is  to  take  the 
measure  of  the  other.  Criticisms  of  speech  and  ideas  are  mutually  exchanged  in  a  friendly  way,  and  it 
is  not  long  till  the  three  comprehend  that  each  has  something  to  learn,  something  to  forget,  and  some 
provincial  prejudices  to  abandon.  Jt  may  seem  a  bold  assertion,  but  we  make  it,  nevertheless,  that  the 
best  and  purest  English  spoken  is  that  which  one  hears  from  the  man.of  Western  or  California  education. 
The  reason  is  clear  enough  to  those  who  tave  resided  for  several  years  in  that  or  this  country.  Our 
spoken  language  improves  by  criticism  or  deteriorates  from  lack  of  criticism.  The  provincial  man  is 
insensible  to  his  errors  till  some  one  from  the  outside  wcjrld  takes  him  up  and  corrects  them.  This  is 
what  is  constantly  going  on  here  and  at  the  West,  because  the  provinces  all  regularly  contribute  to  our 
J  opulation.  Caliloruia  is  cosmopolitan.  So  is  lilinois.  Both  are  eminently  national.  In  a  i)opulation 
so  mixed  and  constantly  fusing  by  intermarriages,  by  attendance  at  the  same  schools  and  churches,  and 
piirticipation  in  the  same  industi  ies,  there  can  be  no  time  or  taste  for  the  narrow,  provincial  philosophy 
which  in  the  retired  and  excluding  retreat  of  Abbeyville  produced  such  bitter  fruit  from  the  brain  of 
Calhoun.  Everything  in  the  west  is  on  a  grand  scale  — is  national.  Foreigners  become  Americanized 
there  quicker  than  anywhere  else,  because  they  see  America  in  her  grandest  aspects,  and  are  always 
cordially  welcomed  by  the  people  who  need  populatun,  but  have  land  to  spare  for  the  taking.  For  the 
next  quarter  of  a  centtiry  the  Eastern  and  MidiUe  States  must  needs  increase  slowly,  while  the  Great 
West  will  twice  double  her  wealth  and  inhabitants.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  if  the  West  should  work 
harmoniously,  there  is  nothing  she  could  demand  but  what  she  would  receive — national  capital,  Niagara 
Ship  Canal,  ship  canal  from  the  Illinois  to  Lake  Michigan,  or  anything  else.  She  will  then  have  at  least 
three  cities  of  each  more  than  a  million  inhabitants,  and  one,  perhaps,  as  large  as  New  York,  toward 
which  will  always  tend  the  wealth  and  fashion  of  the  great  heart  of  the  nation.  Something  like  this 
we  remember  to  have  seen  prophesied  about  fifteen  years  ago.  Wo  were  incredulous  then;  but  times 
have  changed,  and  the  prophecy  seems  no  longer  extravagant.  The  West  has  only  to  wait  and  work 
together  to  get  all  it  desires  and  to  rule  the  destiny  of  America 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  CUl<'a<jn  Investments.  387 

Upon  every  question  affectinfr  commerce,  manufactures,  means  of  inter- '''''**<'"8o'' 

.  .  '  .        _      '^  '  ^  UDIOD. 

communication,  and  other  similar  concerns  beariu";  upon  sectional  progress, 

.  .  or  r      o  )  Moans  of 

the  Great  Interior  will  be   united.       Having  confluence  of  interest  fully  prosperity. 
equal  to  that  of  New  England;  remarkable  homogeneity  of  character;  an 
absolute  necessity  that  we  should  have  more  traffic  with  each  other  than  all 
the  world  beside;  possessed  already  of  greater  lacilities  for  that  traffic  than 
any    other    region,   and    multiplying    with    unexampled    speed ;    with    the 
political  power  in  our  own  hands,  so  completely  after  the  next  apportionment, 
that,  unless  all  other  sections  combine  against  us,  we  can  adopt  any  measures 
of  progress  which  the  Constitution  will  warrant ;  with  the  entire  country  Work  foroiir 
most  benefited  as  the  Great  Interior  advances — what  reason  can  be  imac:ined  '^"""  ^^' 
why,  without  selfish  purposes,  but  merely  working  out  our  destiny  in  the  Work  for 
most  natural    manner,  we  should  not  carry  onward  the  means    already    so  *'"™*'  '^'''' 
effectually  inaugurated,  and  which,  from  their  beginning,  have  given  marvel- 
ous growth  to  the  chief  centres?     If  nature  and  art  conjoin  to  give  that"e^*^*"' 
region  a  city  so  superior  in  advantages   that  we  may  reasonably  expect  it  to 
become  chief  of  the  continent  in  commerce  and  manufactures,  will  it  not  be  "^'"^  "^^'*'^' 
an  object  for  its  every  part  to  advance  its  emporium  ? 

As  we   saw,  p.    IIG,  of  the  Old  Northwest,   of  the  378,000,000   acres,  Li,t,j,  ,,jn,i 
273,000,000  are  yet  wild  lands,  and  of  the  105,000,000  in  farms,  so  styled,  ^'^^  """''■ 
only  52,000,000  are  improved.     These  have  not  only  built  up  Cincinnati,  cries'"'"  "^ 
St.  Louis,  and  Chicago,  but  twenty  or  thirty  other  large  towns  and  cities. 
When  the  census  of  1870  shall  exhibit  city  and    sectional  growth,  will  not 
relative  chano;es  of  1860,  and  especially  of  lake  cities,  be  even  more  remark-  Rapid  im- 

"  I  >-  J  '  provemects. 

able,  than  those  commented  upon?  ( pp-  ^36-38.)  Shall  not  immigra- 
tion from  Europe  vastly  exceed  that  hitherto,  nearly  the  whole  seeking  this 
I'egion  ?  Shall  we  not  have  of  Asiatic  laborers  five  or  ten  to  one  from 
Europe  ?  As  millions  upon  millions  of  acres  of  rich  arable  land  are  brought 
under  the  plou2;h  ;  as  hundreds  of  millions  of  square  miles  of  rich  mineral  stimniato 

....  .  .  (^'ty  growth. 

land  are   developed,   and   mining  scientifically    prosecuted   with    improved 

machinery,  must  not  products  of  agriculture  and  of  mines  give  an  impetus 

to  city  growth  never  known  before  ?     Must  not  such  a  region  have  several  Several  large 

of  the  largest  cities  on  the  continent  ?     If  there  be  one  city  central  to  all  ohief  one 

others  and  which  each  will  have  more  traffic  with  than  any  other  —  one  from  others. 

city,  with  which  every  town  and  village  and  neighborhood  will  trade  more 

or  less  —  must  not  the    combined  power   of  the    Great  Interior   give    its 

emporium  such   ascendancy,   that  with  its   central  position   in  the  Union, 

every  city  and  section  on  the  continent  will  have  more  occasion  to  resort  to 

it  than  to  any  other  city  ?     Is  it,  then,  unresaonable  to  affirm  ?  that  — 

Other  Cities  are  no  Measure  for  Chicago.  other  cities 

no  nieasure 

This  heading  appears   to  be   a  natural   and  just  conclusion  unless   the  °^ 
argument  be  fallacious.     Therefore  it  is  not  to  be  proved  as  most  other  ciuii^.^*^°°' 
points  have   been.     If  not  established  already,  further  attempt  would  be 


3S8  Other   Cities  are  no  Measure  for   Chicago 

No  boasting  fruitlcss.       Nor    is    it   presented  in    a    spirit    of    vain-glorious    boasting. 

It  is  exciiiii-  However  weak  and  imperfect  the  writer,  he  is  not  so  bad,  I  trust,  that  a  six 
month's  study  of  such  a  subject  should  fail  to  awaken  a  sense  of  weighty 
responsibility,  as  it  will  in  nearly  every  Citizen-reader ;  a  spirit  of 
dependence  upon  that  Infinite  Power  which  alone  could  bring  about  the 
unity  of  effort  which  from  the  first  has  been  our  most  prominent  character- 
istic; that  energy  in  execution  which  is  indispensable  in  the  accomplishment 
of  the  unexampled  results  here  witnessed. 

still,  projid  Still,  we  have  a  pride  in  our  City,  or  this  book  would  never  be  distrib- 
uted, would  never  have  been  written.  And  we  have  a  right  to  be  proud  of 
the  growth  which   is  the  wonder   of  the  world,  and  which  nearly   every 

We  should    Citizen  has  helped  to  promote.     We  should   not  be  the  men  to  have  accom- 

appreciate  r  i 

our  position.  pHshed  this  manly  work,  could  we  not  better  than  any  others  appreciate  the 

importance  of  the  duties  entrusted  to  us,  and  properly  estimate  the  conse- 

Thi3  book  to  quenccs  to  ourselves,  to  our  State,  to  our  Nation,  to  the  world.     It  is  to  aid 

*'^'  in  making  this  estimate  with  exactness,  that  the  book  has  its  chief  value ; 

Will  cuiti-    and  so  far  as  it  shall  have  influence,  it  will  surely  cultivate  pride  in  every 

vate  pride,    ^^^^j  ^^  ^^ — pride  most  ennobling,  stimulating  us  to  all  needed  efforts,  that 

the  destiny  we   know  that  faithfulness  will  ensure  to  us,  fail  not  through 

our  unfaithfulness. 

Best  studied      Instead  of  quoting  from  other  writers  touching  this  important  subject,  it 

^*^^'  is  better  to  consider  yet  more  the  thoughts  of  Mr.  Scott,  who  doubtless  had 

more  thoroughly  studied  this   important  subject  of  city  progress  than  any 

other  man  ;  and  they  are  better  than  any  present  views  could   possibly  be, 

the  many  years  which  have  intervened  having  tested  the  soundness   of  his 

j/r.&o«, '48.  theory.     In  Hunt's  Merchants'  Magazine^  October,  1848,  he  considered — 

0„r  cities-  OUR  CITIES— ATLANTIC  AND  INTERIOR. 

Atlantic  and 

All  proiid  of     All  people  take  pride  in  their  cities.     In   them  naturally  concentrate  the  great 
our  cities,      minds  and  the  great  wealth  of  the  nation.     There   the  arts  that  adorn  life  are  cul- 
tivated, and  from  them  flow  out  the  knowledge  that  gives  its  current  of  thought  to 
the  national  mind. 
Large  cities       The  United  States,  until  recently,  have  had  large  cities  in  the  hope  rather  than 
hoped  for.      jq  tij^  reality.     It  is  but  a  few  years  since  our  largest  city  reached  a  population  of 
one  hundred  thousand.     Long  before  that  period,  sagacious  men  saw,  in  the  rapid 
growth    of  the   country,  and   the  aptitude  of  our  people   for   commerce,  that   such 
positions  as  those  occupied  by  Philadelphia  and  New  York,  must  rapidly  grow  up 
Tetnotbe-    ^^  ^^  great  cities.     This,   however,  was  by  no  means  the  common  belief  in  this 
lieved  in.       country;    and  our  transatlantic  brethren  treated   with   undisguised  ridicule   the 
idea  that  these  places  could  even  rival  in  magnitude  the  leading  cities  of  their 
N.  Y.  not  to^^^"^  countries.     New  York  is  now  sometimes  called  the  London  of  America.     Not 
equal  Loa-     that  those  calling  her  so,  suppose  she  will  ever  come  up  to  that  mammoth   in  size 
•^""-  and  importance,  but  becnuse  she  holds  in  the  New  World  the  relative  rank  which 

London  holds  on  the  old  Continent. 

N.  Y.  not  ^'  ^^  believed  that  few  persons,  at  this  time,  have  a  suflSciently  high  appreciation 

appreciated    of  the  future  grandeur  of  New  York;  and  yet  fewer  can  be  found  who  doubt  that 

she  will  always  continue  to  be  the  commercial  capital  of  America.     If  this  should 

be  her  destiny,  the  imagination  could  hardly  set  a  limit  to  her  future   growth  and 

150  years  to  grandeur      It  would  be  presumptuous  to  say  that  her  population  might  not  reach 

ha\-e  5,000,-    five  millions,  within  the  next  century  and  a  h'llf.     Of  the  few  persons  who    have 

doubled  her  continual  sunremacy,  most  have  given  the  benefit  of  the  doubt  to  New 


Past^  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  389 

Orleans.  This  outport  of  the  great  central  valley  of  North  America  was  believed  N.  0.  ex- 
to  command  a  destiny,  when  this  valley  should  become  well  peopled,  that  might  P^ctt-d  to 
eclipse  the  island  city  of  the  Hudson.  grow. 

Some  twenty  years   ago  the  writer  tlien  living  in  a  southeastern  State,  was  con-  In  182S  ox- 
viuced  that  the   greatest  city  must,  in  the  nature  of  things,  at  a  not   very  distant  r>"ti*'l 
day,  grow  up  in  the   interior  of  the  continent.     Of  this  opiuion  he  thinks   he  was  J^' o'„^'ulaua 
the  inventor  and,  for  many  years,  the  sole  proprietor.     It  it  had  been  the  subject  of 
a  patent,  no  one  would  have  been  found  to  dispute  his  claim  to  the  exclusive  right 
to  make  and  vend,  (if  that  could  be  said  to  be  vendible  which  no  one  would  be  pre- 
vailed  on  to  take  as   a  gift.)     That  such  an  opinion  should  appear  ab.surJ   and  Opiniuu  con- 
ridiculous,  may   very  well  be  credited   by  most  people,  who   consider   it  not  mucli  '^'"''''"^■(l 
less  so  now.     The  largest  city  of  the  interior  was  tlien  Cincinnati,  having  scarcely  ('j',^|  ,),e 
20,000  inhabitants  ;  and  the  sum  total  of  all  the  towns  in  the  great  valley  scarcely  lurgiot. 
exceeded  50,000.     St.  Louis  at  that  time  had  but  5,000,  and  Butt'alo  about  the  same  st.  L.  small 
number.     Here,  then,  was  a  basis  very  small  for  so  large  an  anticipation.     Who 
could   believe  that  St.   Louis,  with  5,000  people  could  possibly,  within   the  short 
period  of  150  years,   become   greater  than  New  York,  with   a  population   of  near  How  could 
200,000?     But  what  seemed  most  ridiculous  of  all  was,  that  the  future  riv.al  of  the  ?''*'  P*** 
great  commercial  emporium  should  be    placed  a  thousand  miles  from   the  ocean,     '    ' 
where  neither  a  ship  of  war  nor  a  Liverpool  packet  could   ever  be  expected  to 
arrive. 

Since   1828,   some  changes  of  magnitude  have  taken  place;    and   the   writer's  Clmngfg 
exclusive  right  might  now  be  questioned.     There   are  now  other  men,  considered  ^'"'^'' ^''"^■ 
Bane  men,  who  believe  the  great  city  of  the  nation  is  to  be  west  of  the  mountains, 
and  quite  away  from  the  salt  sea.     Governor   Bebb,  in  a  late  address  before    the  Gov.  Bibt)'s 
Young  Men's    Library   Association    of   Cincinnati,    expressed   his    decided  belief  contiiii-ncoin 
that  Cincinnati  would,  in  the  course   of   a  century   become   "the   greatest  agri-    '"'^'""'*  '• 
cultural,  manufacturing,  and  commercial  emporium  on  the   continent."     There   are 
other  men,  now,  not  much  less  distinguished  for  knowledge   and    forecast    than  Oiho-s  now 
Governor  Bebb,  who  entertain  the  same  belief.     What  has  wrought  this  change  of  '"'•''-'*<'. 
opinion  ?     Time,  whose  business  it  is  to  unfold  truth  and  expose  error,  has   given  How  tho 
proofs  which  can  no  longer  be  blinked.     The  interior  towns  have  commenced  a'^'^''"°'^' 
growth  so  gigantic  that  men  must   believe  there  is  a  power  of  corresponding  mag-  Rapid 
aitude  urging  them  forward  ; — a  power  yet  in  its  infancy,  but  unfolding  its  energies  rC'"""[.'li  of 
with  astonishing  rapidity.  towns' 

Let  us  make  some  comparisons  of  the  leading  eastern  and  western  cities.     New  Enstfin  and 
York  was  commenced  nearly  200  years  before  it  increased  to  100,000  people.     Cin-  ";''.^'''"n 
cinnati  according  to  Governor  Bebb,  has  now,  fifty  years  from  its  commencement,  pared. 
100,000  inhabitants.     Boston  was  200  years  in  acquiring  its  first  50,000.     New  York 
since  1790,  when  it  numbered  33,131,  has  hail  an  average  duplication 'every  fifteen 
years.     This  would  make  her  population  in  1850,  530,096.     This  is  very  near  what 
it  will  be  including  her  suburb,  Brooklyn. 

Cincinnati  has  on  the  average  since  1800,  when  it  had  750,  doubled  her  numbers  Cincinnati 
every  seven  years.  J^^^'"-"*^  '°  ^ 

iY(Sw   York. 

1790 33,131  1820 132,.524  1850 530,096  N.  Y.  from 

1805 66,262  1835 265,048  1790  to  1850. 


Cinci?mati. 

1800 750  1821 6,000  1842 48,000  Cincinnati 

1807 1,500  1828 12,000  '       " 

1814 3,000  1835 24,000 


1807 1,500  1828 12,000  1849 96,00U  J'^'^_^^^'^  '" 


It  appear8  from  this  table,  that,  on    the   average   of  fifty   years,    Cincinnati,  the  Cincinnati 
leading  interior  town,  has  doubled  her  population  every  seven  years  ;   while  New  ''""''leJ  "»  7 
York,  on  the  average  of  sixty  years,   has    scarcely  doubled  hers  in  every  period  of  jj'.'Y.'in  15. 
fifteen  years.     If  New  York  is  compared  with  Cincinnati  during  the  same  fifty  years, 
it  will  be  seen  that  the  period  of  her   duplication  averages  over   fifteen    years,  slie 
had,  in  1800,  60,489.     Doubling  this   every   fifteen  years,  she  should  have,  in  1850, 
nearly  650,000.     This  number  will  exceed  her  actual  population  more  than  100,000, 
whereas  Cincinnati  in  1850  will  certainly  exceed  96,000. 


300 


Other   Cities  are  no  Measure  for   Chicago. 


For  54  years 
X.  y.  dou- 
b'es  in  18, 
Cincinuatiin 
10  years. 

N.  T.  1904 
Lave  4,000,- 
000. 


Let  US  now  suppose  that,  for  the  next  fifty  four  years  after  1850,  the  ratio  of 
increase  of  New  York  will  be  such  as  to  make  a  duplication  every  eighteen  years, 
and  that  of  Cincinnati  every  ten  years.  New  York  will  commence  with  about  500,- 
000,  which  will  increase  by  the  year 

1868  to 1,000,000  1886  to 2,000,000  1901  to 4,000,000. 

Cincinnati  will  commence  in  1850  with  at  least  100,000,  which  will  double  every 
ten  years  ;  so  that  in 
1860  it  will  be. ..200,000  1880  it  will  be. ..800,000  1900  it  will  be. ..3,200, 000 


Cincinnati 
bave  4,066,- 
667. 

For  100  years 
Ji.  Y.  double 
in  20,  Cin- 
cinnati in  12. 


1870 


1890 


.1,600,000 


1904 


4,066,667 


...400,000 

The  resulting  figures  look  very  large,  and,  to  most  readers,  will  appear  extravagant. 
Let  us  suppose  the  duplication  of  New  York,  for  the  next  100  years,  to  be  eifected 
on  an  average  of  twenty  years,  and  that  of  Cincinnati  of  twelve  years. 


N.Y.  have    1850 500,000 

I9o0, 16.-       1870 1,000,000 

000,000.  i"'"""  >        > 


Cincinnati      1850 100,000 

bnye  25,600,-  jgg2 200,000 

1874 400,000 


New   York  in 

1890 2,000,000 

1910 4,000,000 

Cincinnati  in 

1886 800,000 

1898 1,600,000 

1910 3,200,000 


193v 8,000,000 

1950 16,000,000. 


1922 6,400,000 

1934 12,8110,000 

1946 25,600,000 


This  looks  like  carrying  the  argument  to  absurdity,  but  if  these  two  leading  cities 
be  allowed  to  represent  all  the  cities  in  their  sections  respectively,  the  result  of  the 
calculation  is  not  unreasonable.  It  is  not  beyond  possibility,  and  is  not  even 
improbable. 

The  growth  of  the  leading  interior  marts,  since  1840,  has  been  about  equal  to 

the  average  growth  of    Cincinnati  for  fifty   years    past.     This   growth  for  the  last 

cities  equal    gjgj^^  years,  according  to  the  best  information  to  be  obtained,  has  been  more  than 


Surround- 
ings in- 
cluded. 


Growth  of 
interior 


115  per  cent.,  as  the  following  table  will  show: 


and  1848, 115 
per  cent, 


1840.  1848. 

Interior         Cincinnati 46,000  95,000 

cities  in  1S40  St.  Louis 16,000  45,000 

Louisville 21,000  40,000 

Buffalo 18,000  42,000 

Pittsburgh 31,000  58,000 

Cleveland 6,000  14,000 

Columbus 6,000  14,000 

Dayton 6,000  14,000 


1840. 

Detroit 9,000 

Milwaukee 2,000 

Chicago 5,000 

Oswego 5,000 

Rochester 20,000 


1848. 

17,000 

15,000 

17,000 

11,000 

30,000 


Total 


191,000       412,000 


Exterior 
cities. 


The  growth  of  the  exterior  cities  for  the  same  period  has  beenabout  38  per  cent., 
according  to  the  following  figures  : — 


1840.  1848. 

Growth  in      New  York 312,000  425,000 

1840,1848,33  Philadelphia 228,000  350,000 

Baltimore 102,000  140,000 

New  Orleans 102,000  102,000 

Boston 98,000  130,000 

Charleston 29,000  31,000 


per  cent. 


1840. 

Savannah 11,000 

Mobile 12,000 

Brooklyn 36,000 

Portland 15,000 


1848. 

14,000 

12,000 

72,000 

24,000 


Total 


940,000      1,300,000 


Authorities. 

Inaccura- 
cies. 

Interior  3- 
f  >ld  fiiBter 
than  At,lun- 
tic  cities. 


The  census  for  1840  is  our  authority  for  that  year.  For  1848  we  have  late 
enumerations  of  most  of  the  cities.     The  others  we  estimate. 

Tliere  are  doubtless  a  few  inaccuracies  in  the  details,  but  not  enough  to  vary  the 
result  in  any  important  degree. 

In  the  aggregate  our  interior  cities,  depending  for  their  growth  on  internal  trade 
and  home  nianuf.iclure,  increase  three  times  as  fast  as  the  eastern  cities, which  carry 
on  nearly  allthe  foreign  commerce  of  the  country,  and  monopolize  the  home  commerce 
of  the  Atlantic  coast.  This  is  a  fact  of  significance.  It  proves  that  our  fertile  fields, 
after  supplying  food  to  everybody  in  foreign  lands  who  will  buy,  and  feeding  the  cities 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  301 

and  towns  of  the  Atlantic  States,  have  BufBccd  to  feed  a  rapidly  growiiig  town  popula- 
tion at  home.     It  proves,  also,  that  the  western  people  are  not  disposed  to  accept  the  ^Ve«t  not 
destiny  kindly  otlVred  them  by  tiieir  eastern  brethren,  of  confininn;  themselves  to  the  '^""/'"'''l '" 
handwork  of  agriculture — leaving  to  the  old  States  the  whole  field  of  machine  labor.    ^ 
Although    the    land  on  which  the    people  of  the    great  valley    have   but   recently 
entered  is  new.  tlie  civil,  social,  and  commercial  condition  of  tliis  people  is  advanced  Adviuicid 
nearly  to   the  highest  point  of  the   oldest    coinniuiiities.     Tlie  contriving  brain  and '^'^'''''''''""• 
skilful  liand  are  here  in  their  maturity.      The  raw   materials   necessary  to  tiio  arti- 
zan  and  the  manufacturer,  in  the  production  of  wiiatever  ministers  to  comfort  and 
elegance,  are  here.     The  bulkiness  of  food  and  raw  materials  makes  it  the  interest  cost.. ftrans- 
of  the  artizan  and  manufacturer  to  locate  himself   near   the  place  of  their  produc-  portuu  belp. 
tion.     It  is  this  interest,  constantly  operating,    which    peoples  our  western  towns 
and  cities  with  emmigrants  from  the   eastern   States  and   Europe.     When  foo<l  and 
raw  materials  for  nianufa;ture  are  no  longer  cheaper  in  the  great  valley  than  in  the 
States  of  the  Atlantic  and  the  nations   of   western   Europe,  then,  and  not  till  then,  Mnfr».  pre- 
will  it  cease  to  be  the  interest  of  artizans  and  manufacturers  to  prefer  a  location  in  t^r  West, 
western  towns  and  cities.     This  time  will  probably  be  about   the  period  when  the 
Mississippi  shall  flow  towards  its  head. 

The  chief  points  for  the  exchange  of  the  varied  productions  in  our  western  val-  Points  of 
ley  will,  necessarily,  give  employment  to  a  great  population.     Indeed  the  locations  ^'"^'''"■nco™- 
of  our  future  great  cities  have  been  made  with  reference  to  their  commercial  capa-  greaTcUie^ 
bilities.     Commerce  has  laid  the  foundation  on  which  manufactures  have  been,  to  a 
great  extent  instrumental  in  rearing  the    superstructure.     Together,  these  depart- .Toined  with 
ments  of  labor  are  destined  to  build  up,  in  our  fertile  valley,  the  greatest  cities  of  ™°^"- 
the  world. 

The  only  point  to  which  exception  can  be  taken  in  the  above  is  that  the 

ratio  of  increase  is  continued   the  same  through  so  lonor  a  period.     Neither  Ratio  of  in- 

New  1  ork  nor  Cincinnati,  nor  any  other  city,  can  keep  up  its  ratio.     Why  not  be  kept 

it  cannot  is  difficult  to  determine.     But.  Mr.  Scott  is   guarded  and  makes 

these  cities   inclusive  of  surroundings  ;  and  no  doubt  the   predictions  as  to 

New  York  will  thus  be   realized.     They  are   far   more  so  as  yet,  and  even  Surround- 

iiiffs  in- 

New  York  City  alone  has  nearly  1,000,000   already.     So,  too,  will   Cincia- eluded. 

nati  have  its  400,000  and  more,  by  1874.     But  will  the  causes  which  have 

thus  far  operated  to  keep  up  their  ratio  as  well  as  actual   increase,  continue  ^'''  ™'',° 

thus  to  operate  in  future?     Mr.  Scott  wrote   before  it  was  possible  to   have 

anticipated  the  rapid   multiplication  of  railways,  or  to   have  foreseen  their 

effects.     Who  would  have  imagined  that  such  diversion  could  have  so  soon 

been  made  adverse  to  Cincinnati  ?     The  chief  mistake   in   the   remarkable 

papers  we  have  seen,  pp.  SOO-313,  was  in   taking  too  mnch  time  to  effect  ^.^fngy-J, °/ 

changes  that  he  foresaw  would  ultimately  be  realized,  the  results  of  which  f"''^''^"- 

he  attempted  not  to  develope.     With  railroad  power  and  speed   they  have 

come,  and  we  only  need  to  change  his  line  of  argument  accordingly.     The 

underlying  principle,  the   po\ver  of  the  Great  West  to  build  up  the  chief 

cities  of  the  land,  has   been   thoroughly  tested  and  is  unquestionable  ;  and  Power  of 

the  incidental  point  also  is  unanswerably  established,  the  superiority  of  the  L«ke  superi- 

lakes  to  the  rivers. 

These  points  are  the  main  reliance  of  this  argument.     While  the  traffic  These  main 
of  the  G-reat  Interior  is  without  doubt  indefinitely  to  be   the  chief  support 
of  eastern  cities,  and  will  never  fail  them  but  steadily  increase  many  fold ; 
yet  relatively  it  is  to  be  confined  more  and  more  to  ourselves.     At  first  new  West  trade 

•'  J  nil-  most  with 

settlers    must   obtain    supplies    of  every    description   from    older    sections,  itself. 
They    begin  to   make   for  themselves  the   simplest  implements,  bulky  and 


392  Other   Cities  are  no  Measure  for   Chicago. 

costino-  heavily  for  transport,  and  go  on  in  quite  regular  succession  according 
Towns  grow  to  the  valuc  of  labor  to   build  and  cost  of  freight.     Towns  and  cities  grow 
rnd'com"'^'^"  as  they  can   obtain   materials  advantageously  together  with  labor,   and  be 
luiiways      supplied  with  distributing  facilities.     Railways,  as  we  have  seen,  more  than 
U'bt  means.  ^^^  other  uicaus,  supply  facilities   both  to   gather  and  to   distribute.     For 
this  water   transport   is    not  essential,   though  more   or  less  advantageous. 
With  few  railroads,  and  those  centering  at  few  points,  their  centres  would 
Sproa.1  over  be  rapidly  created  into  great  cities.     But  here  they  are,  in  the  very  infancy 
the  \v  est.     ^^  settlement  of  Indiana  and  Michigan  and  the   States  west,  spread  like  a 
Aid  to  Gin-    net-work  all  over  them.     Cincinnati  had  obtained  the  lead  so  eifectually  that 
ciiinati.        ^j^^^  aided  more  and  more  in  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Kentucky  to  advance  her 
above  surrounding  places ;  and  though  some  of  her  trade  may  be  drawn 
from  her,  yet  doubtless  she  will  continue  to  be  the  chief  city  of  a  radius 
of  250  miles  around  her. 
Lake  Erie        Along  Lake  Erie  there  are  too  many  railway  centres  for  any  one  to  attain 
cent'rM"^      great  prominence.     Mr.  Scott  still   argues  that   Toledo  is  to  lead ;  but  its 
being  at  the  head  of  Lake  Erie  is  very  different  from  being  at  the  extrem- 
ity of  lake  navigation,  and   appears   not  to   be  a  sufficient  advantage  over 
what  Cleveland    has  in   her  railways  and  large  trade  ;   and   though  climate 
Cincinnati     favors   lake  towus,  yet  unless   one  of  them   is   able  to   attain  considerable 
i!u-°gt*t/      ascendancy  over  the  others,  Cincinnati  will   always  be  chief  of  that  region. 
Citi.,  St.  L.    Iiulced,  it  seems  that  the  cllect  of  railways  must   be  to  centre  the  trade  of 

Hiid  Chi.  '  ...  .  ,  . 

chiffof  their  their  respective  regions  more  and  more  at  Cincinnati,  St.   Louis  and  Chi- 

regiuus.  I  o 

cago.     The  only  question  as  to   St.  Louis  is,  whether  there  shall  not  be  at 
the  Big  liend  of  the  Missouri,  a  more  important  railway  centre.     She  has 
enough   intermediate,  and   south  and  southwest  to  make  her  a    great  city ; 
and   there  is   a  doubt  whether   influences  can  be   converged  at  one  point 
which  are  now  divided  to  Kansas  City,  Jjcavenworth  and  Lawrence.     Should 
Kansas  City  Kansas  City  obtain  ascendancy,  as  she  should,  the  chief  city  of  that  regioa 
SL L  suro!'"'' will  be  there.     But  however  large  that  city,  the  time  will  never  come  in 
which  St.   Louis  will  not  be  the  centre  of  an  area  which  will  keep  her  in 
a  state  of  rapid  progress. 
Many  large        Bccause  the  Great  Interior  has  the  power  to  create  many  large  cities  and 
chrHurel^"    will  surely  do  it,  is  precisely  the   reason  why  there   is  no  measure  for  Chi- 
cago in  any  thing  which  has   preceded   in  the   progress  of  the   human  race. 
In  a  region  which  is  traversed  by  a  perfect  net-work  of  railroads  converg- 
Reaflons  for  i^^g  ^^  ^^^  Centre  ;  with  an  absolute  certainty  that  the  system  can  never  be 
BupeTiorUy'.  changed,  but  is  so  laid  that  its  expansion   and   filling  up   must  more  and 
more  converge  trafhc  toward  that  centre  :  with  that  railway  centre  also  the 
strongest    point  of  conjunction    of   inland   navigation,   and    certain    to   be 
opened  in  a  few  years  to  ocean  commerce  for  vessels  of  1,500  tons  5  is  it  not 
quite  certain   that  so  far  as  commerce   influences,  however  numerous  and 
larse    the   cities  of  that  region,  the  central   one   must   have   proportionate 
superiority  ? 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  393 

If  to   comincvcial  superiority  be  added   uncqualed  advantages  to  gather  Mufs.  aJ- 
every  important  material  for  mauuracturing,  with  the  cheapest  food  of  the 
world,  a  climate   unsurpassed,  an   abundance   of  purest   water,   and    many 
other  important  advantages  with  no  drawbacks ;  is  it  not  certain  that  unless 
other  places   possess  the  same   advantages,  such  a  centre  of  manufactures  Must  he  nrst 
and  commerce  must  be  first  of  its  region  '{ 

If  there  be  elsewhere  another  region — not  a  little  tract  of  a  few  thousand  whoro 
square    miles — that   civilized  man   has    ever    occupied   comparable   to  the  oiuai  ro- 
Great  Interior  either  in  extent,  in  agricultural  wealth,  in  mineral  wealth,*^'"" 
in  facilities   of  inter-communication,  there  might   be  a   chance  to  compare, 
though  it  would  be  reasonable  to  require  at  least  two  of  the  points.     But 
there   being   none  other  equal   to  it   in   any  one  of  these  respects ;  is   it  No  measure 
reasonable  to  limit  its  prospective  growth  to  any  previous  example  'i  ''"^  *"  "' 

Besides,  the  whole  region    tributary  is  in   the  early  stages  of  settlement  ;  w..^t  iu  its 
that  I'onuing  period  when  the   people  have  the  fewest  possible  wants.     The  Vt;\te.'^"^* 
demand   for   expensive   furniture,  carriages,  etc.,  is  very  slight,   and   that 
demand  cannot  be  supplied  by  manufacturers  in  the  region,  but  in  the  older 
States.     What  little   manufacturing  is   done,  being  of  the  plainest  kind,  Mufc  now 
with  little   machinery,  every   county  town,  at   least,  has  the  usual  variety.  •J"*"'''"*''''- 
But  as  a  country  devclopes,  a  demand  arises  for  better  articles  than  can  be  t..  iiave  a 
had  except  in   extensive  establishments  where  machinery  can   be  used   to ""  '**" 
save  labor.     Where  are  they  so  likely  to  go  for  such  articles  as  to  the  city  One  ea«iiy 
they  know   is  chief  in  those   respects,  and   which  they  can   go  to  or  return  "^"""^ 
from  twice  a  day  or  oftener,  and  most  of  them  on  direct  roads  where  they 
do  not  fear  to  miss  connexions  ?     Is  not  an  enterprising  manufacturer  who  Tiuit  thecity 
wishes  to  change  location,  likely  to  seek  a  city  where  he  has  already  at  least  wouiVseek. 
8,000  miles  of  railway  upon  which  to  send  his  wares  daily  or  oftener  without 
change  of  cars,  and  3,000  miles  more  with  one  change,  and  with  a  certainty 
that  five  years  will  double  these  facilities  ?     What  else  brought  to  us  2,848  what  gave 
manufacturing  establishments,  listed  p.  20-4,  when  all  Cook  County  had  butniiupd? 
469  in  18G0  ?     The  subject  begins  to  be  understood  not  only  in   the  AVest 
but  in  the  East.     A  correspondent  of  an  eastern  paper  said  : —  Edstem 

paper. 

In  a  conversation  with  one  of  the  Western  delegates  at  the  recent  National  Com-  w-stern  ex- 
mercial    Convention,    your    correspondent    gained    much    interesting    information'""^'''''""*"' 
concerning  the  lively  interest  felt  by  Western  capitalists  is  regard  to  the  future  of  '""  '"■ 
manufacturers   and  their  establishments   in  tiie  Western    States.     It  is  natural    for 
manufacturers  to  find  their  way  to  the  market  place  of  the  country,  at  or  near  the  Naiural  to 
commercial   centres,    instead   of    to   tlie    waterfalls,    far  away  from    the   eeaboard. '*^'''^  *  •=""" 
Goods  are,  for  the  most   part,  mailo  near   cheap  fuel  and  railroads,  to  obviate  the   '^"' 
expense  of  freiglits,  commissions,  agencies,   etc.,  thus  enabling  tlic   Eastern   manu- 
facturers to  realize  larger  profits  on  the  labor  of  every  operative  they  employ.      J>ut 
Western  men  now  urge  that  with  the  coal   and  water  facilities  oifered   by  nature  at  Ailvuntages 
the  West,  with  the  removal  of  the  tax  on  manufactures,  and  cheap  freight  facilities  of  West, 
and  cheap  labor,  goods  can  be  manufactured  as  cheaply  as  in  the  East,  and  that  the 
time  is    not  far   distant  when   the   large  cities  of  the  West   will   be   in  competition 
with  those  of  the  East ;  that  the  true  places  for  manufacturing  industry — those 


394  Other  Cities  are  no  31easure  for   Chicago. 

Tiade  cen-  places  which  will  be  hereafter  the  true  places  for  manufacturing  industry — are  the 
tres  best  for  giiief  centres  of  trade  ;  that  it  is  not  the  possession  of  abundant  water  power,  or 
'""^'^^'  coal   near  at  hand  which  will  determine  >the  question,  but  that  the  question  will  oe 

determined   by    the  advantages    held    out   by    these    great   centres    of  supply  for 
disposing  of  products  when   manufactured. 
Beport  of  The  last  report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  develops  the  tendency  of  manu- 

Sfc'y  of  let.  fj^gtm-ing  industry.  From  a  large  number  of  places,  East  and  West,  selected  to 
East  and  give  a  comparative  view  of  the  productive  power  of  that  industry  in  the  place 
Wost  com-  named,  it  was  shown  that  the  amount  of  earnings  averaged  by  the  operatives  is  less  at 
P*"^^  ■  points  where  steam  power  is  not  used  and  coal  mines  are  not  at  hand.     The  average 

earnings  of  each  operative  in  Lowell,  Manchester,  Paterson,  Pittsburgh,  Philadel- 
phia and  Reading  are  considerably  less  when  compared  with  the  average  earnings 
for  those  places  where  there  is  no  water  power  and  an  easy  access  to 
coal.  It  is  also  claimed  that  industry  is  more  productive  in  money  value  at  the 
Effect  of  Pa- West  than  in  the  East.  The  completion  of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  it  is  prophesied, 
ciflc  roads,  ^yill  tend  to  make  the  West  the  great  seat  of  manufacturing  industry,  as  it  will  be 
the  centre  of  civilization.     The  question  is  one  of  political  economy. 

Views  of  Numerous  extracts  from  our  own  papers  bearing  upon  this  point  must  be 

press.  omitted.     That  a  live  press  like  ours  would  be  earnest  and  constant  in  calling 

attention  to  this  important  interest,  is  too  much  a  matter  of  course  to  make 
Disinterested  it  necessary  to  take  further  space  for  their  testimony.     Much  better  than 
bettf™^"      aiiy  judgment  of  our  own  upon  this  essential  point,  we  have  another  paper 
from  Mr.  Scott,  which  nine  years  more  of  observation  enabled  him  to  pre- 
pare, based   upon  the  progress  which  a  few  years  of  railway   power  had 
11  years'       developed.     Eleven  years  more,  notwithstanding  the  retarding  influences  of 
war,  abundantly  confirm  the  soundness  of  his   reasoning,  and  the   modera- 
tion of  his  conclusion,  notwithstanding  it  has  been  and   still   is  deemed 
improbable   even   by  our   own  Citizens.     In   the   February  number  of  the 
Mr.Scott,      Merchants'  Magazine  for  1857,  Mr.  Scott  discussed  this  subject : — 

1857.      '  -^^  '  •> 

West,  move-  WESTWARD  MOVEMENT  OF  THE  CENTER  OF  POPULATION,  AND  OP 
Se  of  popu-  INDUSTRIAL  POWER  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 

lation  and 
industry. 

An  interest-       In  the  rapidly  developing  greatness  of  North  America,  it  is  interesting  to  look  to 
ing  subject.   ^^^  future,  and  speculate  on  the  most  probable  points  of  centralization  of  its  com- 
mercial and  social  power.     I   leave  out  the  political    element,  because,  in   the   long 
run,  it  will  not  be  very  potential,  and  will  wait  upon   industrial  developments.     I 
also  omit  Mexico,  so  poor  and  so  disconnected  in  her  relations  to  the  great  body  of 
the  continent. 
U.  S.,  Cana-       Including  with  our  nation  as  forming  an  important  part  of  its  commercial  com- 
^'  munity,  the  Canadas,  and  contiguous  provinces,  the  centre   of  population,    white 

Movement     and  black,  is  a  little  west  of  Pittsburgh.     The  movement  of  this  centre  is  north  of 
weat!"^  '^'^^     west,  about  in  the  direction  of  Chicago.     The  centre  of  productive  power  cannot  be 
ascertained  with  any  degree  of  precision.     We  know  it  must  be  a  considerable  dis- 
tance east,  and  north  of  the  centre  of  population.     That  centre,  too,  is  on  its  grand 
march  westward.      Both,   in   their   regular   progress,    will  reach   Lake   Michigan. 
T)ie  centre  of  industrial  power  will  touch  Lake  Erie,  and  possibly,  but  not  proba- 
bly, the  centre  of  population  may  move  so  far  northward  as  to  reach   Lake  Erie 
^"th^^Zi        ^^^'^^     Their  tendency  will  be  to   come  together;  but  a  considerable  time  will  be 
required  to  bring  them  into  near   proximity.     Will  the  movement  of  these  centres 
— on  Lake     be  arrested  before  they  reach  Lake  Michigan  ?     I  think   no  one   expects  it  to  stop 
Michigan.      eastward  of  that  lake  ;   few  will  claim  that  it  will  go  far  beyond  it.      Is  it  not,  then, 
as  certain  as  anything  in  the  future  can  be,  that  the  central  power  of  the  continent 

Then  lie  will  move  to,  and  become  permanent  on  the  border  of  the  great  lakes  ?  Around 
permanent.  ^  ° 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of    Chicaqo    Jnncstmcnts.  395 

these  pure  waters  will  gather  the  densest  population,  and  on  their  borders,  will 
grow  up  the  best  towns  and  cities.  As  the  centers  of  population  and  wealth 
approach,  and  pass  Cleveland,  that  city  should  swell  to  large  size.  Toledo  will  he  Toledo  ben- 
still  nearer  the  lines  of  their  movement,  and  should  he  more  favorably  affected  by  eflti«J- 
them,  as  the  aggregate  power  of  the  continent  will,  by  that  time,  be  greatly 
increased.  As  these  lines  move  westward  towards  Chicago,  the  influence  of  their 
position  will  be  divided  between  that  city  and  Toledo,  distributing  benefits  according 
to  the  degree  of  proximity. 

If  we  had  no  foreign  commerce,  and   all  other  circumstances  were  equal,  the  Foreign 
greatest  cities  would  grow  up  along  the  line  of  the  central  industrial   power,  in  jty  comtufrre 
westward   progress,  each  new  city  becoming  greater  than  its  predecessor,  bythe""      "" 
amount  of  power  accumulated  on  the  continent,  for  concentration   from  point  to 
point  of  its  progress.     But  as  there  are  points,  from  one  resting-place  to  another 
possessing  greatly  superior  advantages  for  commerce  over  all   others,   and    near 
enough   the  centre  line  of  industrial  power  to  appropriate  the  commerce  which  it 
offers,  to  these  points  we  must  look  for  our  future  great  cities.     To   become  chief  Chiffessen- 
of  these,  there  must  be  united  in  them  the  best  facilities  for  transport,  by  water  *'"''*  "'^  *^®°' 
and  by  land.     It  is  too  plain,  to  need  proof,  that  these  positions  are  occupied   by  '^*'''' 
Cleveland,  Toledo  and  Chicago. 

But  we  have  a  foreign  commerce  beyond  the  continent  of  North  America,  by  means  Forrign  com 
of  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  bearing   the    proportion,  we  will  allow,  of  one  to  twenty  of  "'*-''''^'^'  lto20 
the  domestic  commerce  within  the  continent.     This   proportion   will  seem  small  to"*^  (li>tne8tic. 
persons  who  have  not  directed  particular   attention  to  the  subject.     It  is,  neverthe- 
less, within  the  truth.     The  proof  of  this  is  difficult,   only  because  we  cannot  get 
the  figures  that  represent  the  numberless  exchanges  of  equivalents  amongeach  other, 
in  such  a  community  as  ours. 

If   we  suppose  ten  of  the  twenty-nine  millions  of  our  North    American  commu-  Annual  pro- 
nity  to  earn,  on  an  average,  $1,25  per  day,   312   days    in  the  year,  it  will  make  an  oij'joqJ)  ' 
aggregate  of  nearly   four   thousand   millions    of  dollars.     If  we    divide  the  yearly 
profits  of  industry  equally  between  capital  and  labor,  the  proportion  of  labor  would 
be  but  $1,25  per  day,  for  five  millions  of  the  twenty-nine   millions.     Tlie    average 
earnings  of  the   twenty-nine   millions,   men,    women  and   children   to   produce  two  This  reliablo 
thousand  millions  yearly,  would  be    twenty-two  cents  a  day,  for  312  working  days. 
This  is  rather  under  than  over  the    true   amount ;    for  it  would  furnish  less  than 
$70  each  for  yearly  support,  without  allowing  anything  for  accumulation. 

Of  the  four  thousand  millions  of  yearly  production,  we  cannot  suppose  that  more  $3.(ioo,000,. 
than  one  thousand  million  is    consumed  by  the  producers,  without  being  made  the  "^''  '"■"  ^^ 
subject  of  exchange.     This    will  leave    three   thousand    millions  as  the  subjects  of '^ '""''*■ 
commerce,  internal  and  external.     Of  this,  all  must  be  set  down  for  internal  com- 
merce, inasmuch  as  most  of  that  which  enters  the  channel    of  external    commerce, 
first  passes  through  several  hands,  between  the  producer   and   exporter.     Foreign 
commerce  represents  but  one  transaction  :  The  export  is  sold,  and  the  import  is  bought  Superiority 
with  the  means  the  export  furnishes.     Not  so  with  domestic  commerce.     Most  of  the  '"  foreign, 
products  which  are  its  subjects,   are  bought  and  sold  many    times,    between   the 
producer  and  ultimate  consumer.     Let  us  state  a  case  : — 

I  purchase  a  pair  of  boots  from  a  boot  dealer  in  Toledo.     He  has  purchased  them  Course  ot 
from  a  wholesale  dealer  in  New  York,  who  has  bought  them  of    the    manufacturer  doniestic 
in  Newark.     The  manufacturer  has  bought  the    chief    material  of  a  leather  dealer 
in  New  York,  who  has  made  the  purchases  which  fill  his  large    establishment  from 
small  dealers  in   hides.     These  have  received   their   supplies  from  butchers.     The 
butchers  have  bought  of  the  drovers,  and   the  drovers  of  the  farmers.     The  boots  importing 
purchased  are  of  French  manufacture,  they  have  been  the  subject  of  one  transac-  one  transac- 
tion represented  in  foreign  trade,  to  wit:   their  purchase  in  Paris  by  the  American  *'"°- 
importer;   whereas,  they  are  the  subject  of  several  transactions  in  our  domestic  Scvoial  do- 
trade.     The  importer  sells  them  to  the'  jobber  in  New  York,  the  jobber  sells  them  ""^'''''^"*"'' 
to  the  Toledo  dealer  who  sells  them  to  me. 

It  can  scarcely  admit  of  a  doubt,  that  the  domestic  commerce  of  North   America  Dompstic  20 
bears  a  proportion  as  large  as  twenty  to  one  of  its  foreign  commerce.      Has  internal  f  Jrei^'iTtraf- 
commerce  a  tendency  to  concentrate  in  few  points,  like   foreicrn  commerce  ?     Is  its  nc. 
tendency  to  concentration  less  than  foreign  commerce  ?     No  difference  in  this  respect 
can  be  perceived.     All  commerce  developes  that  law  of  its    nature,  to  the  extent  of  Allcom- 
its  means.      Foreign    commerce  concentrates  chiefly  at   those  ports  where  it  meets  '"'■''ce  equal, 
the  greatest  internal  commerce.     The    domestic   commerce   being   the  great  body, 


396  Other   Cities  are  no  Measure  for   Chicago. 

N.  Y.  chief  draws  to  it  the  smaller  body  of  foreign  commerce.  New  York,  by  her  canals,  her 
of  foreign  as  railroads,  and  her  superior  position  for  coast-wise  navigation,  has  drawn  to  herself 
of  domestic.  ^^^^  ^f  q-^^.  foreign  commerce,  because  she  has  become  the  most  convenient  point  for 
the  concentration  of  our  domestic  trade.  It  is  absurd  to  suppose  that  she  can  always, 
or  even  for  half  a  century,  remain  the  best  point  for  the  concentration  of  domestic 
Change  cor-  trade;  and,  as  the  foreign  commerce  will  every  year  bear  aless  and  less  proportion  to 
tain.  the  domestic  commerce,  it  can  hardly  be  doubted,  that  before  the  end  of  one  century 

frona  this  time,  the  great  centre  of  commerce  of  all  kinds,  for  North   America  will 
Supposed       be  on  a  lake  harbor.     Supposing  the  centre  of  population  (now  west  of  Pittsburgh) 
N.  \v.  direc- gjjj^ii  average  a  yearly  movement  westward,  for  the  next  fifty  years,  of  twenty  miles  ; 
rapidity         ^'^^^  would  carry  it  one  thousand  miles  northwest-ward  from  Pittsburgh,  and  some 
five  hundred  or  more    miles  beyond  the  central  point  of  the    natural  resources  of 
the  country.     It  would  pass    Cleveland  in  five  years,  and    Toledo  in  eleven  years, 
Where  it       reaching  Chicago,  or  some  point  south  of  it,  in  less  than  twenty  five   years.     The 
strikes.         geographical  center  of  industrial  power,  is  probably  now  in  northeastern  Pennsyl- 
vania, having  but  recently  left  the  city  of  New    York,  where  it  partially,  now  for  a 
time  remains.     This  centre  will  move  at  a  somewhat  slower  rate  than  the  centre  of 
population.     Supposing  its  movement  to  be  fifteen  miles  a  year,  it  will  reach  Cleve- 
land in  twenty  years,  Toledo  in  twenty  seven  years,  and  Chicago  in  forty-five  years. 
If  ten  years  be  the  measure  of  the  annual    movement  northwestward  of  the  indus- 
trial central  p'oint  of  the  continent,    Cleveland    would   be  reached  in  thirty  years, 
Toledo  in  forty,  and, Chicago  in  sixty-three  years. 
Population         It  is  well  known,  that  the   rate  at  which  the  centre  of  population  in  the  United 
moving  more  States  is  now  moving  westward,  is  overfifteeu  miles  a  year,  and  that  it  is  moving  with 
rapidly.         ^^  accelerated  speed.     It  is  obvious  that  the  centre  of  population,  and  the  centre  of 
Population    industrial  power,  now  widely  separated  by  the  nature  of  the  country  between  New 
aiyl  iiidiis-     York  and  Cleveland^  by  the  superiority  in  productive  power  of  the  old  northern  and 
to  come  to-    middle  States,  over  the  new  States  of  the  Northwest;  and  still  more,  by  the  inferi- 
gether.  ority  of  industrial  power  of  the  plantation  States,  compared  with  the  region  lying 

north  of  them,  will  have  a  constant  tendency  to  approximate,  but  can  never  become 
identical,  so  long  as  the  inferior  African  race  forms  a  large  proportion  of  the 
Tendency  of  population  of  the  great  southern  section  of  our  Union.  The  constant  tendency  of 
latter  north  the  Centre  of  industrial  power  will  be  northward,  as  well  as  westward.  This  will 
and  west.  -^^  determined  by  the  superiority  of  the  natural  resources  of  the  Northwest,  over 
Advantages  the  Southwestern  section,  by  the  use  of  a  far  greater  proportion  of  machine  labor, 
of  the  re-  in  substitution  for  muscular  labor,  in  the  northern  regions,  and  also  by  the  superior 
^^'^^'  muscular  and  mental   power,  of  the   inhabitants  of  the   colder  climate.     To  these 

might  be  added  the  immense  advantage  of  a  vastly  greater  accumulated  imiustrial 
power,  in  every  branch  of  industry,  and  the  tendency  of  the  superabundant 
capital  of  the  old  world  to  flow  into  the  free  States,  and  the  country  north  of  them. 
British  Prov-  In  the  view  of  the  subject  which  has  been  taken  here,  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
ico^aud  C^l.  '■i'*^'!^  with  the  British  Provinces  north  of  us  has  been  considered  a  portion  of  our 
not  affect  domestic  trade,  and  that  Mexico  and  California  have  been  left  out  of  our  calculation, 
result.  These  may  be  allowed   to  balance  each  other.     But  together  or  apart,  they  will  not 

be  of  sufficient   importance    to   our  continental   commerce,  to  vary  materially  the 
results  of  its  future  for  the  next  fifty  years,  as  developed  in  this  paper. 
U.  S.  and  At  their  present  rate  of  increase,  the  United  States  and  the  Canailas,  fifty  years 

Canada  in  50  from  this  time,  will  contain  over  one  hundred  and  twenty  millions  of  people.  If  we 
have  120-  Suppose  it  to  be  one  hundred  and  five  millions,  and  that  these  shall  be  distributed  so 
000,000.  '  that  the  Pacific  States  have  ten  millions,  and  the  Atlantic  border  twenty-five  mil- 
^'■*'*t  Interi- lions-,  there  will  be  left  for  the  great  interior  plain  seventy  millions.  These  seventy 
Oo'o.  '  '"  millions  will  have'twenty  times  as  much  commercial  intercourse  with  each  other  as 
Mu«t  have  with  all  the  world  beside.  It  is  obvious,  then,  that  there  must  be  built  up  in  their 
the  groat       midst  the  great  city  of  the  continent ;    and   not    only  so,  but  that  they  will  sustain 

several  cities  greater  than  those  which  can  be  sustained  on  the  ocean  border. 

Era  of  great      This  is  the  era  of  great  cities.     London   has   nearly  trebled  in  numbers  and  busi- 

cities.  ness  since  the  commencement  of  the    current   century.      The    augmentation  of  her 

population  in  that  time  has  been.a  million  and  a  half.     This  increase  is  equal  (o  the 

whole  population  of  New  York  and   Philadelphia  ;   and  yet  it  is  probable  that  New 

York  will  be  as  populous  as  London  in  about  fifty  years.     A  liberal  but  not  improb- 

EHtimate  of   ^^'^^    estimate    of    the   period    of    duplication  of  the  number  of  tliese  great  cities 

London   and  would  be,  for  London,  thirty  years,  and  for  New  York,  fifteen  years.     At  this  rate, 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  397 

London  will  bave  four  millions  and  seven  hundred  thousand,  and    New    York  three 

millions  four  hundred    thousand,  at    the    end   of  tliirty  years.     At.    the  end  of  the 

third  duplication  of  New  York — that  is,  in  forty-five  years — she  will  have  become  n.  Y.  beat 

more  populous  than   London   and    number  neai-ly  seven  millions.     This  is  beyond  l-onrlon  in  .00 

belief,  but  it  shows  the  probability  of  New  York  overtaking  London  in  about  fifty  y"'""- 

years. 

A  similar  comparison  of  New    York  and  the  leading  interior  city— Chicago — will  N.  Y.  aud 
show  a  like  result  in  favor  of  Chicago.     The  census  returns  sliow  the  average  period  ^'''• 
of  duplication  to  be  fifteen  years  for  New  York,  and  less  than  four  years  for  Chicago. 
Suppose  that  of  New  York  for  the  future  should  be  sixteen  years,  and  that  of  Cni-  N.Y.  doubles 
cago  eight  years,  and  that   New  York  now  has,    with   her  suburbs,   nine   hundred  j','.  ."'.  y^*"'*' 
thousand,  and  Chicago  one  hundred  thousand  people.      In    three    duplications    New     "' '"    ' 
York  would  contain  six  millions  two  hundred  thousand,  and    Chicago,  in  six  dupli- 
cations, occupying  the  same  length  of  time,  would  have  six  millions  four  hundred 
thousand.      It  is  not  asserted,  as  probable,  that   either  city  will  be  swelled  to  such  48  years  Chi. 
an  extraordinary  size  in  forty-eight  years,  if  ever,  but  it  is  more  than  probable  that  largest, 
the  leading  interior  city  will  be  greater  than  New  York  fifty  years   from  this  time. 

A  few  words  as  to  the  estimation  in  which  such  anticipations  are  held.  The  I'""''' n*"  *'> 
ffeneral  mind  is  faithless  of  what  goes  much  beyond  its  own  experience.  It  refuses  !"''''  P'''^*"'" 
to  receive,  or  it  receives  with  distrust,  conclusions,  however  strongly  sustained  by 
facts  and  fair  deductions,  which  go  much  beyond  its  ordinary  range  of  thought.  It 
is  especially  skeptical  and  intolerant  towards  the  avowal  of  opinions,  however  well 
foundeil,  whicli  are  sanguine  of  great  future  changes.  It  does  not  comprehend 
them,  and  therefore  refuses  to  believe ;  but  it  sometimes  goes  further,  and  without 
examination,  scornfully  rejects.  To  seek  for  the  truth,  is  the  proper  object  of  those 
who,  from  the  past  and  present,  undertake  to  say  what  will  be  in  the  future,  and, 
when  the  truth  is  found,  to  express  it  with  as  little  reference  to  what  will  be 
thought  of  it,  as  if  putting  forth  the  solution  of  a  mathematical  problem. 

If  it  were  asked,  whose  anticipations  of  what  has  been  done  to  advance  civiliza- '^°'' ^*°' 
tion,  for  the  past  fifty  years,  have  come  nearest  the  truth, — those  of  the  sanguine  ami  fstrf-'ht^'"' 
hopeful,  or  of  the  cautious  and  fearful,  must  it  not  be  answered  that,  no  one  of  the 
former  class  had  been  sanguine  and  hopeful  enough  to  anticipate  the  full  measure  of 
human  progress,  since  the  opening  of  the  present  century?  May  it  not  be  the  most 
sanguine,  and  hopeful  only,  who,  in  anticipation,  can  attain  a  due  estimation  of  the 
measure  of  future  change  and  improvement,  in  the  grand  march  of  society  and 
civilization  westward  over  our  continent  ? 


What  is  fanciful,  unreasonable  in  that  sacracious  paper?     Notwithstand-Thpso views 
ing  the  war  has  greatly  retarded  such  enterprises   as  railways,  has  drawn  reaiiiod. 
very  heavily  upon   the  West  in   agricultural   laborers,    and   every  way  has 
deranged  the  natural  current  of  events ;  yet,  have  not  the  eleven  years  past 
given  good   evidence  that   those    predictions  are  to  be  realized  ?     Is   not 
"this  the   era  of   great   cities?"     Was    there   ever  such  a  power  as  the  Reasons  why 

.  .        J     .  ,  Chi.  has  no 

railway  brought  to  bear  upon  cities  :  Has  it  ever  existed  in  equal  precedent, 
power  to  work  upon  any  city  as  Chicago  ?  Did  it  ever  operate  in 
any  country  where  it  had  equal  opportunity  at  once  to  develope  and  to 
centralize?  Is  not  this  gigantic  railway  system  sustained  aud  promoted 
by  the  lakes,  the  grandest  inland  navigation  of  the  world  ?  Is  it  not 
closely  conjoined  to  and  aided  by  the  longest  river  navigation  of  the  world  ? 
Ls  it  not  absolutely  certain  as  the  continuance  of  man  and  the  globe  in  present 
condition,  that  in  all  these  respects  there  can  be  no  drawbacks,  but  steady, 
rapid  progress  ?  Has  any  city  ever  arisen  upon  which  any  such  influences 
were  ever  broim'ht  to  bear  ?     Why  then  should  it  not  be  admitted  that  no  why  deny 

„         .  ,,  1        1-         •  1         the  fact? 

other  city  can  be  a  measure  for  Chicago  t     At  all  events.,  duphcation  has 


598 


Other   Cities  are  no  Measure  for   Cliicago. 


Chi.  has       been  made  and  more  the  last   8  years.     The  following  is  an  abstract  of  a 
doubled  in  Sggj-jgyg  jygj.  finished  by  the  Board  of  Health  for  sanitary   purposes,  under 
the  supervision  of  our  capable  head  of  the  Board,  J.  H.  Rauch,  M.D.* 


Census  of 
Chi.  April 
Ist,  186S. 


Population 
242,1-29. 
Buildings, 
40,815. 


Census  of  Buildings  and  of  Population  of  Chicago,   \st  April,   1868. 


..^n 

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rr        i 

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fl 

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a  la 

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i 

o 

c 

*   3 

fe 

^ 

•r  ■a 

■=22 

(5 

w. 

-co 

^2 

.1 
< 

o 
O 

'^1 

1 

1,122 

310 

506 

1,937 

196 

'  1,128 

224 

146 

3,688 

7,022 

789 

11,499 

9, 

215 

10 

l.oOl 

T.526 

822 

336 

59 

8 

4,166 

8,187 

1,186 

13,539 

8 

299 

8T 

2,127 

2,513 

1.9U5 

232 

73 

29 

8,052 

7.689 

879 

16,620 

4 

312 

25 

2,355 

2,692 

2,635 

118 

109 

28 

11,007 

5,372 

120 

16,499 

5 

44 

2 

2,IU6 

2,152 

2,011 

50 

50 

31 

1,588 

11,837 

9 

13,434 

fi 

25 

1 

2,09o 

2,122 

1,240 

198 

144 

5 

1,519 

10,879 

9 

12,407 

7 

25 
52 
388 
209 
70 
3T 

8,402 
2,312 
3,859 
2,259 
2,0S4 
2,948 

3,427 
2,364 
4,24T 

2,46S 
2,154 
2,986 

3,359 
2,133 
3,1.36 

1,779 
1,627 
2,684 

222 
72 
145 
2t9 
381 
93 

25 
107 

77 

90 
184 

80 

18 
10 
17 
89 
28 
16 

10,702 
6,983 

11,097 
8,812 
2,142 
2,408 

10,948 

7,009 

6,812 

4,751 

10,946 

12,317 

7 

11 
141 
81 
29 
14 

21,657 

8 

14,003 

g 

18,050 

10 

13,644 

11 

13,117 

V?. 

1 

14,739 

13 

44 

218 
127 

1,807 
2.493 
2,S8S 

1,851 
2,711 
3,021 

1,617 
2,25T 
2,927 

80 
92 
81 

3 
61 
24 

00 

9 

24 

1,493 

6.197 
10,044 

9,590 

7,968 

10,367 

30 
3 
18 

11,113 

14 

14,168 

1.5 

6 

20,429 

16 

293 

1,751 

2,044 

1,819 

411 

81 

14 

9,0G6 

6,909 

36 

16,011 

8,480 

442 

36,393 

40,315 

32,047 

3,938 

1,391 

417 

100,164 

138,603 

3.362 

242,129 

Population        The  population  in  1860  was  109,260,  (see  table  p.,  288)   so  that  in  this 
io9,26ot^       eight  years,  increase  is  133,000,  almost  11  per  cent,   on   the  average.     My 
Predictions    predictions  in  1848  for  30  years  were  that  we  should  increase  20  per  cent, 
per  aunum  for  five  years,  and  18  per  cent,  for  the  next  five.     These  were 
Not  realized,  realized.     But  16  for  the  next,  and  14  for  the  next  five  have  not  been  real- 
ized by  considerable  ;  and  is  not  the  war  an  abundant  reason  ?     I  then  cal- 
cukted  for  12  per  cent,  for    five   years,  and    thefl  ten  per  cent,  per  annum 
Census  mod- indefinitely.     The  present  census  must  be  moderate,  for  it  allows  only  five 

and  a  fraction  to  a  building. 
Views  1861.       Thesc  remarks  in  my  circular  of  1861  are  here  appropriate: — 


Rapid 
growth  of 
cities. 


Rail  way 
power  even 
in  old  coun- 
tries. 
Kail  way  8 
here  i'u   the 
beginning. 


Looking  back  only  twenty  or  thirty  years,  within  which  all  [railroads]  have  been 
built  in  this  country  and  mostly  abroad,  we  are  amazed  at  the  growth  of  London, 
Paris,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  etc.  The  locomotive  more  than  any  other  influence 
has  been  the  operating  cause,  notwithstanding  the  regions  tributary  to  them  being 
old  or  comparatively  so,  various  places  had  by  eiforts  of  many  years,  and  the  gradual 
accumulation  of  capital,  become  fixed  as  important  business  centres.  The  concen- 
trating power  of  railroads,  however,  in  even  these  old  countries,  has  given  to  the 
focal  points  a  sudden  and  remarkable  growth. 

But  here,  almost  in  the  day-dawn  of  settlement  of  these  heaven-favored  States, 
has  the  best  of  means  of  intercommunication  and  of  exchanging  products,  been 
spread  all  over  them,  and  of  necessity  business  will  chiefly  concentrate  at  central 
places.  Also,  the  six  thousand  miles  of  railway  in  use,  are  so  laid  over  one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  square  miles  contiguous  to  us,  that  three forths — forty-five  hun- 
dred miles — have  this  one  city  for  their  centre ;    and  so  admirably  has  the  system  been 


*  A  vast  amount  of  information  has  been  collected  in  detail  important  to  show  the  condition  of  the 
city.  The  area  is  computed,  showing  the  square  yards  in  the  blocks  and  in  streets  and  alleys ;  the 
grade,  and  condition  of  the  surface;  the  drainage,  length  and  size,  and  what  houses  connect  with  public 
drains  and  what  do  not ;  the  kind  of  privies  and  their  condition  ;  the  hygiene ;  and  full  descriptions  of 
the  buildings,  material  and  nso,  and  also  the  population.  It  being  yet  not  wholly  completed,  some 
errors  may  be  made  in  the  above  which  will  bo  corrected  in  the  next  edition. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  39ii 

planned  to  accomodate  the  country,  that  but  few  farms  are  over  twenty  miles  from  Perfycti.m  of 
a  railway  leading  directly  hither,  and  more  than  half  within  ten  miles.      Hail   our  ">'*'"'" 
best  minds  been  employed  in  the  begining  to  locate  the  roads  with  a  view  alone  to 
concentrate  at  Chicago,  the  existing  arrangement  couhl  hardly  have  been  bettered, 
either    for  city    or    country,    though    each    company    has  independently  made  its 
location,  seeking  its  own  interests  solely. 

These  lines,  too,  are  constantly  extending  ,  and  five  to  ten  thousand  square  miles  Expanding, 
and  over,  will    annually  be    brought   into   the    same    close  proximity  with  us,  till  a 
hundred  thousand  to  two  hundred  thousand  more  are  added  to  our  domain.     This 
could  now  liardly  be  prevented. 

The  knowledge  of  this    railway   system,  and  of  the  relations  Chicago  bears  to  it,  .Vdvantages 
is  being  widely  extended  and  must  be  more   fully   appreciated.     But    even    now,  a  ""^ '"'''• 
New  Englander  who  desires  to  remove  his  capital,  materials  and  workmen  into   the  yTwEua^' 
midst  of  his  western  consumers,  unless    he   preferred  to  do  a  small  and  restricted  land  seeks 
business,  or  had  peculiar  influences  to  control  him,  would  of  course  seek  Chicago.  ^'''• 
Before  the  day  of  railroads,  he  might  have  hesitated  and  erred  in  his  decision,  but 
not  now.     If  he  changed  to  another   location    in    the   old  States,  a  choice  must  be 
made    with    care,  but  not   in    the    West  if  he  have  energy  and  enterprise  to  meet 
competition, — without  which  he  had  better  avoid  Chicago. 

On  the  other    hand,    these    farmers   will   soon    be  rich,  erecting  fine  houses  and  AiMlity  of 
barns,  grtting  furniture  and  carriages    and   other   things  to  correspond,  and  living  '^"""'O"  to 
not  only  in  comfort  but  luxury.     There  will  be  a  city  within  one  to  eighteen  hours' 
ride  of  all  of  them,  where  th'^y  can  go  and  be  certain  to  find  every  article  wanted.  One  city  all 
or  of  soon  having  it  made,  and  that  competition    will  insure  fair  prices,  and  that  a '^*'*  '''''"-■''• 
choice  can  be  made  in  different  establishments.     Is  it  not  according  to  the  ordinary 
course  of  trade,  that  the  large    city    should   be   resorted    to  for   all   considerable 
purchases  ? 

In  this   direct  way  do  railroads  bring  together  manufacturers  and  consumers  to  Railniads 
their  mutual  advantage.     Can  it  be  doubted  that  such  must  be  their  inevitable  effect  ^■"•^"'j"  '»  cen- 
in  the  AVest,  a  field  in  which  nearly  all  manufacturing  establishments  are  yet  to  be  mercuaud 
located,  and  which  has  par  excellence,  one  great  centre  ?  umfra. 

Not  only  is  the  railway  powerful   to    centralize,  but  nothing  equals  it  to  advance  Tlvir  power 
settlements  and  develope  a  new    country.     This    region    had  attractions,  that  even  to  deveiope. 
before  the  advent  of  the  locomotive,  multiplied  inhabitants  as  in  no  other,  and  when 
it  cost  more  to  get  produce  to  Chicago,  then  as  now  the  chief  market,  than  to  raise 
it.     But  the  increase  of  profits  to  the    farmer    is  immense  since  the  time  when  five  Inoreise 
hundred  to  a  thousand  teams  could  be  seen  daily  entering  our  cities  from  their  teilious  f'^rmerM 
journeys  of  thirty  to  a  hundred  miles   and  over.     Wool  would  hardly   compensate 
for  such  trips  now-a-days,  though  wheat,  corn,    fruit,    etc.,  were  then  the  articles 
brought. 

Agriculture  being  the  chief  occupation  in  the   West,  its  advantage  is  of  first  im-  Can  now 
portance,  and  no  other  has  had    its    direct   profits  so  increased  by  railroads,     it  is  seud  com. 
a  literal  truth  that  even   corn,  which  consumes    more. of  its  money-worth  in  trans- 
portation than  almost  any  important  article  of  farm  produce,  and  is  most  valuable 
of  all,  western  farmers  can  now  supply  cheaper  to  eastern  farmers,  transportation 
included,  than  they  can  possibly    raise    it.     For    transporting    live  stock,  too,  and  Livestock, 
perishable  articles,  the  railway  is  of  much  importance.     It  has  doubled  and  trebled, 
and  more,  the  profits  of  western  agriculture.     And  the  various  lines  connecting  us 
with  the  old  States,  enable  their  citizens  to  come  cheaply  and  easily  to  examine  for  can  come 
themselves,  and  to  remove  their  familes  and  effects.     It  cannot  be  questioned,  that  aud  see. 
ten  years  will  now  advance  the  West  in  population  and  wealth  and  social  progress, 
more  than  thirty  would  have  done  without  this  most  influential  of  modern  inventions. 

Other   Cities  no  Measure  for  Chicago. — Hence,  in  anticipating  the  future  of  Chicago,  other  cities 
its  progress  is  not  to  be  limited  to  that  of  the  most  favored  city,  ancient  or  modern,  uometuure 
None  ever  arose  with  which  to  compare  it.     Not  only  this  new-found  motive  power  ^^      '" 
of  the  railroad  operates  with  unexampled  force  and  effect,  but  no  other  ever  had  so 
vast,  so  rich  a  region,  for  its  support.     Besides,  the  whole  country  has  made  great 
progress,  and  its  multiplied  wealth  and  population,  must   with    accelerating  power 
and  speed,  advance  this,  its  most  growing  section,  and  this,  its  most  growing  city. 

The  Destiny  of  Chicago — Predictions  for   Twenty-Five  Years. — If  hitherto  you  have  Its  destiny, 
not  particularly  investigated  the  subject,  you  have  probably  entertained  the  general 
belief  that  Chicago  is    to  grow  along  with  other  western  cities  to  a  large  size,  hav- 
ing, perhaps,  in  twenty-five  to  fifty  years,    two  to  five    hundred   thousand  people ! 
But  in  the  preceding  views  and  those    of  Mr.  Scott   following   |  the  article  quoted, 


400  Other   Cities  are  no  Measure  for   Chicago. 

If  Chi.  8nr-       But  while  we  thus  present  the  claims  of  this   City,  and   it  would   seem 
citiesl-"^''*'^  that  no  other  cities  are  a  measure   for  Chicago,  yet  an  important  point  in 
the  calculation  is,  that — 

—room  for  ThERE    IS   EOOM    FOR    ThEM    AND   Us. 

them  and  us. 

No  pent  up  Utica  contracts  our  powers, 

The  whole  unbounded  continent  is  ours. 

We  are  con-       Unfortunately,  and  greatly  to  the  misapprehension  of  our  manifest  des- 
tiny, and  the  contraction  of  our  plans,  that  good   old  word  of  our  fathers, 
Continental,  has  been  abandoned.     We  need   to  realize  that  this  our 
Europe  no    Xation,  Stretching  from  the  torrid  to  the  frigid  zone — the  Atlantic  ocean 
us.  to  connect  us  with  Europe,  the  Pacific  with  Asia — is  not  to  be  measured  by 

the  progress  of  the  contracted  nations  of  the  old  world.     With  the  Nation 
Influence  of  must  its  cities  have  corresponding  superiority.     And  what  is  more,  never 
did  any  land  possess  such  a  system  of  Government  as   this  of  ours  for  the 
development  of  its   powers.     Upon  the   Confederations  of  ancient  Greece, 
whereby  those  petty  States  of  that  little  country  became  the  first  powers  in 
Our  im-        the  world  ;  we  have  improved  by  adding  the  Republicanism  of  Rome,  that 
provemen  s.  pj.jQgjp|g  q^  J^epresentatiou,  which  enables  the  most  extended   States  and 
Nations  to  conduct  their  affairs  with   the  same  unity  and  equality  which 
can  be  obtained  in  the  smallest  State. 
We  must  re-      Honce  it  is  that  only  between  the  coats  of  arms  of  my  State  as  the  basis, 
itate  Sov-     of  my  Nation  as  the  defender,  can  the  Past,  Present  and  Future  of  my  city 
Natfonai  ^^  be  properly  placed  for  consideration.     This  compound  but  not  complex  sys- 
tem of  Government,  is  the  prime  cause,  under  Providence,  of  our  unexampled 
progress.     Under  and  by  means  of  State  Sovereignty,  we  have  the  strongest 
State  Govt.    Xational  Union  that  can  be  conceived.     We  have  all  the  benefits  of  State 

for  local — 

—National  Government  to  direct  our  local  afi\iirs,  the  most  efiective  National  Govern- 
foreign  iiicnt  in  the  world,  as  our  civil  war  has  demonstrated,  to  care  for  us  against 
foreign  dangers.  This  wonderful  system  of  Government  which  we  so  little 
apprehend,  is  no  doubt  the  main  cause  of  our  advance.  With  State  Sov- 
ereignty as  the  basis  of  our  every  right,  we  have  the  gegis  of  E  Pluribus 
Unum  over  us,  not  only  to  protect  from  abroad  but  to  leave  the  currents  of 
commerce  and  of  manufactures  free  to  flow  in  their  channels,  and  to  find 
their  natural  centres. 
Basis  not  As  wc  study  into  these  great  questions — as  we  surely  shall — we  shall 

ed.  find  that  the  solid  basis  of  our  prosperity  has  not  been  apprehended,  could  not 

Foreign  in-  \^q  appreciated.  Very  certain  is  it  that  the  examination  will  have  an  influ- 
ence inconceivable  in  drawing  to  us  from  the  Nations  of  Europe.  Then 
Asia,  by  means  of  the  Pacific  railroads  will  pour  upon  us  millions  of  labor- 
ers, our  chief  deficiency.  The  effect  of  Pacific  railways  it  is  impossible  to 
Mr.  Blanch-  over-cstimatc,  especially  upon  city  growth.  A  glance  at  the  map  of  the 
world,  which  backs*  the  railway  map,  exhibits  the  directness  of  the  routes. 

Traffic  with       *  As  before  observed,  I  have  no  idea  that  we  are  going  to  bring  by  rail  the  traffic  of  Asia  with 

*'*•  Europe,  or  even  for  the  Atlantic.    It  is  enough  for  us  that  it  must  come  that  way  for  the  Great  Interior. 

Mr.    BIan<  h-  Therefore  it  ig  regarded  a  good  hacker  to  add  the  map  of  the  world  which  Mr.  Blanchard,  our  enterprising 


ard's  maus 


map  publisher,  baa  kindly  allowed  me  to  use. 


Past.  Present  and  Futurt  of  ChAcago  Investments.  401 

We  saw  (p.  321)  in  Prof.  Tucker's  able  notes  on  the  censuses  from  1810  to  Prof.Tnck- 
1840,  the  much  greater  increase  of  towns  than  of  country.     Up  to  1840  ism.^^'^*' 
the  West  had  only  3  cities  of  over  10.000  ;  Cincinnati,  46.000  ;  Louisville, 
21.000  ;  St.  Louis,  16.000.     Since  that  period,  railways  having  been  spread  Railway  cen- 
like  magic  over  the  Old  Xorthwest,  instead  of  creating  a  few  centres,  their  ^^^^  *°  ^^^' 
power  has  been  applied  far  better  to  the  creating  of  many  centres.     This, 
as  has  been  so  often  observed,  and  by  various  writers,  is  because  the  first 
demands  of  settlers  are  for  articles  which  they  can   make  near  home,  and 
which  cost  largely  for  transportation.     This  diffusion  of  common  manufac-  Mnfrs.  dif- 
tures  affords  of  all  things  the  surest  basis  of  prosperity.     Then  each  of 
these  towns  needs  some  articles  which  it  cannot  produce  advantageously, 
and  goes  to  the  larger  city  ;  and  these  cities  to  the  larger.     These  common 
manufactures  are  now  widely  diffused,  and  the  time  is  fast  coming  when  High  ciTfli- 
this  Great  Interior  will  have  all  the  wants  of  the  highest  civilization.     Are  West, 
they  much  longer  to  go  away  off  to  Philadelphia  and  Xew  York  to  get  these  wm  thev  gj 
articles  ?    Besides  the  convenience  of  obtaining  them  at  Chicago,  pride  in  flrTrd&ct 
building  up  our  own  region,  and  rendering  the  Grreat  Interior  as  important 
in  manufactures  as  in  agricultural  productions,  will  more  and  more  operate. 
Then  the  remarks  upon  the  census  of  ISiiO,  p.  338,  exhibited  the  effects  of  Growth  of 

•       1     •      ,.  1  •  1^11  cities  to  I860 

railways  in  their  first  decade,  showing  the  growth  of  6  lake  cities  to  be  130 
per  cent.,  of  five  river  valley  cities  to  be  5S  per  cent.,  of  twelve  Atlantic 
cities  50  per  cent. ;  and  will  the  census  of  1870  show  any  retrograding  on 
the  part  of  the  Old  Xorthwest,  or  of  its  emporium  ? 

Therefore,  while  we  admit  that  former  ratio  of  increase  cannot  be  main-  ihongh 
tained  and  is  not  calculated  upon,  yet  beyond  any  city  that  ever  grew  must  not  main- 
it  be  kept  up  at  Chicago.  This  city  is  in  all  respects  exceptional.  What 
has  been  witnessed  elsewhere  to  compare  with  what  is  to  be  developed  in 
this  600.000  square  miles  of  richest  arable  land ;  and  900,000  miles  yet 
beyond  of  richest  mineral  land  which  must  make  this  City  their  emporium  ? 
Were  it  not  for   the  constant  and  rapid  addition  of  thousands  upon  thou- —present 

.  />,  •  wiU  be. 

sands  of  miles,  to  go  on  year  after  year  until  the  whole  Great  Interior  shall 
be  as  effectually  united  to  it  as  is  the  Old  Xorthwest.  ratio  would  further 
diminish.     But  as  it  is,  I  hold  to  my  former  predictions. 

Besides,  as  before  remarked.  Coolie  labor  will  be  broueht  into  the  South  improve- 

^  ,  ment  of    the 

as  well  as  West,  and  the  old  system  of  cotton  and  sugar  production  will  be  South, 
revived.     They  are  not  going  to  the  East  altogether  for  their  purchases  as 
hitherto.     They  like  the  West ;  and  give  them  an  equal  opportunity  to  '"'.i'l  tra<3« 
obtain   supplies   at  Chicago  and  they  will  give  it  preference  to  Atlantic  vvest. 
cities.     Facilities  already  are  very  good,  and  will  be  constantly  increased; 
and  for  a  cotton  market  we  shall  not  only  have  the  demand  of  western 
manufacturers  to  supply,  but  also,  direct  shipments  to  Eurorie. 


402 


Other   Cities  are  no  Measure  for   Chicago. 


p.  380  was  referred  to,]  do  you  discover  anything  unfair  or  improbable,  except  that 
If  reason-      the  result  is  so  incredible  ?     Does  a  single  valid   reason  occur  to  you   for  rejecting 
able,  admit    jjjg  conclusions,  that  Chicago  in  half  a  century  will  be  second  only  to  New  York,  it' 
the  results.    ^^  ^^^^  ^^  j^^^,^  ^^^  among  the   largest   cities    in    the    world?     If  not,  then  let  the 
views  in  favor,  which  are  certainly   fair   and   powerful,  establish   your  belief  that 
probably  it  is  so  to  be. 
Predictions         Heretofore  I  have  had  considerable   credit  for  good  judgment  as  to  the  future  of 
1S61,  that  20  this  city,  my  predictions  having  been    found   nearly    correct.     I  mean    these  shall 
to  25  years     prove    equally  80.     Calling    the    population    110,000,  sixteen  per  cent,  per   annum 
ouo^^o  Chi. '"  compounded,  would  give  in   iive   years    in    round    numbers,  230,000;   fourteen  per 
cent,  for  the  next  five  years  gives  380,000 ;    twelve  per  cent,  for  the  next  five  gives 
650,000  ;  and  ten  per  cent,  for  the  next  five  gives  1,000,000.     Probably  these  figures 
will  be  reached  within  each    five    years  or  less,  but  to  be    surely    within   bounds,  I 
allow  a  quarter  more  time  to  attain  each  amount,  and  say  that  twenty-five  years  will 
give  Chicago  over  a  million  inhabitants. 
Near20  per      From  1848  to  '58,  we  gained  almost  20  percent.,  and  compounded  each  year  ;  and 
"°'vf^^^"«  though  other  classes  have  come  in,  so  large  a  part  of  the  floating  and  laboring  pop- 
ulation  have  left,  that  the  total  has  not  since  increased,  if  it  be  as  large.     But  that 
strengthens  the  probabilities    of  future   increase,  for  with  a  return    of  prosperity, 
these  or  other  laborers  come  back  in  a  crowd. 

Take  another  estimate.  Suppose  we  double  in  five  years — as  we  surely  will — 
gives  220,000;  double  again  the  next  seven  years,  gives  440,000,  and  double  the 
next  ten  years,  gives  880,000;  and  three  years  are  left  of  my  twenty-five  to  reach 
the  million.  However  improbable  this  may  seem  to  others,  it  is  very  reasonable  with 
my  view  of  Chicago  interests. 

The  Progress  of  New  York. — This  prediction  will  not  seem  so  very  improbable, 
after  glancing  at  the  growth  of  New  York.  In  1810,  it  contained  96,373,  and  in 
1830  had  only  reached  197,112.  Brooklyn,  Jersey  City,  Staten  Island,  Newark,  and 
other  places  within  ten  or  fifteen  miles,  are  but  appendages,  and  in  a  locality  like 
Chicago,  would  not  have  a  separate  existence.  In  such  a  comparison  they  are 
properly  to  be  reckoned  as  part  of  the  metropolis,  and  in  1810  would  not  have 
made  a  much  greater  population  for  New  York  than  Chicago  now  has.  The  late 
census  gives  New  York  city  814,277,  and  the  surroundings  have  probably  700,000 
more,  making  a  total  of  about  a  million  and  a  half. 

It  will  not  be  controverted,  that  could  New  York  be  put  back  to  her  110,000,  and 
duties  would  be  posessed  of  only  the  advantages  and  means  of  intercommunication  she  had 
acquired  fifteen  years  ago,  that  her  progress  would  be  two  or  three  fold  what  it  has 
been — that  on  the  average  one  year  would  accomplish  for  her  what  two  or  three 
have  done  since  1810.  Why,  then,  if  there  be  any  soundness  in  the  preceding 
views,  should  it  be  deemed  extravagant  to  expect  a  growth  for  Chicago  that  would 
be  moderate  for  New  York  ? 

It  may  be  said,  that  New  York  has  been  built  up  by  the  whole  Union — that  even 
this  West,  upon  which  Chicago  depends,  has  contributed  largely  to  its  prosperity, 
and  must  in  future.  That  is  so  ;  but  look  at  the  immense  territory  directly  tribu- 
tary to  Chicago,  which  is  vastly  greater  than  that"  of  New  York  only  fifteen  years 
since.  That  city  never  had — has  not  even  now — 150,000  square  miles  of  territory, 
and  a  population  of  three  millions,  so  closely  identified  with  her  and  dependent 
upon  her,  as  Chicago  has  to-day  ;  and  this  area  is  fast  enlarging,  and  this  three  mil- 
lions will  more  than  double  each  ten  years  for  several  decades  ;  and  though  New 
n"y  \n^' °^  ^'°'^''' '^'^^  ^®''®*^^*^  *'^^^'^''^  ^''°'^  the  whole  Union,  it  cannot  be  claimed  that  only 
1845.  fifteen  years  ago  it  was  the  equal  of  what  Chicago  now  receives. 

Then  consider  the  rich  and  numerous  advantages  of  this  region,  so  far  excelling 


numfrom'-18 
to  1858. 


Another  es- 
timate for 
1,000,000. 


N.  Y.  com 
pared. 


1860,814,277 

Suburbs, 

700,000. 


have  in 
creased  her 
progress. 


All  the 
Union  aids 
N.  Y. 


Chi.  has  a 
larger  de- 
pendent 
area — 
— stronger 


Greater  pow- 
er of  the 
whole  coun- 


*'^  "      "^        the  old  States — the  means  of  intercommunication  and  concentration  at  Chicago,  so 


much  more  powerful  than  were  possessed  by    New   York  only  ten  years  since — the 
general   advancement  of  the    whole    country,  and  the    augmented  power  to  people 
and  develope  its  newer  and  most  desirable    region — the  large  foreign  immigration, 
which,  though  diminished  of  late,  is  far  greater  than  ten  or  fifteen    years  ago,  and 
No  rivalry,   every  way  more  desirable,  and  chiefly  seeks  the    West — and  then  consider  the  im- 
portant point,  that  in  the  East,  not  only  New  York,  but  several  cities  not  a  hundred 
miles   apart,   have    grown  to  a  large   sire,  and   that    here    for  a  circuit  of  several 
hundred  miles,  there  can  be  no  considerable  rival  to  this  great  centre  of  the  West. 
25  years  at         In  view  of  all  these    influential    considerations,  is  it  unreasonable  to  believe  that 
SO^at^N^Y  *°  *'^6'i'^y-five  years  will  advance   Chicago    equal  to  what  the  last  fifty  have  advanced 
New  York  ?     Yet  if  only  two-thirds  that  is  realized,  the  above  prediction  is  verified. 


Past,  Present  and  Future  of  Chicago  Investments.  403 

But  it  is  more  certtiiu  th;it  the  internal  trade  of  the  Great  Interior  itself,  Yet  intonnai 
bas  been,  is,  and  will  continue  to  be  the  main  means  of  progress  of  the  reliance, 
whole  country.     If  this  siiall  build  up  great  cities  on  the   Atlantic,  much 
more  will  it  build  them  up  in  the  Interior  itself.  i  want  to 

•IT  •  111  111-  i(v-i     write  more. 

Though  I  want  to  write  a  good  deal  more,  yet  the  book  is  surely  sufficiently 
expanded  for  a  beginning;  and  I  am  happy  to  permit  my  efficient  coadjutor, 
Mr.  Scott,  to  conclude  with  appropriate  thoughts  which  22  years  have  well 
tested,  as  they  have  the  other   articles,  written  for  the  Merchants'  3IaQar:ine,Mr.ScoU 

Q  concludes. 

lebruary  loio,  upon —  Viewa  1816. 

THE  PROGRESS  OF  THE  WEST  CONSIDERED  WITH  REFERENCE  TO  GREAT  Progress  of 

COMMERCIAL  CITIES  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  '^^^«*- 

— Commer- 

The  Albans/  Argus  says,  in  the  conclusion  of  an  interesting  article  on  the  depend-  '^Tjhani^^^' 
ence  of  eastern  towns  on  the  West,  for  their  growth —  Argm. 

"New  York,  if  she  wills,  can  still  hold  her  present  command  over  the  western  N.Y.  can 
trade;  but  this  will  require  immediate  eiforts,  such  as  will  test  the  energies  of  her  ^°^'*  ^^s'"^™ 
merchants.     He  is  blind  who  does  not  see  that,  at  the  present  time,  she  is  menaced*'^*  *' 
by  a  spirit  of  competition  on  the  part  of  wealthy,  enterprising,  and  powerful  cities, 
such  as  never  before   occurred  in  her  past  history.     But,  with  an  efl'ort,  she  holds 
the   game  in  her  own  hands.     The  western  trade  is  a  prize  worthy  of  those  who  A  worthy 
would  struggle  for  the  colossal  commercial  power  of  America.     A  city  sustained  P'^i^^- 
by  that  trade,  can  never  languish  ;  for  the  increase  of  production  of  the  western 
Slates  is  almost  boundless.     Its  city  must  be  far  greater  than  even  Alexandria  or 
Thebes.     So  long  as  New  York  remains   at  the  head  of  the  western  trade,  where  With  it  N.Y. 
our  State   pride  and  her  own  commanding  position  justly  place  her,  she  must  irre-  advances, 
sistibly  advance   in  wealth,  influence  and  population,  until  she  will  be  known  not 
only  as  the  great  city  of  America   but  as  the  great  city  of  the  world." 

Most  of  the  positions  of  the  Argus  are  sound.     New  York  undoubtedly  has  it  in  N-  Y.  best 
her   power  to  hold  more  of  the  western  trade  than  any  other  eastern  city ;  but  it  ^^tern"'^ 
should  be  remembered   that  the  centre   of  trade  in  this  country  is  likely  to  follow  cities, 
the  centre  of  population,  which   has  already,  in   its  westward  course,  reached  the 
top  of  the  Alleghanies.     We  lay  it  down  as  susceptible  of  demonstration,  that  the  Great  city  to 
great  city  of  America  will  be  in  the  midst  of,  and  not  far  from,  the  centre  of  the  be  in  centre 
great  population  of  America.     Every  man  of  tolerable   intelligence  knows  that  the  tfou*'^"'*' 
centre  is  shortly  to  be  in  the  great  western  valley.     Including  Canada,  the  North 
American  Valley,  already  has  eleven  of  the  twenty-one  millions  under  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  dominion.     This  valley  will  have — 

In  10  years 16,500,000  In    60  years 88,600,960  Progress  of 

"20     "      28,100,000        "    70     "      124,040,134  ^^'iTn. 

"30     "      32,340,000        "    80     "      173,656,000  years 

*'40     "      45,276,000        "    90     "      231,540,338 

"50     "      63,286,400        "100     "     308,721,777 

To  come  to  this  result,  we  have  allowed  the  increase  for  the  first  ten  years  to  be  Kate  ot  in- 
■50  per  cent.,  being  nearly  24  per  cent,  less  than  the  increase  of  the  western  states  '^'"ease. 
from  1830  to  1840.  After  that  and  down  to  eighty  years,  we  have  allowed  40  per 
cent,  being  4  per  cent,  more  than  the  increase  of  the  white  population  of  all  the 
free  States,  old  and  new,  from  1830  to  1840.  From  eighty  years  down,  the  rate 
allowed  for  each  ten  years  is  33i  per  cent.,  being  the  present  rate  of  increase  of 
the  whole  country.     The  Atlantic  border  will  increase  nearly  as  follows 

From  10  millions  in  10  years,  at  15  per  cent 11,500,000  Increase  of 

"      "         "  20      "  "         "       13,225,000  ^"^"^"J^^ 

ci       <i          (1               on       i.i              ii.           I  1  rono  "-rv  border  100 

"         '  '  30       "  "  "         15,208, /oO  years 

"  "  "  40  "  "  "  17,490,062 

"  "  "  50  "  10  "  19,239,068 

"  "  "  60  "  "  "  21,162,964 

"  "  "  70  "  "  "  23.279,250 

"  "  "  80  "  "  "  25,607,175 

■"  "  "  90  "  "  "  28,167,892 

"■  "  "  iOO  "  "  "  30,984.681 

26 


404  There  is  Room  for   Them  and   Us 


Rato  of  in-  Fifteen  per  cent,  increase,  each  decade,  is  allowed  for  the  first  forty  years,  and 
crease.  10  per  cent,  afterwards.     The  increase  of  the  Atlantic  States,  from  1830  to  1840, 

was  16.3  per  cent. ;  but  this  included  the  western  portion  of  New  York,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  Virginia,  which  are  in  our  valley. 
Argus  &\-  It  is  fair  to  presume  that  the  Argus  expected  at  least  one  hundred  years  to   pass 

lows  100  away  before  New  York  should  become  the  greatest  city  in  the  world.  London  has 
y^arsforN.  ^q^  about  five  times  as  many  people  as  New  York,  and  New  York  something  less 
Londou!*  than  five  times  the  number  of  Cincinnati.  To  suppose  the  latter  will  surpass  New 
So  Cin.  beats  York,  is  not  a  more  extravagant  anticipation  ihan  that  New  York  will  go  ahead  of 
N.  Y.  London. 

The  internal  exchanges  of  this  country  constitute  the  greatest  part  of  the  com- 

of  doinesu/^  merce   even   of  New  York,  at  which  so  large  a   part  of  our  foreign  commerce  is 

trade.  carried  on.     The  values  transported  on  the  Erie  canal,  alone  nearly  come  up  to  the 

values  of  all  the  exports  of  the  United  States.     Our  foreign  commerce  is  increas- 

This  15 times  ing  slowly  ;   our  home  trade  is  expanding  and  augmenting  rapidly.     The  latter,  in 

greater  than  all  its  branches,  probably,  now,  is  not  less  than  fifteen  times  as  great  as  the  former. 

foreign.         rJ^^^  home  trade  of  the  western  valley,  at  the  end  of  one  hundred  years,  will  be  a 

trade  of  three  hundred  millions  of  people  with  each  other,  of  the  productions  of 

their  various  climates,  and  more  various  industry  ;  and  also  with  the  thirty  millions 

W11300-      °f  '^^®  Atlantic  border.     Will  these   three  hundred   millions   go   to  New  York  to 

000,000  west  make  their  exchanges  with   each  other?     Is  it  even  certain  that  half  the   product 

gotoN.  Y.    of  the  eastern  slope,  intended  for  western  use,  will  not  be  brought  to  leading  west- 

to  trade?       ern  marts  for  sale?  or  that  western  products  intended  for  eastern   consumption, 

will  not  be  distributed  from   the   western  marts  ?  Certainly,   the  three  hundred 

millions  will  be  backward  children  if  they  cannot  make  their  exchanges  with  each 

other,  without  going  eastward  to  the  old  homestead,  a  thousand  miles  out  of  the 

way. 

Old  ideas  ^^^  ideas,  whether  hereditary,  or  the  fruit  of  early  education,  are  hard  to  erad- 

hardtoeradl-icate  or   supplant.     The  salt  sea,  and  commerce,  and  great  cities,  are  naturally 

'=**^-  associated  together  in  the  minds  of  Western  Europeans,  and  their  descendants  in 

America.     As  natnrally  is   the   interior  of  a  broad  continent  associated,  in  their 

minds,  with  gloomy  forests,  desert  prairies,  and   slow  movements  in  all  the  chan- 

Proerees  not  ^^Is  of  business.     The  idea  of  easy  and  rapid  and  cheap  movements  of  commercial 

realized.        equivalents,  over  the  face  of  the  continent,  by  means  of  river  and  lake  steamers, 

and  locomotives  on  railroads,  with  interlocking  McAdam  highways  and  canals,  is 

slow  to  enter  the  minds  of  the  present  generation.     That  land  commerce  has  become 

so  facile,  as  to  compare  with  ocean  commerce,  may  be  acknowledged  in  the  abstract, 

but  its  results  have  but  just  commenced   a  lodgment  in  the  public  mind.     If  our 

Estimate       estimate  of  the  increase  of  the  western  valley  should  seem  too  large,  let  the  reader 

reduced  to     reduce    the   aggregate  for  one    hundred  years   hence,   to  two   hundred  millions ; 

200,000,000.    and  then,  lest  the  Atlantic  border  should  seem  stinted  in  her  allowance,  set  that 

section  down  for  forty  millions;  —  still   our  deduction  in  favor  of  western  cities,' 

stands  on  a  firm  foundation. 

Direct  trade      ^^^  might  make  out  a  strong  case  for  western  cities,  independent  of  the  above 

from  lakes  to  considerations,  by   exhibiting  the  means  providing  for  a  direct  foreign  commerce, 

Europe.         away  from  the  eastern  cities.     Little  more  than  one  year  from  this  time  will  elapse, 

before  the  completion  of  the  locks  and  canals  around  the  falls  of  the  St.  Lawrence ; 

by  means  of  which,  the   ocean  commerce  will  be  accessible  from  the  ports  of  the 

350  tons         great  lakes,  in  vessels  of  350  tons  burthen.     With    iron  vessels  of  the  propeller 

propellers,     kind,  voyages   to  all  the  ports  of  the  word  may  be  made  from  the  interior  of  our 

Mias.  route,   country;  from  Toledo,  Chicago,  and  Fond  du  Lac.     In  the  south  by  means  of  the 

Mississippi,   a  direct   intercourse   may   be    opened  from  Natchez,   Memphis,   and 

Evansville  ;  and  in  high  water  from  St.  Louis,  Louisville  and  Cincinnati   with  the 

West  Indies,  aud  the  extensive  coasts  of  the  Gulf  and  Carribean  sea,  carried  on  in 

Chance   less  ^^^'^  ^®^^^'^' ™°^®'^  by  steam   and   sail.     Are  these  events  as  improbable  as,  fifty 

than  last  50  years  ago,  would  have  been  deemed  the  changes  that  have  taken  place  within  that 

years.  period?     Are  improvements  to  make  slower  progress  the  next  fifty  years  than  they 

have  during  the  last  fifty  ? 


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